Lightweight composites expected to replace heavier materials across industries

Frost & Sullivan has identified a trend towards large lightweight structures in several industries, including wind, aerospace, construction and mass transit, that spells a bright future for the lightweight composites market. The trend is driven by stringent legislations and customer concerns on reducing fuel consumption, the company said.

"Benefits such as lightweight construction, energy conservation as well as flexibility in design and fabrication have fueled the demand for high-performance construction materials such as lightweight composites across sectors," said Technical Insights Research Analyst Arpita Mukherjee. 

"In the next five years, opportunities for lightweight composites are expected to emerge in construction, wind power, oil and gas, and medical and consumer goods as these industries begin replacing heavyweight metals and traditional construction materials with lightweight composite materials."

Still, further material and manufacturing advancements - including exploiting the high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent durability properties of lightweight composites - will be necessary to offset the many challenges posed by lightweight structures. 

Currently, maintaining the optimum balance between cost and weight is the biggest challenge curbing the penetration of lightweight composites in new markets. The high raw material and fabrication costs involved have made lightweight composites economically feasible only in a few segments. Long manufacturing cycle times are another deterrent. 

"Nevertheless, improvements in manufacturing technology alone are not enough to overcome the cost hurdle," cautioned Mukherjee. "An integrated effort in design, material, process, tooling, quality assurance, manufacturing, and even program management will be essential for composites to become a viable alternative to metals."
Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services. Innovations in Lightweight Composites, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides a holistic analysis of the various component technologies in accordance with their technical capabilities, market needs, and industry requirements. The study also discusses key advances in lightweight composite technologies.