Composites Evolution, based in Chesterfield, UK, is the official carbon fibre prepreg supplier for the Ford Mustang-styled ’67 by Charge Cars – the London company which is redefining vintage cars by preserving their iconic designs and craftsmanship and applying electric technology and modern materials to create new emissions-free classics.
The ’67 is constructed using a brand-new lightweight carbon fibre bodyshell, based on Composites Evolution’s Evopreg EPC300 range of component prepregs, selected due to their ease of lay-up and the excellent surface finish that can be achieved straight from the mould.
In addition, the complex requirements of the ‘67’s floor-mounted structural carbon battery box required an entirely new composite prepreg system to be developed and qualified by Charge Cars. The battery box needed to be structural, complex in shape, fully fire retardant to ECE R100 regulations, have an excellent ‘double A side’ surface finish, and be electrically non-conductive.
To meet these challenging demands, the team at Composites Evolution developed a novel fire-retardant, visual quality, structural epoxy prepreg, and working closely with Charge Cars engineers tested the material against all aspects of the customer specification. A series of prototypes were manufactured successfully, with the new prepreg system proving to have excellent processability.
Composites Evolution has now officially launched this new material as Evopreg EPC312FR, adding it to its popular range of epoxy component prepregs.
Evopreg EPC312FR is a medium temperature curing, flame retardant, toughened epoxy resin system, formulated specifically for fire retardant performance up to UL94V0, high visual quality and high mechanical properties. It can be supplied with a range of reinforcement fibres and fabrics, including carbon, glass, aramid and hybrids. The prepregs can be consolidated by autoclave or press moulding and are designed for a range of applications including automotive, motorsport and general industrial.
Rochelle Helliwell and Mike Harrison, who worked on the development with Charge Cars, will be at JEC World 2023 Paris from April 25-27, at stand S52, to discuss Composites Evolution’s complete range of Evopreg component, tooling and fire-resistant prepregs.
www.compositesevolution.com