Within the last years Glass fibre ( Mat) reinforced Thermoplastics (GMT) more and more made their way into the automotive industry, especially for applications carrying heavy mechanical or thermal load.
The high level of properties of GMT, combined with an easy processability of the thermoplastic resin make this material an interesting, economical alternative to thermosets like e.g. SMC, BMC etc., or to a substitute for parts made of metallic materials. The high degree of integration possibilities, such as providing parts with reinforcement elements, fastening devices, etc. and the possibility to produce complex, threedimensionally shaped parts, resulted in numerous automotive applications, like under body panels, bumper beams, seat shells and other structural parts.
Current applications as well as future trends will be evaluated.