Quote:
Originally Posted by 1o.f00t.570rk
So the cycle time is addressed by this being glorified injection molding, only instead of using a complete liquid it's more of a slurry with both resin and fibers at the same time. With costs, you have a mold and the process can be automated, unlike much of what is done with traditional methods.
As far as collisions, this will be the biggest issue. While performance and efficiency are greatly assisted by reducing weight, due to the significant variance in vehicles on the road (popularity of SUVs and trucks), it would take a huge shift in mentality before people would accept them. To compensate, the cars would have to be designed with impact - not creature comforts - in mind...something that would prevent them from selling well among the common consumer.
When car companies have to worry about the number of cup holders and designing the hood of a car for pedestrian impacts, it will be a long time before they can look to alternative materials for any significant amount of a vehicle that is intended to be mass-produced.
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Ohhhh, it won't be long..................it's NOW. Mass savings is so important to FE and CO2. The minute this becomes cost effective you'll see it in a Cruz and Sonic. Today it's not there yet.
Also, to manage crash energy you somewhat need the material to yield. A very stiff part that "snaps" isn't good for riding down a crash. So using it in major structural areas is a different engineering question than just mass reduction.