Hybrid-Manufactured Carbon Crossmember: High-Performance at Its Best
Our hybrid-manufactured carbon crossmember combines maximum stability with minimal weight, setting new standards in lightweight construction. Thanks to state-of-the-art production technology, it merges precision with high durability — and delivers impressive results for our customer.
Published: February 2025 • Reading time: approx. 1 minute
In Friedrichshafen, we have manufactured a crossmember made of carbon fibre-reinforced material (CFRP) for a long-standing customer. This component is notable for its exceptional combination of bending and torsional stiffness, along with its extremely low weight.
The carbon crossmember, produced using an autoclave filament winding process, reaches an impressive length of 8.3 meters with a diameter of 1.4 meters and a wall thickness of just 12 millimeters. Thanks to a specially developed fiber layer design — with 60% longitudinal layers at a 6-degree angle and 40% torsional layers at a 45-degree angle — the crossmember is capable of withstanding loads up to 25 times its own weight. A total of 28 units of this high-performance component are produced each year.
Lightweight Design Makes It Possible
One key advantage is the extremely low weight. At just 36 kg, the carbon crossmember is 35% lighter than an equivalent aluminium structure and even 78% lighter than a comparable steel version . A comparable crossmember made of aluminium would need to weigh around 150 kg to achieve the same deflection — resulting in a weight saving of 75%. This opens up new design possibilities and allows for maximum efficiency and performance.
Mechanical Post-Processing
Maximum precision was also required during the post-processing of the crossmember. A total of 180 holes with diameters ranging from 6 to 24 mm were drilled — without any fibre tear-out and with an impressive positional tolerance of only ±0.2 mm. In addition, 64 aluminium parts and two steel flanges were integrated into the component. This was achieved using a high-strength epoxy resin bonding technology, with a 3D-printed template serving as the bonding fixture. The finished assembly consists of the CFRP crossmember, the steel flanges, and the aluminium plates, with a total weight of just 58 kg.
All processing was carried out on a state-of-the-art 5-axis milling machine, achieving tolerances of only ±0.15 mm. Meeting these tight dimensional requirements was a major challenge — one we successfully overcame with the highest level of precision.
With our expertise in lightweight construction, we are setting new standards by offering highly precise, durable, and at the same time extremely lightweight components for the most demanding applications.
You might also be interested in...
Hybrid plastic screw with carbon fibre reinforcement as a more robust screw system