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The advancements in automation, big data computing and high bandwidth networking has expedited the realization of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). IIoT has made inroads into many sectors including automotive, semiconductors, electronics, etc. Particularly, it has created numerous opportunities in the automotive manufacturing sector to realize the new aura of platform concepts such as smart material flow control. This paper provides a thought provoking application of IIoT in automotive composites body shop. By creating a digital twin for every physical part, we no longer need to adhere to the conventional manufacturing processes and layouts, thus opening up new opportunities in terms of equipment and space utilization. The century-old philosophy of the assembly line might not be the best layout for vehicle manufacturing, thus proposing a novel assembly grid layout inspired from a colony of ants working to accomplish a common goal.

The Deep Orange framework is an integral part of the graduate automotive engineering education at Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). The initiative was developed to immerse students into the world of an OEM. For the 6th generation of Deep Orange, the goal was to develop an urban utility/activity vehicle for the year 2020. The objective of this paper is to describe the development of a multimaterial lightweight Body-in-White (BiW) structure to support an all-electric powertrain combined with an interior package that maximizes volume to enable a variety of interior configurations and activities for Generation Z users. AutoPacific data were first examined to define personas on the basis of their demographics and psychographics.

Lightweight constructions can no longer be achieved solely through material substitution. To stay competitive, design parameters and manufacturing technologies should be taken into consideration as well. The integrated process of Deep Drawing-Back Injection Molding (DDBIM) is such an advanced process in which the sheet metal blank is first deformed by tool movement and then calibrated to the shape of the cavity using polymer melt pressure during the injection process. Therefore, the traditional processes of sheet metal forming, and injection molding are combined into one step operation, thus reducing the process steps and required machinery. Even though the process has its own challenges, the best combination of weight, performance, cost, and quality can be achieved by defining a multi-objective optimization problem with respect to the influencing design parameters.

The ever-growing concern to reduce the impact of transportation systems on environment has pushed automotive industry towards fuel-efficient and sustainable solutions. While several approaches have been used to improve fuel efficiency, the light-weighting of automobile components has proven broadly effective. A substantial effort is devoted to lightweighting body-in-white which contributes ~35% of total weight of vehicle. Closure systems, however, have been often overlooked. Closure systems are extremely important as they account for ~ 50% of structural mass and have a very diverse range of requirements, including crash safety, durability, strength, fit, finish, NVH, and weather sealing. To this end, a carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite door is being designed for an OEM’s mid-size SUV, that enables 42.5% weight reduction. In this work, several novel composite door assembly designs were developed by using an integrated design, analysis and optimization approach.

Multi-material design is one of the trending methods for automakers to achieve lightweighting cost-efficiently and meet stringent regulations and fuel efficiency concerns. Motivated by this trend, the hybrid single-shot (HSS) process has been recently introduced to manufacture thermoset-thermoplastic composites in one single integrated operation. Although this integration is beneficial in terms of reducing the cycle time, production cost, and manufacturing limitations associated with such hybrid structures, it increases the process complexity due to the simultaneous filling, forming, curing, and bonding actions occurring during the process. To overcome this complexity and have a better understanding on the interaction of these physical events, a quick yet accurate simulation of the HSS process based on an experimentally calibrated numerical approach is presented here to elucidate the effect of different process settings on the final geometry of the hybrid part.

The continuous evolution to improve both the efficiency and lower the emissions of passenger vehicles now means that the need for light weighting is indisputable. New material systems such as fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites offer just such a very high lightweighting potential. Although most of these parts are currently joined using adhesives, resistive welding provides a promising alternative. Indeed, the faster cycle times, recyclability, design flexibility and resilience to contamination indicate the superiority of resistive welding over adhesive bonding. Although resilience to contamination is widely accepted, it is yet to be validated as very little scientific data is available concerning these characteristics. To ensure the scalability of these joints in automotive applications, they should exhibit tolerances to specific contaminations that are present in the body shop.

An innovative process to produce polymer-sheet metal components in one single operation is analyzed in this paper. Polymer Injection Forming (PIF) is a hybrid process which combines best in class manufacturing processes viz. sheet metal forming and injection molding process. Consequently, this unique process is characterized by a substantial reduction in capital costs and production time and planning effort while also eliminating the need for maintaining tight manufacturing tolerances. To make use of these capabilities in high-speed injection molding process, understanding the dynamic characteristic of the melt flow is required, which cannot be achieved with regular mesh-based Finite Element (FE) methods due to their need for high computational effort and mesh distortion issue.

Fuel efficiency improvement in automobiles has been a topic of great interest over the past few years, especially with the introduction of the new CAFE 2025 standards. Although there are multiple ways of improving the fuel efficiency of an automobile, lightweighting is one of the most common approaches taken by many automotive manufacturers. Lightweighting is even more significant in electric vehicles as it directly affects the range of the vehicle. Amidst this context of lightweighting, the use of composite materials as alternatives to metals has been proven in the past to help achieve substantial weight reduction. The focus of using composites for weight reduction has however been typically limited to major structural components, such as BiW and closures, due to high material costs. Secondary structural components which contribute approximately 30% of the vehicle weight are usually neglected by these weight reduction studies.

Vehicle lightweighting has been a constant theme of research at numerous Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) as it provides one of the best opportunities for improving fuel efficiency. In this regard, the Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technology Office set a challenge to lightweight a fully assembled driver’s side front door by at least 42.5% with the cost constraint of a maximum $5 increase for every pound saved. A baseline door of an OEM’s 2014 mid-size SUV was selected, and an integrated design, analysis, and optimization approach was implemented to meet this goal. The ultra-lightweight door design had to meet or exceed the fit & function and mechanical performance (static and dynamic) of the baseline door while being suitable for mass production. The design strategy involved parts consolidation, and multi-material distribution to enable mass reduction without compromising the fit and functional requirements.

The automotive sector has taken a keen interest in lightweighting as new required performance standards for fuel economy come into place. This strategy includes parts consolidation, design optimization, and material substitution, with sustainable polymers playing a major role in reducing a vehicle’s weight. Sustainable polymers are largely biodegradable, biocompatible, and sourced from renewable plant and agricultural stocks. A facile way to enhance their properties, so they can indeed replace the ones made from fossil fuels, is by reinforcing them with fibers to make composites. Natural fibers are gaining more acceptance in the industry due to their renewable nature, low cost, low density, low energy consumption, high specific strength and stiffness, CO2 sequestration potential, biodegradability, and less wear imposed on machinery. Biocomposites then become a very feasible way to help address the fuel consumption challenge ahead of us.