Technical Absorbents
Techtextil Frankfurt

Free membership

Receive our weekly Newsletter
and set tailored daily news alerts.

Composites

Hexcel’s carbon fibre composites used in BMW 7 latest model

Hexcel supplies BMW with preforms made of unidirectional carbon prepreg set in various orientations and combined with adhesive.

15th January 2016

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Stamford, CT

Transport/​Aerospace

Hexcel, a leading advanced composites company, supplies BMW with preforms made of unidirectional carbon prepreg set in various orientations and combined with adhesive.

Fully-automated production

The prepreg is made from Hexcel’s HexPly M77 resin system that cures in 1.5 minutes at 160°C. To meet the requirements for series production in the automotive industry, Hexcel has installed a fully automated production line in Austria that converts unidirectional prepreg into bidirectional preforms in seconds.

The process is said to allow prepreg plies of different weights and orientation to be combined in the same ply-book and includes automated cutting, camera-assisted ply positioning, integration of adhesive and automated packing.

Applications

This unique, fully-automated production cell makes B-pillar preforms for up to 500 cars each day allowing Hexcel to meet the high production rates required by automotive manufacturers and the high quality expectations of premium car manufacturers, the company reports.

Hexcel’s CFRP solutions are used in standalone and hybrid applications to help not only lighten cars which contributes to overall CO2 reductions, but also help to improve performance and safety through increased strength and durability.

Hexcel Corporation

Hexcel Corporation is a leading advanced composites company. It develops, manufactures and markets lightweight, high-performance structural materials, including carbon fibres, reinforcements, prepregs, honeycomb, matrix systems, adhesives and composite structures, used in commercial aerospace, space and defence and industrial applications such as wind turbine blades.

www.hexcel.com

Latest Reports

Business intelligence for the fibre, textiles and apparel industries: technologies, innovations, markets, investments, trade policy, sourcing, strategy...

Find out more