Enhanced Characterisation and Simulation Methods for Thermoplastic Overmoulding - ENACT

在欧盟，车队汽车的排放目标是到2020年达到95g二氧化碳/公里，到2025年达到68g二氧化碳/公里，英国承诺到2050年实现二氧化碳净零排放。影响汽车二氧化碳排放的一个关键因素是重量--车辆质量减少50公斤，其排放量减少5克二氧化碳/公里。通过使用复合材料实现的轻量化正在增加，但采用率受到材料成本和加工时间的限制。热塑性塑料覆盖成型(TPO)通过在当地明智地使用高性能材料和注塑成型的高速加工能力来解决这些障碍。我们的项目将汇集来自诺丁汉大学和密歇根州立大学的领先研究人员，以及总部位于英国并在北美和亚洲设有工厂的高科技和制造公司Surface Generation。Surface Generation获得专利的按功能规格生产(PtFS)技术使航空航天、汽车和消费电子领域的制造商能够使用复合材料，从而节省成本、能源，并生产出重量显著更轻的产品。我们建议的研究建立在非常成功的前身项目TOSCAA的基础上，将使汽车一级和OEM供应商能够采用覆盖成型技术，为英国、欧盟和全球汽车市场制造零部件。

In the EU, fleet auto emissions targets are set at 95g CO2/km by 2020 and 68g CO2/km by 2025 and the UK has committed to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. One key factor affecting the emissions of CO2 from cars is weight - reducing a vehicle's mass by 50kg reduces its emissions rate by 5gCO2/km. Lightweighting through the use of composite materials is increasing, but the rate of adoption is limited by material cost and processing times. Thermoplastic overmoulding (TPO) addresses these barriers through the judicious use of high performing materials in local areas combined with the high rate processing capability of injection moulding.Our project will bring together leading researchers from the University of Nottingham and Michigan State University, with Surface Generation, a high technology and manufacturing company headquartered in the UK and with facilities in North America and Asia. Surface Generation's patented Production to Functional Specification (PtFS) technology enables manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive and consumer electronics sectors to work with composite materials, saving costs, energy and producing significantly lighter weight products.Our proposed research, building upon the highly successful predecessor project TOSCAA, will allow automotive Tier 1 and OEM suppliers to adapt overmoulding techniques in the creation of components for the UK, EU and Global automotive market.