Made of Plastic, it's Fantastic

nd 4 holden spd

nd 4 holden spd

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Is this a more viable option over carbon fibre? GM on the test now apparently:

Quoted from Autoblog

GM may replace some metal parts with new Quantech polymer


The continued pursuit of adding lightness and cutting costs has led General Motors to a new material developed by Wilmington, Massachusetts company Quantum Leap Packaging. The liquid crystal polymer could be used in applications that traditionally require metal, including body panels. Plastics tend to have a larger coefficient of expansion, as anyone who's checked the door gaps on a Saturn SL1 will tell you, but this new material combines dimensional stability comparable to steel and strength on par with titanium.

Quantech, as the material is known, is similar to Kevlar and could be used for support brackets, body pieces, and even underhood parts where the weather's always warm. While resins and exotic materials are no bargain, the price of steel has been increasing too, which makes a better case for trying something new. A fast-track plan may see Quantech hitting production cars in six months, though the timeline could protract to two years if the vetting process reveals any challenges to overcome.
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What does this bit mean?

Quantech, as the material is known, is similar to Kevlar and could be used for support brackets, body pieces, and even underhood parts where the weather's always warm.
Click to expand...
Can it not be used in colder climates?
 
daan
What does this bit mean?


Can it not be used in colder climates?
Click to expand...

It means there are high temperatures under the bonnet and this material can withstand those and even be a part of the engine.
 
Yeah, but why use the word weather? "And we have a warm front moving in from the radiator, and this will be met by cold air heading for the air intake. We should therefore expect a bit of sleet over the battery area which could lead onto electrical storms."

And it's not always warm under the bonnet.
 
Looking at their website and the objects they use Quantech for, i doubt they'll make actual engine parts from the stuff. I doubt it could withstand the pressure. Interesting idea though.
 
So we'll be buying sub-Toyota cars for the price of a Mercedes now?

What about fiberglass body panels?
 
Pastic parts on cars = 👍 from me. No rust, just as strong as steel if used correctly, lighter than steel if used correctly, pops right back out to it's original shape in smaller bumps, in theory cheaper than steel to mould too.

If they can make it easily and environmentally recyclablen then I'm all for it. The "no rust" thing is the main attraction for me.
 
daan
Yeah, but why use the word weather? "And we have a warm front moving in from the radiator, and this will be met by cold air heading for the air intake. We should therefore expect a bit of sleet over the battery area which could lead onto electrical storms."

And it's not always warm under the bonnet.
Click to expand...

It's best not to take some things too literally. I know. I do all the time.

It's not a bad idea, I'm jsut wondering how much the stuff costs. Might be useful for a class project.
 
Time will tell I guess, hopefully it will be a break through as car manufacturers could use something to cut costs so they can spend on more important things.
 
daan
Yeah, but why use the word weather? "And we have a warm front moving in from the radiator, and this will be met by cold air heading for the air intake. We should therefore expect a bit of sleet over the battery area which could lead onto electrical storms."

And it's not always warm under the bonnet.
Click to expand...
Because they aren't professional writers, eh? And I've never noticed much technical stuff in their articles. They just write it, not study it. I wondered the same thing when I read it.
 
They are however professional automotive journos, and the saying made complete sense. Weather refers to weather see, and when it's warm that implies that the temperature is high see.
 
Well not anymore, I think they stopped using plastic panels when they stopped making the S-Series.
 
That, and this seems to be a plastic suitable for structural components. Like, perhaps, a bicycle crank....

(Class project thoughts...)

Does anyone have the manufacturer's website, and perhaps some materials specs?
 

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