Assembly of Future Vehicles in New Light-weight Materials
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Linköpings universitet - Institutionen för ekonomisk och industriell utveckling |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 500 000 |
| Project duration | October 2012 - September 2013 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | FFI - Sustainable Production |
| Call | 2012-02182-en |
| End-of-project report | 2012-02516sv.pdf(pdf, 145 kB) (In Swedish) |
Important results from the project
The aim of the project is to identify possible future manufacturing idea. Especially areas and needs for future research to establish future assembly systems for vehicles in light-weighted material were explored. By a state-of-the-art study within the area, discussions with Volvo Cars, aerospace and space industry, trends and areas for future research have been identified. The project facilitated increased collaboration between research groups in new projects within the area.
Expected long term effects
The project indicates that the area is of high importance for the automotive industry in general. The pilot company, driving the market change-over towards light-weighted material in vehicles is BMW. BMWs final assembly of the light-weighted vehicles is planned as a traditional line, but with an open roof in the assembly line. Two projects have been applied for together with other researchers during this project within the area. Furthermore, there is a plan for one FFI application during 2014.
Approach and implementation
The group had discussions with Volvo Cars, aerospace and space industry, performed a state-of-the-art study based on academic and general information from the car manufacturers, and participated in conferences. There exist research groups that i.e. focus on the material itself, how to form components in high volume, repair of light-weighted material for vehicles. As of today, there are few academic publications about automotive manufacturing and polymer composites, but it is an increasing trend.