Autoclave fabrication is used for industrial power generation manufacturing, sure. But it’s also a pretty widespread (if a bit esoteric) way for manufacturers of all stripes to manufacture precisely formed, virtually perfect composites.
One of the flashiest deployments of autoclave—and one of the downright coolest uses of autoclave, besides maybe some aerospace stuff—is Lamborghini’s use of autoclave fabrication for making its new 2012 Lamborghini Aventador, the successor to the much-lauded Murcielago.
The Aventador shaves off about 10% of the Murcielago’s (already pretty svelte) 1750 kg, bringing it down to 1575 kg. Composite materials like carbon fiber comprise the car’s entire structure, allowing Lamborghini to use a material that’s half as heavy as steel but equally strong.
The way Lamborghini was able to use carbon fiber composites to create the Aventador was by using autoclave ovens. To wit,
Through the use of a material composed of short fiber prepregs omnidirectional with a thermoplastic resin, the pieces are forged in a few tens of seconds under 60 bar pressure and a temperature of 120 ° C. They are thus much simpler to design than those made by traditional process consisting of a superposition of unidirectional fabrics impregnated with a thermosetting resin before curing in an autoclave oven. But more importantly, they are truly recyclable.
The Aventador is a supremely sexy vehicle. Its also made from a high amount of recycled/recovered materials and boasts reduced CO2 emissions, meeting strict European auto standards.
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