PACCAR

In the constant race for productivity, quality and profitability, industries are constantly looking for cost reduction opportunities to mitigate the impact of local and global non-controllable aspects such as inflation, new regulations, sales forecast not achieved, etc. These opportunities are managed from multiple angles, like process automation, labor and material cost reduction, and product design improvements, among others. Utilization of composite materials has proved to be a great solution to achieve cost reduction goals.

The tendency in terms of material selection for new product design used to be simpler; for example, if there was a need for high durability, steel (or other metal alloy) was normally the preferred selection. As is today, this is becoming less common since raw materials like steel or wood are extremely expensive and more restricted by environmental regulations. This is when composite materials become a valuable option; they need high durability, great surface class and lightweight. There are multiple composite materials technologies that can provide that.

Another good reason to choose composite materials is because of the broad range of options available to design the manufacturing process. Low volume? Use infusion molding. High volume? Use SMC molding. Low budget? Use open molding with vinyl ester tooling. There are multiple technologies and manufacturing processes available to choose what better suits for your project and necessities.

Several global companies are using these materials today; for instance, the concept of using carbon fiber for aerospace products or luxury vehicles has been changing in recent years since these materials and technologies are getting more accessible. As a good proof of it, here’s my experience: as part of the manufacturing process to fabricate truck body parts, fiberglass trimming and drilling

 fixtures were used for years. After a cost-benefit analysis (and the more accessible cost of some materials), we realized that using carbon fiber fixtures was more cost-effective over a longer period. The reason? Simply put, the cost of the carbon fiber tools was 40 percent higher vs. fiberglass tools, but the tool’s durability was 2.5 times longer.

In addition, the fabrication process for composite materials (this can vary depending on the technology used) can provide flexibility for R&D purposes. If the material’s durability is not achieving the desired level, you can ‘play’ with the glass and resin content. If you need to speed up the throughput to meet the tack time goal, you can modify the resin formulation and the catalyst ratio. If you need to increase the quality of the surface you are getting, try different gel coat materials. These are just a few of the potential variables that can be customized for the manufacturing process.

Another thing to consider is the flexibility you can get in upgrading your fabrication process. One of my first projects as a manufacturing engineer in fabrications (molding) was to upgrade the molding process of a specific truck body part (fenders). The project consisted of changing the fabrication process from open molding (spray up) to close molding (CCBM). By investing $35K USD, annual savings of $250K were achieved. The profit obtained came from the part cycle time and reduction of surface defects.

As a brief summary, these are the main reasons to consider using composite materials as a strong driving factor for cost reduction:

1. Reduce product cost (compared to steel, wood and other common materials)

2. Enhance product durability/weight ratio

3. Increased flexibility in fabrication improvements

4. A broad selection of technologies and processes (budget-friendly options are available)

5. Great support for product development and testing (several parameters available to ‘play with’)

Using composite materials is not only a great way to make manufacturing more profitable and competitive in the market, it is also an open door to a field of unlimited potential improvements and business opportunities from a local to a global market perspective.