FALL 2016

48
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM
by JASON SANDEFUR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
news@globalfastenernews.com
FASTENERS FACE A LIGHTER FUTURE
From sports cars to skyscrapers and next-generation
jets, engineers are looking for ways to reduce weight, and
fasteners are a primary target.
The future of fastening is a frequent topic of trade
shows and conferences.
A sampling of conferences
on the subject include the
5th annual Global Automotive
Lightweight Materials conference
in Detroit. The Lightweight
Materials conference has roles
for Phillips Screw Co., Semblex,
Stanley, EFC International and
Rifast Systems.
The JEC International
Conference on Automotive
Technology during in Tennessee
has a session on “Replacing traditional fasteners with
adhesive bonding.”
It goes beyond automotive, as SAE Global has its
Aerospace Manufacturing & Automated Fastener Conference
in Germany
Lamborghini’s “Weighty Fasteners”
Lamborghini’s Advanced Composite Structures
Laboratory is one of the only places outside of Boeing that
can simulate lightning strikes, hail, birdstrikes, and engine
failures, Automobile Magazine reports.
I always wanted to build and design fighter jets,” Dr.
Paolo Feraboli told Automobile. “I am not an engineer. I am
a carbon-fiber designer.”
Under his direction, a five-person team tests, engineers,
and creates “works of carbon-fiber art,” from the Lamborghini.
Sesto Elemento to more than 1,000 parts for Boeing’s
787 Dreamliner.
Feraboli believes that carbon-fiber manufacturing could
be sped up by eliminating the
traditional molding, heating,
and curing process, so he
started mixing chopped carbonfiber
sheets with soft-at-roomtemperature
resin, placing
the mixture into a steel mold
and heating it under intense,
2,000-psi pressure, according
to Automobile.
The process is called Forged
Composite (FC) technology
and has been patented by
Lamborghini, having taken eight years to perfect.
“The materials can be repaired without reducing
structural integrity.”
When asked about the nearly 2-ton weight of the car,
Feraboli said: “Everyone thinks that it’s the engine that adds
to the weight. Like in airplane manufacturing, everyone says,
‘OK, lets make the fuselage and the wings and tail out of
light materials’—but then they attach all the pieces using
steel connectors.”
If Feraboli has his way, the next Lamborghini will have
a single-piece, completely carbon-fiber fuselage that does
away with what he called “loathsome weighty fasteners.”
“Forged Composite is the next thing for car design,” he
says, “and if we can make it lighter, stronger, modular, and
integrated, the sky is really the limit.”
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 158