Standard panel catalogs treat every vehicle the same. That’s a problem when your weight reduction target sits at 15% and your current supplier offers three thickness options in a material 20% heavier than continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic. CFRT panel customization lets you control fiber type, content, and orientation to hit specific mechanical properties — 150…
The most common cause of sandwich panel delamination in refrigerated trucks running at -20°C has nothing to do with the foam core or the skin material. It’s the adhesive. In every field failure our engineering team has investigated, the bond failed because the manufacturer selected adhesive by price rather than interlaminar shear performance at operating…
A refrigerated truck manufacturer in Southeast Asia lost a $2.3 million fleet contract last year when their composite panels started delaminating at 14 months. The foam core separated from the skins, moisture intruded through the gaps, and thermal performance collapsed. Cargo spoilage claims rolled in fast. That OEM had cut panel costs by 18% switching…
Most engineers we talk to start exploring CFRT applications after a panel failure costs them real money. Last year, an RV manufacturer in Germany switched suppliers to save €12 per square meter on dual-GRP skins. Six months later, they recalled 340 units. The adhesive between skins and XPS foam core had delaminated under thermal cycling,…
Last year, a Midwest ambulance manufacturer recalled 340 units after GRP side panels delaminated from 18 months of road vibration. The warranty hit was $2.1 million. They chose fiberglass because it ran 12% cheaper per sheet on the original PO. That single decision wiped out their entire margin on a three-year contract. I was watching…
I watched a specialty truck builder blow $60,000 in overweight DOT fines last year. Their supplier quietly swapped out the agreed-upon core density to push the order through faster. The buyer expected a 60 kg/m³ foam core. They received a 90 kg/m³ batch instead. That extra 30 kilos per cubic meter pushed the rigs over…