Automotive
High Performance Automotive Composite Manufacturing
Carbon fibre composites deliver reliable stiffness and load control under high cyclic loads and vibration, supporting consistent performance in demanding automotive applications. Combined with a high strength-to-weight ratio, this enables consistent lightweighting across multiple component batches without compromising structural integrity.
Specialist Capabilities
The Roll-Wrapping Process
We often get asked, "what is the benefit of roll-wrapped carbon fibre tubes?"
There are many benefits but first and foremost, the roll-wrapping process lets our experts custom-design a vast array of properties into the components we develop. Couple this with cost-effective and replicable manufacturing at scale, and the benefits start to stack up fast.
They can be manufactured to suit bonding, fastening, or mechanical interfaces, and tailored to fit within existing vehicle assemblies. This supports a reliable fit and minimal disruption to established vehicle designs or production processes.
Automotive composite components are tested and validated through a combination of material testing, fatigue analysis, and application-specific performance evaluation.
This can include testing for strength, stiffness and vibration behaviour under stress. Environmental testing like temperature resistance may be carried out depending on the application.
By weight, carbon fibre can be several times stronger than steel and substantially stronger than aluminium, while being much lighter. This allows automotive engineers to reduce vehicle weight while maintaining structural performance and overall handling.
Composite performance in automotive environments depends on the resin system used and the design of the component.
They offer strong resistance to moisture, corrosion, and environmental exposure, making them suitable for both internal and external vehicle applications. At low temperatures, composites may become more brittle, while at elevated temperatures, stiffness can reduce as the material approaches its glass transition temperature.
Unlike metals, which can accumulate fatigue damage over time, composites can be designed to distribute stresses efficiently through controlled fibre orientation. This helps maintain structural integrity over repeated loading cycles. Performance depends on the material system and design, but composites are widely used in automotive applications where durability under constant vibration and loading is required.
Carbon Fibre composites have inherit dampening properties. Unlike metals, which tend to transmit vibration, composite materials can absorb and dissipate energy.
Precise fibre placement and controlled curing help ensure each component meets the same performance and dimensional requirements.
Roll-Wrapped components can also be tapered and custom-shaped to meet different applications.
