Mexican Media Brands
BMW Venture to Triple Carbon Fiber Capacity
BMW AG and partner SGL Carbon SE will spend $200 million to triple annual capacity of their carbon fiber factory in Moses Lake, Wash., to 9,000 tons by 2015.
Share
BMW AG and partner SGL Carbon SE will spend $200 million to triple annual capacity of their carbon fiber factory in Moses Lake, Wash., to 9,000 tons by 2015.
The four-year-old plant supplies fibers used by BMW to produce plastic bodies for its i3 electric city car and upcoming i8 electric sport coupe. BMW says the additional capacity will reduce the cost of the fibers and enable the company to introduce lightweight carbon-fiber-reinforced components in more of its vehicle lineup.
The expansion will make the facility the world's largest source of carbon fibers and account for about one-fifth of global output of the material, according to the partners. The highly automated factory operates 24 hours per day.
The plant's energy-intensive production process is powered entirely by hydroelectricity.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Choosing the Right Fasteners for Automotive
PennEngineering makes hundreds of different fasteners for the automotive industry with standard and custom products as well as automated assembly solutions. Discover how they’re used and how to select the right one. (Sponsored Content)
-
Jeeps Modified for Moab
On Easter morning in Moab, Utah, when the population of that exceedingly-hard-to-get-to town in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth has more than doubled, some people won’t be hunting for Easter eggs, but will be trying to get a good look at one of the vehicles six that Jeep has prepared for real-life, fast-feedback from the assembled at the annual Easter Jeep Safari.
-
Plastics: The Tortoise and the Hare
Plastic may not be in the news as much as some automotive materials these days, but its gram-by-gram assimilation could accelerate dramatically.
