Costing composite parts - A246

 

Costing composite parts
Perspectives article
Document Type	Article
Document Identifier	246
Tags	Costing
Webinar Date January 27, 2021

Introduction

Accurately estimating the cost of manufacturing a composite part is essential to the success of small, medium and large businesses alike; but where should you begin? Many factors such as material and consumable prices, labour cost, purchase and maintenance of equipment and tooling, energy cost, development cost, overhead cost as well as production run numbers and rates can affect the total cost of a part. Many of these factors also involve a certain amount of uncertainty.

In this virtual application + impact mobilization (AIM) event we outline the key aspects of costing composite parts and draw your attention to aspects of costing that perhaps you haven’t considered before.

Webinar

*Note: Content between 51:46 and 1:04:09 has been re-recorded after the live webinar to clarify aspects of the example

Webinar slides

Webinar slides available by clicking on the icon below

Additional information for select chapters

Chapter	Chapter Title	Links to related information in the Knowledge in Practice Centre
1	Welcome & introductions	N/A
2	Outline and learning objectives	N/A
3	Cost commitment throughout a development project	N/A
4	Material cost	Future content
5	Carbon fibre cost breakdown	N/A
6	Carbon fibre market share	N/A
7	Resin cost	Future content
8	Manufacturing cost comparison with steel	N/A
9	Composites supply chain	N/A
10	Making composites cost competitive	N/A
11	Case study: BMW & composites	N/A
12	Composites cost modelling options	Future content
13	Cost modelling - Top-down estimation	Future content
14	Cost modelling - Bottom-up estimation	Future content
15	Example: Composite wheel cost estimating	N/A
16	Example case 1: Pre-preg process	N/A
17	Example case 2: RTM process	N/A
18	Wrap-up	N/A
19	Q&A	N/A

Related pages

Page type	Links
Introduction to Composites Articles
Foundational Knowledge Articles
Foundational Knowledge Method Documents
Foundational Knowledge Worked Examples
Systems Knowledge Articles
Systems Knowledge Method Documents
Systems Knowledge Worked Examples
Systems Catalogue Articles
Systems Catalogue Objects – Material
Systems Catalogue Objects – Shape
Systems Catalogue Objects – Tooling and consumables
Systems Catalogue Objects – Equipment
Practice Documents
Case Studies	Optimizing Cost vs Weight for Low Production Volume Parts - C112
Perspectives Articles	Costing composite parts - A246

About	Help

Engineered materials (designed to have specific properties) made from two or more constituent materials with different physical or chemical properties. The constituents remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure.

A general term for the variability that affects the accuracy of a metric, statement or thought.

Modelling & simulation In modelling & simulation a distinction is made between uncertainty and error:

• Uncertainty
  • Aleatory uncertainty: associated with inherent variability. Process requirements, such as material and process specifications are typically used to manage aleatory uncertainty.
  • Epistemic uncertainty: unknowns due to a lack of knowledge, or imperfect knowledge. Typically managed by improving the understanding of manufacturing outcomes and their interactions (e.g. process-structure-property relationships)
• Error
  • Acknowledged errors: Explicit assumptions and/or simplifications (e.g. modelling practices)
  • Unacknowledged errors: Mistakes and/or blunders (e.g. using the wrong material model)

Innovation management As defined in terms of commercialization opportunities/risks:

• Technological uncertainty: Relates to the feasibility of an innovation idea and/or the economic viability of scaling (e.g. from primary research to production).
• Market uncertainty: Exists if the innovation idea cannot sufficiently meet market needs, where the market opportunity is not obvious/cannot be guaranteed, or where competitors are working on alternative solutions.

The use of multiphysics models to predict the outcome of real-world scenarios. May be analytical (closed form, "hand calculations") or computational (implementation on computers is required due to the large number of calculations involved. e.g. finite element method, finite difference method)

Most often in composite materials engineering, modelling refers to either:

• Process modelling (predicting manufacturing outcomes, or the inverse problem of predicting manufacturing parameters to achieve a desired outcome), or
• Performance modelling (predicting the stiffness/strength/suitability of a structure, or the inverse problem of the material properties and dimensional requirements to achieve a desired stiffness/strength/suitability of a structure)

(same as "Simulation")

Resin transfer moulding (RTM) involves loading a preform into a two (or more) piece, matched tool, closing it, and injecting resin under pressure (~15-100 psi, or ~1-7 bar).

Well suited to small to medium sized parts, limited to large sizes due to injection pressure loads and tool cost.