Automotive Lightweight Materials Joining Technology For High Volume Production

Exploring material joining with a focus on recycling, debonding and splitting joint materials into their component parts after use,  allows for re-use (potentially reducing costs) and safer disposal of materials (increasing sustainability).

Discussions will revolve around furthering the understanding of joint designs (as a means of compensating for different material properties). More specific talks will focus on detailed examples, such as material joining as a means of developing new adhesives, primer and surface pre-treatments for automotives. And some hyper-specific contexts will also be explored, for example material joining as a means of balancing durability, thermal conductivity and functional form in electric vehicle batteries. Thus, this event will give a very balanced and thorough understanding of material joining across all levels.

The agenda explores potential issues and gaps in the understanding of material joining. For example, a topic that will be discussed is testing and modeling for composite to metal fatigue. This event will address the lack of knowledge on how composite metal fatigue interacts with corrosive environments and critical validation cycles that need to be put into place to address this.

As always, the event draws upon industry case studies, as well as non-industry-specific examples to encourage discussion around potentially less obvious automotive solutions. This will be achieved by observing how some multi-material combinations and joining technologies in industries such as the military and aerospace industries, can also support the automotive industry. Key examples of these non-industry-specific technologies and joining solutions will centre around battery enclosures, storage tanks, armour and more. Therefore, encouraging solution-based thinking, via atypical avenues.