710698Tecman Speciality Materials (TSM) , Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic Dual Action Adhesive Tape (CFRPb-DAAT) proof of conceptClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKCars were responsible for 12% of total EU emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in 2014. EU legislation aims to improve fuel economy of cars sold on the European market. Fleet averages for new cars is 130g CO2 per km (g/km) by 2015 –and 95g/km by 2021. Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) on motor vehicles offers a method to achieve these targets. Lighter vehicles enable fuel efficient engines to obtain similar performance. CFRP can be 30% lighter than aluminium - 20-25% of the weight of steel of similar volume. Due to tooling and manufacturing costs CFRP is expensive, suitable only for niche, low volume sports and high specification vehicles. Current CFRP panel manufacture involves liquid adhesives applied using 6 axis robotic systems followed by clamping in jig fixtures and curing process using heat up to 7 hours. CFRP panel gaps are closely controlled to maximise adhesive performance. Costs are prohibitive and scalable only with very high infrastructure costs and large carbon footprint. Tecman Speciality Materials (TSM) is an established UK converter of adhesive tapes for Tier 1 and 2 automotive suppliers. Adhesive tapes can potentially overcome issues with liquid adhesives used in CFRP manufacture. High initial adhesion and rapid cure time provide processing speed to scale up CFRP manufacture to mainstream vehicles. However pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA’s) used in current adhesive tapes do not have sufficient adhesion or integral strength to form a structural bond between CFRP panels. Working with Adhesive Applications International (AAI) CMC Cevenini (CN) & Expert Tooling (ExT), Tecman will pioneer the concept of CFRP Dual Action Adhesive Tape (CFRPb - DAAT®) for high volume production over a successful 12 month project. Combining benefits of initial pressure activated adhesive tape with performance of a secondary heat activated liquid adhesive this will pave the way for mainstream use of CF in medium - large volume vehicle manufacture to lower emissions