In the EU, fleet auto emissions targets are set at 95g CO2/km by 2020 and 68g CO2/km by 2025 and the UK has committed to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. One key factor affecting the emissions of CO2 from cars is weight - reducing a vehicle's mass by 50kg reduces its emissions rate by 5gCO2/km. Lightweighting through the use of composite materials is increasing, but the rate of adoption is limited by material cost and processing times. Thermoplastic overmoulding (TPO) addresses these barriers through the judicious use of high performing materials in local areas combined with the high rate processing capability of injection moulding.

Our project will bring together leading researchers from the University of Nottingham and Michigan State University, with Surface Generation, a high technology and manufacturing company headquartered in the UK and with facilities in North America and Asia. Surface Generation's patented Production to Functional Specification (PtFS) technology enables manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive and consumer electronics sectors to work with composite materials, saving costs, energy and producing significantly lighter weight products.

Our proposed research, building upon the highly successful predecessor project TOSCAA, will allow automotive Tier 1 and OEM suppliers to adapt overmoulding techniques in the creation of components for the UK, EU and Global automotive market.