Why Composite Materials are the best thing for the Automotive sector

If we get right down to it, composite materials are essentially the combination of multiple materials. Who knew that something so simple could be so powerful?

Fibre glass, Kevlar, carbon fibre. These are just some examples of composite materials that have changed the way we approach engineering and manufacturing. In particular, the automotive industry has benefitted significantly from the intelligent development of composite materials.

From their lightweight qualities to their high strength, composites have quickly become a welcome solution to the manufacturing dilemmas faced by many OEMs.

So here’s 3 ways in which composites have made the automotive sector a better place.

1) Cost-effective solution

Where composite materials aren’t used directly as the material for vehicle parts, they’re still heavily involved in the process. Composite tools can be easily constructed and are much cheaper to make compared to standard metal tools. For OEMs, this can help them to achieve better margins when we take into account the entire production process. 

Composites also help to lower costs in the long term as a function of their corrosion-resistant properties. Resistance to corrosion helps to boost the durability of a composite part, meaning maintenance for that part becomes much cheaper.

2) Lightweight, fuel-saving properties

Composite materials can be extremely lightweight which helps to improve fuel efficiency. For example, carbon fibre composites can weigh about one fifth of the weight of steel, and still maintain their strength. Within a car, a component of a car seat can be 20-40% lighter when made using composite materials.

As you start to aggregate all the parts of a car that are made from composite materials, you begin to realise how much weight has been shed from the car compared to if the car was made completely from standard metals. Ultimately, this helps to make the car much more fuel efficient.

3) Durability and strength leads to safety

If designed correctly, composite materials can absorb much more energy compared to standard metals used in cars, in the event of a crash.

Ideally, the composite materials would be designed to fail in specific way, where the composite structure breaks into small pieces, but everything else remains intact and passengers remain protected.

While this is still a developing area for the use of composites in the automotive industry, it’s could no doubt be a significant advantage when it comes to saving lives.

Overall, the cost-effective, lightweight and durable properties of composite materials make them a popular choice of material in the production of parts for automotive vehicles. With continued research into the effectiveness of composite materials, we could continue to see more and more benefits of using composites in the automotive industry.