Child seat shell made from bioplastics and natural fibers
Greater sustainability is also an important goal in vehicle construction. To achieve this, more renewable raw materials are to be used. However, their use is difficult because, on the one hand, they should enable similar product properties to conventional materials and, on the other hand, the new materials must be easy to process.
In the "RegScha" research project , the Fraunhofer IMWS and EDAG Engineering have joined forces with other partners to develop a seat shell for child seats made from bio-based and natural fiber-reinforced plastics (bio-NFRP). These materials enable the production of lightweight yet stable components that meet the growing demands for sustainability in automotive engineering by contributing to a significant reduction in the CO2 footprint.
The forming of thermoplastic bio-NFRP laminates and the manufacture of the end product posed a particular challenge. However, the research partners atbeiden succeeded in creating a manufacturing process for large-scale production that is both economical and sustainable. The process developed allows resources to be conserved without compromising the performance of components.
Our white paper "Economical lightweight construction with bioplastics and natural fibers" provides detailed insights into the material development, the production process and the structural challenges of this lightweight construction project, which you can download right here.