The story of the first trucks made with SMC technology! 👀

The story of the first trucks made with SMC technology!

In the 1950s @Kenworth Truck Co. started using composites to build parts with shapes difficult or impossible to form in metal. By the 1980s the majority of their hoods and roofs were made of composites. By 2003, the exterior surface of the truck was about 20 to 40 percent composite, depending on the truck model.

The improved part properties of advanced composites include smoother appearance, and the ability to optimize weight and strength resulting in more durable, cost-effective parts. Since their customers typically run their trucks 120,000 miles each year and well over 1 million miles in a lifetime, any composite used in the trucks must be very strong. 

One of their best-selling trucks at the time, the T2000, made extensive use of composites. For example, sheet molding compound technology was used to manufacture parts such as doors, door openings, and the firewall which separates the cab from the engine compartment. The T2000 roof, at the time, was the largest SMC part ever molded for use in a production application. The tool for this part weighed 13.5 tonnes and would fill a 2-car garage. The T2000 floor material was also very unique. It used a vinyl ester skin and balsa wood core for maximum strength with minimum weight. 

Source:managingcomposites