PRESS RELEASE
April ‘12
Scott Bader receives JEC Europe 2012 Partnership Award
for Crestapol® 1250LV Resin and Technical Support to
Innovation Award Winners Axon Automotive Ltd.
Axon Automotive Ltd. city car is a “B” size car, very close in size
to a Citroen C1, but with a frame weighing only 50kg, making it
the lightest and the most power efficient car in its class.
Axon Automotive have fully developed a hybrid electric car, but are also
able to offer a wide range of drivetrains and power options, including:
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV),
Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICE) and Hydrogen powered
vehicles.
Scott Bader representatives (Gavin Creech and Malcolm Forsyth on left)
accepting the award as resin and technology partners with the JEC 2012
Europe Innovations Award winning team from Axon Automotives Ltd. (Chris
Taylor, Kevin Lindsey and Steven Cousins - MD)
A new carbon fibre composite system developed by Axon Automotive Ltd., was a JEC innovation
award winner this year in Paris. This highly innovative new automotive car frame uses internationally
patented AxontexTM technology to manufacture very light weight composite structural beams with high
strength and stiffness. During the JEC Europe 2012 Composites Show, Axon Automotive Ltd.
exhibited their completed city car, which is a “B” size car with dimensions very close to a Citroen C1,
but with a frame weighing only 50kg. Scott Bader Ltd., also received a JEC Partnership award as the
key resin supplier for the Axon Automotive carbon fibre composite system, which uses Crestapol®
1250LV high performance resin.
The Axontex technology used to make the light weight structural beams of the car frame has a 3D
woven structure, comprising of a carbon fibre braid over machine laid multiple performs made of
closed cell low density polyethylene (LDPE) foam. The carbon fibres and LDPE are then infused by
VARTM with Scott Bader’s high performance Crestapol 1250 LV urethane acrylate based resin;
during moulding, the LPDE foam expands and takes the shape of the tool. The moulded Axontex
carbon fibre composite beam has a unique internal structure with shear webs which, combined with
the mechanical properties of Crestapol 1250LV resin, provides the very high stiffness and strength of
this composite system. Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 900-1000 MPa (to BS 2282 Part 4)
combined with a heat deflection temperature (HDT) of over 130 deg C have been consistently
achieved from test pieces. A specific automotive related test is the seat belt load test according to
ECE regulation 14, which the Axontex system passes, resisting up to 1350 daN +/- 20 daN per
attachment.
Axon Automotive Ltd.’s unique carbon fibre composite system is highly versatile for design engineers.
It can be tailored to produce a wide variety of straight and curved structural and load bearing parts.
This innovative carbon fibre composite system provides light weight parts with exceptional strength
and torsional stiffness, plus a high resistance to deformation and bucking. The Axontex system is
ideally suited for a vehicle frame, which needs both rigidity and high impact crash resistance
performance. Another significant structural test this system has undergone is the specific energy
absorption (SEA) test; SEA is a measure of the ability of a material to absorb energy from a cash
impact loading. The Axontex composite system can provide up to 1.5 times the SEA of aircraft grade
aluminium.
Crestapol 1250LV is an ambient curing urethane acrylate based thermosetting resin which is
compatible with carbon fibres. It has been developed by Scott Bader specifically for producing high
performance carbon fibre reinforced (CFRP) and glass fibre (GRP) parts by vacuum infusion, resin
transfer moulding (RTM) or any closed mould process. Crestapol 1250LV provides a cost effective
alternative to epoxy infusion resin systems. It can be processed at room temperatures, needing only
short periods of moderate post curing to achieve good mechanical and high temperature
performance. Crestapol 1250LV resin offers all the ease of use of a typical unsaturated polyester
resin, but with mechanical performance when carbon fibre reinforced similar to or exceeding an
equivalent carbon fibre epoxy resin laminate. Crestapol 1250LV carbon fibre laminates have the
added benefit compared to typical epoxy systems of being able to withstand extreme environmental
conditions. Crestapol 1250LV has been proven by Scott Bader under controlled test conditions, to
retain a very high percentage of its mechanical properties even after prolonged exposure to salt water
and severe hot - cold thermal cycling. Scott Bader will be presenting a technical paper on Crestapol
1250LV resins with carbon fibres at SAMPE USA 2012 in Baltimore, which runs from May 21- 24th.
As well as Axon Automotive, Scott Bader has several other Crestapol projects ongoing around the
world in a number of different high performance markets and applications including: aerospace,
marine, emergency vehicles and pultrusion. Further details about Crestapol high performance resins
plus information on Scott Bader and the complete range of Crystic resins, gelcoat and adhesive
products is available on line at www.scottbader.com
To find out more about Axon Automotive Ltd. and their city car visit www.axonautomotive.com .
For more information about AxontexTM technology, log onto www.axontex.com
About Scott Bader
Scott Bader was established in 1921. Today it is a £180 million multinational chemical company,
employing 560 people worldwide. It is a common trusteeship company, having no external
shareholders, with a strong commitment to support its customers, workforce and the environment.
Scott Bader’s headquarters is based in the UK where they have purpose-built, state-of-the-art
technical facilities that provide R & D as well as complete evaluation, testing and application support.
They have manufacturing facilities in the UK, France, Croatia, The Middle East and South Africa. For
further information regarding Scott Bader, please call +44 (0)1933 663100, visit www.scottbader.com
or e-mail [email protected].
About Axon Automotive Ltd.
Axon Automotive is a specialist vehicle manufacturer, producing ultra-light energy efficient vehicles
for customers around the world. Axon is able to produce primary vehicle structures that weigh 50%
less than conventional vehicles by using its internationally patented carbon fibre beam technology,
Axontex™. Half mass makes Axon’s vehicle platform ideal to lower the cost of alternative
powertrains and new fuels such as battery electric, hybrids, or, hydrogen power.
Axon’s whole vehicle design experience helps businesses win in the race to build new vehicle types.
We have friendly and creative teams that provide rapid access to our unique technology, from
design to turn-key factories in home markets Low capital expenditure creates new products
affordably and profitably in this period of great change in the global car industry.
Axon Automotive Limited, Units 5 & 6 Raymond Close, Wollaston Industrial Estate, Wollaston,
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN29 7RG, United Kingdom
Tel: +44(0) 1933 663998
.
www.axonautomotive.com