133272Reduced cost materials and process for lightweight automotive structuresClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UK"This project aims to prove both the concept of a new material combination, flax based sandwich construction, and a new manufacturing process developed under a previous Innovate project, to produce strong, lightweight and low cost automotive body structures and exterior panels. Through the unique production method the project will investigate the limitations of the production process and the consequent impact on the design of structural components. At the same time the process will be tested to see how it can deliver acceptable A class surfaces that do not require further finishing processes. The process delivers low-capital investment production tooling and supports the production of low cost vehicles as well as any product using single side moulded panels. Once the process has been tuned, the project will look at flax reinforced resins in a sandwich construction with carbon fibre skins to provide resilience and impact resistance and also to encapsulate the flax to protect it from moisture. This will focus on achieving suitable strengths to carry loads, resilience to withstand repeated road load inputs and resistance to impacts. Following the experimentation, the project will create and automotive body structure to test the results as a complete assembly. This will lead to a new business with new business opportunities -- initially with Nedra on it's ultra-low weight electric vehicle family and subsequently in many automotive applications that seek reductions in cost and weight."