The Winners of Altair’s 2024 Enlighten Awards Are Lightweights, and That’s a Good Thing

Altair, a global leader in computational intelligence, has named the winners of its 2024 Altair Enlighten Award. A selection of winners and runners-up, plus an honorable mention, are profiled here. The other award recipients are featured in Part I.

Future of lightweighting

Winners: WEAV3D, Braskem, and Clemson Composites Center for the cost-effective lightweight vehicle body structures

WEAV3D, Braskem, and the Clemson Composites Center developed a composite-lattice-reinforced polypropylene (PP) sheet (pictured above) that can be tailored to match the performance of any vehicle body structure on the market. Manufactured with a high-rate, highly automated forming cycle that produces more parts using less energy, the new sheet cost 50% less and reduces weight by 23% compared with CFPA6 organosheet (carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide 6) and 60 to 70% compared with steel. The material also boasts a 62% reduction in trim scrap by weight. Lastly, compared to steel, the PP sheet features superior energy absorption and shape recovery.

Runner-up: Carsolia Composites for a composite suspension coil spring

Composite suspension coil spring. Image courtesy of Altair.

Carsolia Composites has introduced a patent-pending composite coil spring that is 50% lighter than steel. The carbon-fiber-composite material also emits 50% less CO₂ equivalent per kilogram during production versus steel, resulting in a 75% overall reduction in CO₂ emissions. The manufacturing process supports high-volume vehicle production, and the spring also enables unique aesthetic design possibilities that were previously impossible. Ideally suited for battery electric vehicle (BEV) platforms, the coil spring is a direct “bolt-on” solution for current vehicles without the need for any redesign.

Related:Winners of the 2024 Altair Enlighten Award, Part I

Enabling technology

Winner: CompositeEdge for its sustainable high-performance structures

Aiming to minimize overall material usage, CompositeEdge utilized natural fiber composites — employing reinforcing materials such as flax and hemp fiber — blended with plastic to form high-performance structures that can support the automated manufacture of car body panels, interior trims, chassis parts, suspension elements, and more without the use of adhesives. The use of natural fiber composites significantly reduces carbon emissions and energy consumption compared to synthetic materials. Overall, the technology enables the production of sustainable, lightweight automotive components.

Runner-up: Teijin Automotive Technologies for a fully automated preforming process enabling complex carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts

Fully automated preforming process. Image courtesy of Altair.

Teijin Automotive Technologies’ fully automated preforming process enables the mass production of carbon-fiber preforms to be used in automotive components — in this case a vehicle door. The precision of the automated process optimizes the amount of material used and recycles a small amount of waste. The previous labor-intensive process was unsuitable for mass production and often resulted in avoidable waste caused by human error. The new process is more efficient and reduces required labor by 20%.

Honorable Mention: Bemis Manufacturing and BASF for large hydraulic tanks for compact excavators using BASF’s Ultramid polyamide

Large hydraulic tanks for compact excavators. Image courtesy of Altair.

Bemis Manufacturing and BASF have developed large hydraulic tanks for compact excavators using BASF’s polyamide. The eco-efficient solution delivered both environmental savings — reductions in life cycle CO₂ emissions — and a reduced life cycle cost. In addition, the combination of injection molding and vibration welding resulted in a 5% weight saving and 20% lower cost compared with traditional rotational molding.