JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #53 - November/December 2009 - 40

FEATURE “Automotive” High-quality composite body panels for the Aston Martin DBS Volante For luxury goods, everything has to be perfect. Aston Martin cars are no exception to this rule. These exceptional cars make the most of composite advantages. Gurit is applying the SPRINT® CBS (Carbon Body Sheet) technology to produce Class-A carbon body panels for one of Aston Martin’s latest models: the DBS Volante. very potential customer of Aston Martin is invited to visit the Gaydon plant after an appointment at one of the 135 dealers of the brand, which is represented in 42 countries. The goal of this visit is to understand the cost of an Aston Martin. Every detail of these cars is carefully worked out, starting at the supplier level, well before the plant. Gurit contributes its composite expertise as a Tier 1 supplier. Into the automotive market Gurit started its automotive composite activities in 2000 with the supply of raw materials for the Mercedes-McLaren SLR. In 2003 the company supplied materials technology for the complete BIW for the MG SV and SV-R. The Aston Martin ALBOS demonstrator followed in 2005. In 2007, Gurit started serial production for the Aston Martin DBS. programmes, as well as the many potential customers that are currently looking into the technology, Gurit has created a new-look development centre adjacent to its production facility. The centre houses all automotive functions including: new development and engineering teams, commercial activities including sales and marketing, an expanded quality and product management group, and a team of highly-skilled manufacturing engineers. These new offices are home to the CATIA design suite and a development lab that will ensure that Gurit’s capabilities in composite panels and tooling design remain unrivalled within the industry. Martin Starkey, managing director at Gurit Automotive comments: “Bringing this focused and skilled team together is critical in 2009 as we continue to raise the bar and target the acquisition of further programmes and supporting accreditations such as TS16949, which will reinforce our position as world leader in this field”. From the recently-launched, specialized facility based on the Isle of Wight, Gurit will supply Class A car sets for the DBS Volante, consisting of right and left hand fenders, hoods (bonnets) and deck lids (boot lids) – all manufactured from new-technology carbon composites. Production has already begun. The company has the capability to formulate, design, prototype and manufacture fullyassembled, primed exterior body panels. The Aston Martin Volante was launched earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show 2009. Capability continues to grow Gurit’s first automotive parts production facility was launched in 2007 to supply the Aston Martin DBS with the leading technology in carbon composite body panels. Since then, it has dramatically ramped up its production rate to satisfy a strong demand for DBSs. Output grew consistently through 2008, ultimately achieving a 5-fold increase in production volumes by the last quarter. The strength of this technology combined with the sustained performance of the facility were key factors in securing a second OEM programme, the Aston Martin DBS Volante (the convertible version of the DBS), with production expected to start throughout the summer 2009. To meet the demands of the new and existing An advanced composite solution The facility producing automotive parts utilizes a wide range of innovative technologies that are essential for maximizing the jec composites magazine / No53 November - December 2009

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #53 - November/December 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #53 - November/December 2009