SGL and BMW jointly promote the application of carbon fiber in automobiles

Recently, BMW Motors has increased its stake in a company that produces new-type materials to 40%. Volkswagen also increased its stake in the same company. This company, which is not too large in terms of sales, is rapidly moving into the eyes of the automotive industry. Then, what special skills did SGLG make to make two of Germany's famous car manufacturers increase investment in the company? Described in one word is carbon fiber.

On November 22, through a press conference in Beijing, the reporter had a certain understanding of this mysterious company.

As a complete product line from carbon graphite to carbon fiber and carbon-carbon composite materials, and the world's leading manufacturer of carbon graphite materials and related products, SGL Group's carbon graphite materials have excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. , high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, light weight, high mechanical strength characteristics. This multinational company headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, has 45 production bases in Europe, North America and Asia and service outlets covering more than 100 countries. In 2010, the company’s global sales amounted to 1.382 billion euros and it had 6,300 employees. . At present, SGL has established 5 companies in Shanghai, Shanxi, Zhejiang and other places in China, and employs more than 450 people.

It is understood that various types of carbon graphite related products in SGL have been widely used in iron and steel smelting, lightweight construction, new energy, construction and sports equipment, etc. According to the group's 2010 financial report, the group’s three points The second-largest sales come from areas related to energy and energy efficiency.

In the field of automobile manufacturing, SGL Group's carbon fiber materials are mainly used in car crew compartments, bumpers, roof canopies, etc., in addition to the brake pads and other products used in Porsche cars, making SGL carbon fiber products the most colorful Nothing more than its mass production applications on the BMW i series. According to the head of the Global Corporate Communications Department and spokesperson of the SGL Group, Mr. Fei Tiannu introduced that carbon fiber products have many advantages, including extremely light materials and materials that are harder and have a longer service life than traditional steel structures.

According to the information provided by the SGL Group, after matching electric vehicles, carbon fiber materials can reduce the weight of the car body, which can offset the increase in battery weight, thus achieving lighter energy conservation and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The strategic cooperation project between SGL and BMW Motors in terms of carbon materials, namely the joint venture established in Washington, USA, advanced carbon fiber plant - SGL Automotive Carbon Fiber Co., Ltd. has been officially put into operation in September this year, and its production of carbon fiber reinforced The lightweight plastic material will be used exclusively by BMW. The first application is the passenger compartment of the BMW i3, a pure electric vehicle that will be launched in 2013. Its overall weight loss is 250-350 kg. Including the BMW i8 hybrid, the high-strength, ultra-lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced plastic modules used in the i3 and i8 passenger compartments have attracted the industry's attention at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Although much lighter than the aluminum alloy material, the production cost of carbon fiber material is still very small, so the cost is still very high. Therefore, the batch processing of carbon fiber products, that is, the automation process, becomes a key factor in whether it can become the market leader in the future. The application on the BMW i-Series clearly gave SGL the opportunity to expand its product line. In this regard, Han Bolei, the managing director of SGL Special Graph (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., could not conceal his eagerness to enter the world's most possible new energy automobile manufacturing major markets, including China. He said that the bulk supply of BMW models will make SGL carbon fiber materials have a large spillage effect, and its promotion and popularization is a milestone.


Although carbon fiber material has many advantages mentioned above, due to the complexity of the overall structure and process of the car and the different functions required for each part, even in the light wave of current promotion, other materials including metal materials are still There will be occasions where they are difficult to be replaced and are most applicable. Han Borley also stated frankly that carbon fiber materials will not completely replace metal materials, and the future application will focus on its unique lightweight properties.