The PRESCHE Project wants to achieve cost reductions of up to 30% over existing manufacturing costs for the production of lightweight composite parts for the automotive industry. It plans to do this by combining independent composite manufacturing technologies, including the Quickstep Resin Spray Transfer (RST) technology, an automated composite lay-up process, and the patented Quickstep Process out-of-autoclave curing technology.

The PRESCHE project commences in November 2011 and will run until October 2014. It will include the manufacture of demonstration parts and a detailed economic evaluation. The project is supported within the framework program ‘research for tomorrow’s production’ by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The other project partners are Coriolis Composites GmbH, EDAG GmbH & Co KG, the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, and the University of Stuttgart, Institute of Aircraft Design.

RST

The PRESCHE project will build on Quickstep’s RST development programme in Australia, which is due to be completed by May 2012. This  is being funded as part of the Australian Government’s Climate Ready Program.

In March, Quickstep completed the first proof-of-concept painted carbon fibre flat panel to A-Class automotive standards using RST.

“This has the potential to provide a very substantial second growth front for the company alongside our existing activities in the aerospace sector, where our major focus is on the imminent commencement of manufacturing of composite components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program," says Quickstep managing director Philippe Odouard.