TenCate have been successful in qualifying to supply carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRT) composite material to a global automotive manufacturer. Now that the customer-specific development phase for a structural automotive application has been completed, marking the end of the qualification process, structural integrity tests of the final product will now begin.
TenCate will initially focus on the structural parts and other components which are crucial for the integrity and safety of the vehicle. The demand for lightweight structures in hybrid and electric cars for daily use will grow in the coming years.
Tencate goal is to is to use its position in thermoplastic composites and established industrial manufacturing capabilities to generate solutions for the automotive industry. TenCate has achieved its current position over the past few decades mainly in the aerospace industry with its TenCate Cetex product portfolio.
Dave Clarke, global group director, TenCate Advanced Composites states;
The production of lightweight vehicles in larger volumes will become a reality by using fibre-reinforced thermoplastics. These advanced materials can substantially speed up and industrialise manufacturing processes for parts and components. Carbon fibre-reinforced composites will in the future no longer be used only in Formula 1 and high-end sports car production, but also be a critical part of mainstream, modern and fuel-efficient vehicles
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