8 minute read
COMPOSITES
The front bumpers on Mercedes-AMG GT4 race cars are set to be made from sustainable natural fibre composites supplied by Swiss lightweighting company Bcomp.
Bcomp’s bodywork solutions will be supplied to HWA AG –development partner of Mercedes-AMG – and provide a sustainable alternative to the GT4’s existing carbon fibre panels, offering equivalent mechanical performance in stiffness and weight and improving safety.
The new bumper uses Bcomp’s ampliTex and powerRibs technologies, which harness the natural advantages of flax fibre.
The powerRibs reinforcement grid uses the high specific bending stiffness of flax to build up height very efficiently, boosting the flexural stiffness of thin-walled shell elements significantly. The new bumpers are also safer in the event of a crash or collision and decrease the risk of punctures significantly.
Unlike the sharp fracturing and splintering of carbon fibre, ampliTex technical fabrics are far more ductile in an impact, whereas the powerRibs confine the damage zone, minimising debris and the risks to drivers, marshals, and spectators.
A full sustainability analysis concluded that the new bumper offered a total material emission reduction of 90% when compared to the carbon fibre part as well as an 85% reduction of CO2 emissions from cradle-to-gate, considering all production steps from raw material to final part.
Not only do Bcomp’s materials reduce the part’s carbon cost, but they also introduce the option of thermal energy recovery. Since the new bumper is full natural fibre, it can be used for thermal energy recovery, turning approximately 80% of the energy stored in the part into renewable energy, resulting in a process without hazardous carbon waste or parts that need to go into landfill.
Reverse engineered from HWA’s original, the natural fibre bumper’s design has been collaboratively optimised over the past 12 months. To ensure that the bumper met all racing regulations and requirements, the HWA team performed extensive mechanical testing and validation. The stiffness of the complete frontend of the Mercedes-AMG GT4 was measured, simulating the aerodynamic drag and front diffusor downforce. The tests were conducted with a carbon fibre bumper as benchmark and afterwards with the new natural fibre bumper, validating that the newly designed part performs to the same level.
Production of the old carbon fibre bumpers has now ceased, and all customer teams will receive the new Bcomp version with their next orders.
Bcomp’s award-winning technologies are already used in 16 racing series around the world, but their applications are not restricted to motorsport. From automotive interior panels and bodywork to luxury yachting and the European Space Agency’s latest natural fibre satellite panels, Bcomp’s technologies can be used wherever weight, stiffness and sustainability are important. With the GT4 cars closely based on their road-going counterparts, these racing projects open up opportunities for future highperformance road applications. 8 bcomp.ch
Natural composites for race cars
Plastic injection moulding and toolmaking specialist Barkley Plastics has appointed a new senior management team to help it target diversification and international opportunities.
Matt Harwood has become Managing Director, taking over from his father Mark who has become Chairman of the Birmingham-based business.
The former logistics and business development manager will be joined at the helm by Operations Director Steve Smith and the duo are already setting their sights on maximising an £120,000 investment in automation and increasing its involvement in medical, construction and white goods.
This will reinforce the firm’s traditional expertise in automotive, where it continues to produce tools and injection moulded parts for customers including Aston Martin, BMW Mini, JLR, Nissan and Toyota.
“2022 is a massive year for the business as we look to bounce back from the pandemic and the supply chain issues affecting the automotive sector,” explained Matt.
“My Dad has been with the business since the late 70s and MD for the past 14 years, so we all felt the time was right for him to move upstairs and let a new management team build on the excellent platform he has built.”
He continued: “There’s a lot of challenges to contend with, but also a lot of opportunities as we look to take our toolmaking capabilities and injection moulding expertise into new markets, not to mention building on the success of our own interlocking floor product ‘PlasFloor’ by bringing a new home and garden range to market.
“Investment is a big thing for us at the moment. We must explore ways we can be more productive and efficient to help us offset rising energy prices and ensure we deliver competitive products to our global customer base.”
Barkley Plastics, which is a founding member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, has one of the largest toolmaking facilities in the UK, producing high precision tools capable of delivering 50 million mouldings for distribution domestically and throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
Employing 100 people at its Highgate factory, it can support its expanding client base with initial design and product development, right through to manufacture and assembly, with over 40 modern moulding presses – ranging from 5 to 650 tonne – able to produce the most intricate of components.
The latest investment, which has been supported by WMG and the Made Smarter Programme, has seen the firm purchase sixaxis collaborative robots that can work alongside an operator.
This will help improve efficiency and allows the company to utilise staff elsewhere on the production line.
Steve Smith, Operations Director, went on to add: “The focus is undoubtedly on strengthening our automotive partnerships, whilst at the same time using our two-shot moulding, injection moulding and toolmaking expertise to win complementary work in new markets.
“We’ve already had some significant success with this
New top team will mould the future
approach, with fire safety products exported to Eastern Europe and a new tooling project to help develop EV/Battery technology for agricultural and off-road vehicles. There’s even a project we’re doing to supply products for underwater boat lighting.”
He concluded: “I think that highlights our engineering knowledge and the vast range of manufacturing capability we can offer. That’s something we’ve got to leverage going forward.”
Barkley Plastics is a member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), a group of seven sub-contract manufacturers and a specialist engineering design agency.
Employing more than 1700 people across 12 different factories, MAN can offer every engineering discipline imaginable, including aluminium casting, automation and control systems, forging, plastic injection moulding, precision machining, high-volume pressing, tube manipulation and welded assemblies.
In addition to Barkley Plastics, its membership includes Alucast, Brandauer, Grove Design, James Lister & Sons, Kimbermills International, PP Control & Automation and Muller Holdings. 8 barkley.co.uk
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