COMPOSITE BODY SOLUTIONS™ (CBS™)

CBS™ for optimizing strength, stiffness and weight

CBS™ is a solution combining a unique foaming adhesive with a highly engineered thermoplastic or thermoset structural carrier.

What is CBS™?

Structural reinforcement for improved performance, mass, process and cost optimization

Our CBS™ technologies combine highly engineered heat activated structural adhesive material (also known as structural foams) with a customized thermoplastic carrier. CBS™ enables lightweight but strong structural applications for both current and future-ready applications, such as battery protection in electric vehicles (EV).

The L&L Products team uses its proven expertise with advanced CAD/CAE simulation to design a three-dimensional engineered part. The result is a structural insert that is dry-to-the-touch and ready to assemble into the body structure prior to cavity closure and e-coating. Our foaming structural adhesives allow for e-coat flow and coverage of the cavity prior to structural adhesive foaming in the e-coat bake oven.

CBS™ optimizes strength, stiffness and weight

L&L introduced Composite Body Solutions™ (CBS™) to the transportation industry over 20 years ago as an innovative solution for body in white reinforcement. It is still the clear global market leader. L&L works closely with our customers to provide engineered solutions that reduce vehicle weight, increase stiffness for NVH applications, improve safety and crashworthiness and improve the fatigue life of vehicles.

Composite Body Solutions™ (CBS™) enable lightweight body structures while enhancing overall performance of the application. With early involvement in the development, the lightweight cost can be neutral (same cost as a traditional metallic structure) or even negative (reduced cost compared to a traditional metallic structure). This is achieved by enhancing existing geometries, replacing less effective parts, and using synergies between materials. CBS™ can also reduce the number of metallic parts used, thereby, reducing weight.

DISCOVER

L&L CBS™ technologies can enable a cost effective, robust reinforcement solution that brings extensive engineering knowledge, for lightweight Body in White (BIW) optimization.

Product
Advantages

Composite Body Solutions™ (CBS™) enable optimized reinforcement, bonding, and part optimization with the right amount of material at the right position.

... for stability of cross sections

... tolerances that exist due to the complexity of automotive assembly are handled by incorporating the ability of the adhesive to foam.

... The models developed by our experienced CAD / CAE design teams provide high predictbility. Globally, we use 8 CAE tools, 3 top CAD design tools, and complete comprehensive prototyping and testing / validating of our solutions.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

CBS™ parts are commonly used to enhance overall body-in-white stiffness. CBS™ three-dimensional part with multiple structural adhesive connections to the body cavity can produce efficient stiffness increases that can be used to improve acoustic comfort or safety levels or enable removal of less efficient reinforcements. CBS™ may also be utilized in combination with L&L CCS™ (Continuous Composite Solutions™) where even higher stiffness and strength are required. CBS™ is ideal for body crash reinforcement or EV battery protection. CBS™ crash enhancement scenarios include frontal and small overlap crash, side impact (incl. pole impact), rear crash, and roof crush.

Main CBS™ attributes are:

Load path management
Section integrity
Light-weight potential
Improved stiffness
Increased durability
Reduced implementation timing
No impact to the body shop

During a crash event, CBS™ structural inserts provide a desirable combination of section stability, load path transition, multi-axis load management, and energy absorption. The optimization of body sections with weight and space saving CBS™ parts allows for an efficient body design, minimizing the deformation of the structure resulting in reduced intrusion into the vehicle’s passenger or battery space.

CBS™ reinforcements can eliminate localized durability problems, such as metal fatigue, by increasing overall stiffness and distributing loads more effectively across the structure.

Improved noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance is also commonly achieved when our CBS™ structural reinforcement technology is integrated into the body structure. Again, careful engineering analysis allows development and location of optimal solutions to optimize vehicle ride and handling characteristics.

The design flexibility of CBS™ parts allows to simplify the manufacturing process in areas of complex or difficult-to-access assembly conditions. For example, using CBS™ for doors and closures can offer weight savings and stiffness gain, but can also help to simplify door manufacture if taken into consideration already in the design process.

RESOURCES

Download our resources flyer to find out more about the structural reinforcement for improved performance, mass, process and cost optimization using L&L Products Composite Body Solutions™ (CBS™).