Japan’s Toray has developed a new analysis technology for multi-material structures consisting of both UD tape (unidirectional continuous fibre-reinforced tape) and injection moulding materials. The invention makes it possible to more precisely predict the properties of parts made up of multiple materials and more swiftly develop high-performance components.

The company looks to supply UD tape, injection moulding resins, and other materials, as well as structural design, moulding support, and other services while providing total solutions that incorporate its new technology. Toray will leverage the technology to expand the adoption of its materials in the urban air mobility, electric vehicle, and other advanced mobility fields and in regular industrial sectors, thereby helping manufacturers create lighter, more energy-efficient products, the company said in a media statement.

UD tapes are intermediate base materials in tape shape that are made by embedding fibres such as carbon fibres in unidirectionally aligned fibres of such thermoplastic resins as polyamide 6 and polyphenylene sulfide. Continuous fibres provide excellent rigidity and strength, and enable welding to other thermoplastics. Taking advantage of these features and optimally arranging UD tapes in injection-moulded products makes it possible to create multi-material structures that maximise weight savings while constraining costs. The downside to all this is that laying UD tapes on injection-moulded products makes it hard to accurately analyse strength and impact properties, which is vital for multi-material structures.

Toray thus set about developing its new analysis technology by improving 3D TIMON to accurately reflect jointing strength between materials and materials fracture behaviour. Subsidiary Toray Engineering D solutions, developed TIMON, a three-dimensional injection moulding computer-aided engineering system. It also created a coupled analysis technology for resin flow and impact properties that factors in the fibre orientation of injection moulding materials, according to Toray.

The technology combines analyses of various phenomena and calculates their interactions. This work resulted in the company’s accurate new analysis technology, which helps to accelerate the structural design of multi-material structures. Toray will strive to help reduce weight and energy consumption by deploying this technology in diverse advanced mobility and regular industrial applications.

Under the Toray group sustainability vision, the company aims to help the international community pursue sustainable development by accelerating measures to tackle climate change and enable the world to attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Toray will continue to provide innovative technologies and advanced materials to transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.