CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
15 October 2012
Implementation Investments
Continental Structural Plastics Selects Siemens PLM Software to Develop Automotive Advanced Composites
Siemens PLM Software today announced that Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) has selected its Fibersim™ portfolio of software for composites engineering to support the production launch of the Chevy Spark battery enclosure. Fibersim will also be used to design and manufacture composites for other automotive applications, such as Class A surfaces and structural components.
“The automotive industry is currently undergoing a transformation as it considers the role of advanced composites in more areas of the volume production of vehicles,” said Chris Johnston, the director of technology and processes at CSP. “A variety of materials and processes are being evaluated to determine suitability. CSP is implementing Fibersim so we can establish ourselves as a resource to the industry and as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner while the various technologies are vetted. This will provide CSP with the opportunity to tailor our materials and processes to the needs of the industry.
“For instance, CSP is developing prepreg compression molding technology to support advanced composite structures. The ability to accurately predict fiber orientation is critical to predicting the performance of these structures, and the ability to predict drape is critical to our manufacturing process. Fibersim enables us to do just that and, as a result, supports our advancement of new product and manufacturing technologies based on continuous fiber formats.”
Fibersim will allow CSP to make timely, informed decisions to facilitate the engineering, analysis and design of advanced composites structures and to support the manufacturing process, which extends from developing laminate structures to generating flat patterns and documentation.
“CSP is an innovative company that is taking a leadership role in developing composite structures for the automotive industry,” said Ed Bernardon, vice president of Strategic Automotive Initiatives for the Specialized Engineering Software business segment of Siemens PLM Software. “We are confident that Fibersim will enable them to master the new materials and technologies that the industry is adopting and make decisions that lead to superior products so it can meet its goal of becoming a key player in this emerging area.”
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