British TRB Lightweight Structures plans to open a new composite material plant in Richmond, Kentucky. The plant is a joint venture with Toyota Tsusho America.
The new plant covers an area of 40,000 square feet, will assemble automated, mechanized production equipment, and uses TRB's proprietary pressure forming process to produce carbon fiber composite parts on a large scale. The plant will first focus on the automotive field, especially the production of composite parts in the field of electric vehicles (EV) that extend the driving range through lightweight technology.
According to TRB, to date, carbon fiber composite materials have been limited to high-end niche markets due to high labor and production costs. The TRB production process uses industrial robots to mold carbon fiber composite materials, so that the production cost of carbon fiber composite materials can be comparable to aluminum alloy components.
"It's great to be able to establish a joint venture with Toyota Jinshu America," said Richard Holland, director of operations at TRB. "It is equally exciting to be able to bring advanced production technology and experience to the electric vehicle industry in the United States."