JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #131 - Novembre/December 2019 - 5

Composites are blazing the trail
of lightweight components including Class
A body panels, pickup boxes, battery cases
and a number of structural applications that
will help the global automotive industry
meet design and regulatory challenges. The
automotive composite products business of
the Teijin Group is targeting annual sales of
USD 2.0 billion by 2030.
We are a vertically-integrated,
full-service supplier developing
materials that meet our customers'
needs today

the automotive industry?

less to manufacture than aluminum or steel
parts. The sweet spot is generally between
30,000 to 200,000 pieces per year, since that
number can be produced using one tool.
Depending on the resins used, we can also
achieve very favorable cycle times for high
volume applications.

Can you tell us more about the GMC Sierra
Denali CarbonPro® pickup box that earned
you the Distinctive Innovation Award from
GM in May?

How can composite materials be convincing
in an industry that traditionally uses metal?
What arguments make OEMs more receptive to today's material innovations?

S.R.: The CarbonPro pickup box is the
industry's first use of carbon fiber for a
pickup truck box. It is made from Teijin's
Sereebo® carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) material. The CarbonPro
pickup box was jointly developed by Teijin
and GM for the GMC Sierra Denali 1500
and GMC Sierra AT4 1500. Specifically,
the pickup box's inner headboard, side and
floor panels are made with Sereebo. Following production startup in June, GMC Sierra
CarbonPro Editions for both vehicles began
appearing at select GMC dealerships in the
U.S. this summer. The CarbonPro panels are
being produced at Continental Structural
Plastics' Huntington, Indiana, manufacturing facility. Sereebo used for CarbonPro contains randomly-orientated, isotropic carbon
fiber in a polyamide matrix resin. Manufactured using with the world's first mass-production technology for CFRTP, the molding time for Sereebo is approximately one
minute, which is significantly shorter than
the molding time for conventional carbon
fiber reinforced thermoset plastics (CFRP).
Compared to steel, CarbonPro is 40 percent lighter, offers 10 times greater impact
resistance, is more corrosion-resistant, and
is even more readily recyclable. Finally, because of its material characteristics, Seree-

S.R.: We are educating OEMs about the

various applications for composites, and
the benefits of using them.
Generally speaking, a composite can be
used in place of a metal for parts that include body panels and closures, structural
components, underbody shields, engine
shrouds, battery cases, and pickup boxes.
The benefits of using a composite for any of
these applications include:
-- Styling and design flexibility that can't be
achieved with a stamped metal
-- Deep draws and extreme geometries that
can't be stamped
-- E-coat oven capable
-- Dimensional stability on par with or better than steel or aluminium
-- Dent and corrosion resistance
-- UV resistant materials ideal for pickup
boxes
-- Flame retardant materials for EV battery
boxes
-- Lightweight for improved fuel or battery
efficiency
-- Lower overall program costs, because
less tooling is needed
-- Enables part consolidation, which reduces assembly complexity for the OEM
It is also possible to use both metal and
composite materials for the right places
according to the required properties and
other demand such as short-term cost and
production efficiency.
This is the way we define our strategy for
multi-material automotive components.
How can you overcome the difficulty of
high-volume production of composites in

bo offers extended design flexibility and

S.R.: At certain volumes, SMC parts cost freedom, which allowed GM engineers to

mold in many of the unique features of the
CarbonPro box.
Electricity vs. hydrogen: is the energy
source for the cars of the future already
determined? How did one of them take
precedence over the other? Are you pursuing other developments in parallel or have
you already made your choice?

S.R.: We are focused on developing technologies for the EV market. The EV market
represents significant growth opportunities
for us globally, and especially for our joint
venture in China, which will soon add a
second location to support the growing battery case business there. We developed the
first advanced composite material that passes China's very stringent flame resistance
requirements, and are currently exploring
materials that will also address thermal runaway issues.
What strategies can be put in place to
control the environmental cost of composite
materials and their end-of-life?

S.R.: The strategy varies based on the

material selected. For example, Teijin's
Sereebo material is recyclable. In the process to make the CarbonPro box, offal is
grinded and recycled to mold additional
components used for the pickup box. For
thermoset materials, CSP is currently exploring a number of recycling processes
through which the glass or carbon fibers
and resins can be recaptured. We are doing
this on a small scale in the laboratory now,
while simultaneously developing methods
to do the same thing on a larger scale.

More information:
www.cspplastics.com

CSP is a proven
manufacturer of
highly-engineered products for
dynamic market
segments, including automotive

N°131 November - December 2019

/ jec composites magazine

http://www.cspplastics.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #131 - Novembre/December 2019

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