Quickstep Holdings, an Australian manufacturer of carbon fiber composites, has received a Cooperative Research Centre Project (CRC-P) grant of AUS$1.45 million from the Australian Government, for a new project to develop a bespoke lightweight automotive carbon fiber composite seat.
According to the company, carbon fiber composites remain niche products in cars primarily due to the high cost of materials and manufacturing, despite the weight reduction, improved performance and aesthetic appeal they provide. This project aims to solve these problems to deliver a bespoke materials and process solution for lightweight carbon fiber seats. This could create a new benchmark in high production rates and performance at lower cost. ‘We are very honoured to receive this CRC-P grant and believe the outcomes from this project will lead to global seat parts supply opportunities for Quickstep,’ said David Marino, CEO and MD of Quickstep. ‘The market for bespoke lightweight carbon fiber seats is growing, particularly with the accelerated growth of luxury and electric vehicles in a number of the global markets we are targeting.’
Materials expertise The CRC-P project will run for a period of three years in cooperation with a global automotive seating supplier and Victoria-based Deakin University, who are both contributing Project Partners in this CRC-P project. Deakin University’s Carbon Nexus Research Centre for carbon fiber and composites will provide its expertise in materials development and testing.
This story uses material from Quickstep, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
