Toray is undertaking new initiatives with the aim of expanding its range of materials with high environmental performance in the areas of automobiles and aircraft, whose operations greatly impact the global environment.
In April 2009, Toray established its Automotive & Aircraft Center (A&A Center) in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The development and production sites for advanced materials used in automobiles and aircraft were previously spread among plants and offices in Ehime, Shiga, and Nagoya. Now these functions have been combined at the new A&A Center. Through the organic cooperation and mutually complementary functioning of the Automotive Center (AMC), Plastics Application Technology Engineering Center (PATEC), and Advanced Composites Center (ACC), Toray Group has launched a comprehensive technology development center that can offer even more customers solutions based on combinations of Toray's advanced materials and technologies. The goal is to accelerate the development and strengthen joint initiatives with customers, while taking advantage of being situated in Nagoya, a location close to Japan's major automobile and aircraft manufacturers.
The A&A Center carries out innovative development of Toray's advanced materials in the automotive and aircraft fields. These materials include CFRP, plant-based plastics, high-performance films, high-performance chemicals, and IT-related materials. The center is actively pursuing technology development in order to expand the use of CFRP, which can play a major role in increasing the performance of environmentally-friendly vehicles such as hybrid cars, and electric cars of the future.
Nobuhiko Shimizu, Manager for Development Unit at the Automotive Center explains that, "As a materials manufacturer, Toray actively works with customers all the way from the product specifications development stage to the product molding and evaluation stages, while sharing its various technologies and resources. The A&A Center's biggest advantage is its ability to pursue joint development with customers. The response has been better than expected right from the opening of the new A&A Center, and we have already begun joint development with numerous automobile and parts manufacturers."
Currently, the center's most significant project area is technology development for the purpose of improving production efficiency. By improving manufacturing efficiency through the use of thermoplastic CFRP, molding time is being shortened from the previous minimum of about ten minutes for thermoset CFRP. According to Shimizu, "If we succeed with this technology innovation, CFRP can be used on a full-scale basis for mass-produced models with monthly production at the 10,000 vehicle level. We can greatly contribute to the prevention of global warming by making available high fuel efficiency CFRP vehicles to many drivers."
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Nobuhiko Shimizu
Manager
Development Unit
Automotive Center
Toray Industries, Inc
- Structure and Functions of the A&A Center
Automotive Center (AMC)
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Kiyoshiba Mase
General Manager
Organic Material Department,
Vehicle Material Engineering Division
TOYOTA Motor CorporationUsing CFRP Technology to Reduce Vehicle Weight
As we face one of the worst economic downturns of the century, environmental technology is essential in order to compete in the area of next-generation vehicles. In particular, ways to reduce vehicle weight and LCA are drawing a lot of attention in the industry.
The exceptional strength and lightweight properties of CFRP are very attractive, and applications for this technology have come a long way. Given the fact that it has been primarily used in aircraft, however, CFRP tends to be conceived as an expensive, difficult-to-produce material for automobile applications.
We look forward to future proposals from Toray for reliable, economical materials and assembly methods, by teaming up with Toray and making the most of its ability to develop diverse technologies.
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Masayuki Okazaki
Chief Engineer
Automobile R&D Center
Honda R&D Co.,Ltd.Creating CFRP Materials that can be Widely Used in Automobiles
Technologies to reduce CO2 emissions are key factors in all industries. The creation of lighter vehicles not only enables the reduction of CO2 emissions, but it also is an indispensable goal for improving the basic appeal of vehicles. It helps to make cars fun to drive while also meeting the economic need to cope with rising oil prices, as well as to reduce dependence on limited petroleum resources.
Despite the position of CFRP as the ultimate lightweight vehicle material, at present it is only being used for limited applications such as sports cars. In order for CFRP to make a real contribution to the fight against global warming as a material for creating lighter vehicles, automakers need to develop vehicle design and reliability evaluation technologies, while fiber manufacturers must establish CFRP manufacturing technology for mass production. We see Toray as a technology partner for the creation of lighter vehicles, and look forward to the realization of CFRP technology that offers a right balance of price, production performance, and ease of use in automobiles.
- <Looking to the Future>
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Toray Materials and the Development of Next-generation Vehicles
The adoption of CFRP has already begun in high-end vehicles produced by some European manufacturers. Mainstream cars in Japan made with a variety of CFRP components are expected to hit the market in the next three to four years.
Toray is carrying out numerous initiatives for the development of next-generation automobiles. CFRP adoption is expected to promote the popularization of electric vehicles by greatly extending the range on a single charge through vehicle weight reduction. In addition to CFRP, Toray is taking on the challenge of developing various other new materials such as interior materials made from plant-based plastics, and body materials created by combining plastic and film, thereby eliminating the need for the coating process involving hazardous substances.
In order to protect the global environment, we must accelerate our progress towards the creation of a low-carbon society. Toray's technologies can provide a shortcut to reaching this goal.
Toyota Motor Corporation's "1/X", an environmentally-friendly and safe concept car with CFRP used for the body frame
