The suit is integrated with the company’s cloud-based software system which can connect to the industrial Internet of Things and the Smart Factory. The software allows the suit to be personalised for multiple users and comes with a range of apps to further customise the device.

Weighing in at 7.4kgs, the company teamed up with SGL Carbon who assisted in the development of a new carbon fibre load-bearing structure which makes the device stronger and much lighter than previous models.

Combined with the Cray X power suit is the all-new smart Cray Visor which connects wirelessly to the suit and integrates a heads-up display allowing for instructions and other useful information to be displayed on the screen. What’s more, it also helps protect wearers from airborne health risks.

The device is available to buy now and features a “Robotics-as-a-Service” pricing model which allows companies to access the product for a monthly fee with prices starting at €699.

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Materials made of composites are suited for battery enclosures for different reasons: Besides their lightweight, which enhances the electric vehicle’s range, fibre-reinforced plastics offer high stiffness. In addition, they meet high requirements for water and gas tightness and feature excellent fire protection properties. Composite materials can also help to achieve improved structural stiffness of the underbody, e.g. to protect against penetration, as well as optimised thermal management. Carbon fibres are ideal for especially stressed structures or load-bearing elements, such as the underbody panels and side frames. For components subjected to less stress, such as battery box covers, glass fibres or a fibre mix may suffice.

In addition to the new application for the hybrid model battery enclosure, SGL Carbon will continue producing the usual components made of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic for the BMW i3 and delivering materials for the Carbon Core body of the BMW 7 series and has been nominated as the supplier for all carbon materials – fibres, textiles, stacks – for the BMW iNEXT, set to be launched in 2021.

Over the years SGL has supplied a number of automotive manufacturers with carbon materials and composite components, from sports car parts to large-scale deliveries of leaf springs and structural components.

The post SGL Carbon to Produce Composite Battery Enclosures for BMW appeared first on Composites Today.

To optimise the range of the taxis, every single gram counts. Measuring about two metres in length and 1.5 meters in width, the ultra-light landing skid will weigh less than three kilograms, making it about 15 per cent lighter than a similar component made from aluminium. This increases the potential flight time capacity of the air taxi which is a key differentiator for the air taxi operator.

The post SGL Carbon to Manufacture Carbon Fibre Landing Gear for Air Taxis appeared first on Composites Today.

The serial production of the components will start at the end of 2020. The carbon fibres and fabrics, as well as the assembled components, come from SGL Carbon. On top of this order, there is the potential for more significant extensions with further substantial volumes for the shared platform business of the manufacturer.

In addition, SGL Carbon has won a smaller volume contract from a European sports car manufacturer to serially produce bottom layers made of composites as of mid-2020. The company is additionally in talks with further automakers to develop and manufacture battery enclosure solutions for its e-car platforms.

Driven by the increasing need for e-cars worldwide and thus for new flexible chassis platforms, our composite battery enclosures are a very promising new application in our product portfolio. Sebastian Grasser, Head of Automotive Segment at the business unit Composites

A key part of any e-car chassis platform is the enclosure of the battery which usually occupies most of the space in the underfloor of the chassis and has various very specific requirements far beyond low weight. The battery cases also need to be very stiff to support driving dynamics. In addition, the material has to protect the underbody against impact, enable optimised thermal management and offer excellent fire protection as well as complete water and gas impermeability. All these requirements are met by composites much better than by any other material. With these advantages, composite battery enclosures perfectly fit e-car-specific and highly flexible chassis variants, so-called “skateboard” platforms, to be used as a basis for a great variety of different e-car models.

The post SGL Carbon to Begin Production of Composite Battery Enclosures for Electric Cars appeared first on Composites Today.

With the launch of the BMW iNEXT in 2021, The Dingolfing plant will be capable of producing fully-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and models with combustion engines to suit demand on a single assembly line. In August 2019, production was interrupted for four weeks to allow the vehicle plant to forge ahead with various construction and remodelling activities and prepare the location for new models like the BMW iNEXT.

The body shop at the heart of the plant was geared up for the BMW iNEXT several months ago. New production lines are currently being built for the body’s complex floor assembly. The plant benefits to a large extent from its years of expertise in composite and lightweight construction, as well as from structures created for the current generation of the BMW 7 Series. Production at the plant was already set up for handling an innovative mix of steel, aluminium and Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic for the iNext model.

SGL Carbon was selected to produce the carbon fibre components along with a number of composite components for the iNEXT. The carbon fibres will be manufactured at the company’s Moses Lake plant then shipped to their Wackersdorf site in Germany where the fabrics will be produced based on the fibres from Moses Lake. The SGL’s Moses Lake facility began as a joint venture between SGL Carbon and BMW. However, SGL Carbon bought out BMW’s 49 per cent stake in the facility back in 2017.

Plant Dingolfing is one of the BMW Group’s 31 production sites worldwide. Around 1,500 BMW 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series and 8 Series cars are produced daily at the Dingolfing automotive plant 02.40. In 2018, the plant produced a total of nearly 330,000 vehicles. Around 18,000 employees and 800 trainees currently work at the Dingolfing location.

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