With its addition of TFP, ESE is making strides in the automation of its process. 8950 SW 74th Ct. ESE Carbon Company was founded in 2011 by a small, talented  team deep in the north Georgia mountains, with the goal of removing the market barriers of carbon fiber composites like never before. What’s more, Hermida says the company is likely to have the first one-piece wheel on the market certified under a new composite wheel recommended practice, SAE J3204, which has just been approved for publication by the SAE. Dr. Michael Hayes, ESE’s vice president of product development, has been actively involved in the task force for this new recommended practice, sharing data and providing prototypes for developmental testing by the SAE committee. What began as a vision, in the unfamiliar and developing carbon fiber manufacturing industry, has become a passionate mission to drive innovation in carbon fiber composites like never before. This reduction in rotational inertia and unsprung mass, which can be as high as 50%, typically results in faster acceleration with less effort, reduced braking distance, improved handling due to better contact with the road (mechanical grip) and reduced road noise. With the E2 poised for its debut on the market, the question comes back to cost.

According to Hermida, carbon fiber waste was reduced from around 40% with traditional carbon fiber fabrics to less than 10% by adopting TFP. The company has added a five-axis CNC precision machining team, advanced structural composite parts capabilities, tailored fiber placement machines and robotics to automate production. “By controlling the path of the tow material as it is stitched into the desired geometry, material is only placed where it is needed in the final preform,” explains Topher Anderson Ph.D., manager of technical embroidery application for ZSK. Hermida says that prior to the switch to TFP, layup was a manufacturing bottleneck for the company. With traditional fabrics the orientation of your carbon fiber plies is limited,” explains Hermida. With the most affordable priced at more than $10,000 for a set, the wheels are likely to only be found on very high-end sports cars and luxury vehicles. ESE has hit the market as the first "affordable" (compared to it's competition charging more than twice as much) set of true carbon wheels with a titanium hub. The wheel uses a high temperature epoxy system with good clarity and offers custom finish solutions including clear gloss, clear matte and custom colors. The procedure is used in place of the conventional approach of cutting woven fabrics to a required shape. The company aims to release its E2 line of one-piece, one-cure all carbon fiber composite automotive wheels in the coming year. CW photo | Scott Francis. Suite 2200 18x11”: 12.24 lbs. In addition, the company provided computer-generated, predictive cure modeling analysis and laboratory testing to help support ESE’s development efforts. “Our ambitions go way beyond that,” says Hermida. Automation. Most of the carbon fiber wheels on the market today are approximately the cost of some affordable cars. Huntsman technical representatives worked with ESE’s engineering team to determine which epoxy resin system would fit their production needs, as well as the ideal component ratios to attain a work life long enough for injecting multiple wheel molds before the epoxy begins to gel. Tailored fiber placement. “Because of brake heat that’s generated, that’s a critical component,” says Hermida. In all, ESE says TFP has simplified its process and contributed to improved scalability. Source | ESE Carbon Co. “There’s a lot of curvature in our spokes, which complicates the plies.
“We’re thinking of electric vehicles and other markets where we can share efficiency and [users] can experience the benefits of unsprung weight — performance, speed and safety. He claims the reduction in plies improves efficiency and reduces layup time by nearly 50%. More parts per mold can be made each day, which translates to a positive impact on overall investment of time, labor and equipment per wheel. The procedure is used in place of the conventional approach of cutting woven fabrics to a required shape.

In addition to its investment in TFP technology, ESE is moving away from autoclave processing for its wheel as it pushes for improved production rates. Hermida says there is also an added cost advantage of consolidating the supply chain by purchasing tow as opposed to fabric. Some create wheels from prepreg. As a premium carbon fiber composite wheel, the E2 saves a significant amount of weight compared to aluminum and steel wheels. Source | ESE Carbon Co. ESE’s wheel is created using tailored fiber placement technology (TFP), which the company says allows fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing of carbon fiber components with good mechanical properties.

Now, almost a decade later, we continue to drive innovation in areas such as tailored fiber placement (TFP), high-pressure resin infusion, engineering design and analysis. ESE continues to invest internally with the addition of a 5-Axis CNC precision machining team, advanced structural composite parts manufacturing capabilities, tailored fiber placement, multiple autoclaves along with robotics further automating our production. Delivery of aftermarket wheels is expected later in 2020 and ESE says it has begun discussions with OEMs. The wheel uses a high temperature epoxy system with good clarity and offers custom finish solutions including clear gloss, clear matte and custom colors. While this may still sound expensive, it’s definitely a step in the right direction, and Hermida says the company’s automation projects will help trim the costs to reach beyond the luxury/performance market. ESE Carbon says Huntsman’s Araldite has improved production rates and increased rim strength, even at the elevated temperatures to which wheels are exposed during braking. TFP works by arranging fiber bundles, positioning them where they are needed for structural performance, and stitching them into position on a compatible base layer. Carbon fiber wheels offer a range of benefits by reducing rotational inertia and the combined mass — known as the unsprung mass — of a vehicle’s wheels, suspension and other directly connected components not supported by the suspension. Testing has demonstrated that a 10lb weight saving per wheel translates into faster lap times of as much as 5.3%. Backed by nearly a decade of innovation, extensive engineering, testing iterations, and emotional ups and downs their talented team of advanced composite experts are more driven than ever to make a difference in the carbon fiber marketplace. The benefits of the aforementioned will be seen for the first time in our new E2 line of one-piece, one-cure all carbon fiber composite automotive wheels. The company has added a five-axis CNC precision machining team, advanced structural composite parts capabilities, tailored fiber placement machines and robotics to automate production.