Quickstep to supply KIST with composites production systems

Quickstep Holdings' entry into the South Korean automotive market is further strengthened by its  new sales contract with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

 

Under the contract, Quickstep will supply composites manufacturing systems, such as its patented Resin Spray Transfer (RST) and Qure (Out-of-Autoclave) curing machine technologies to KIST.  KIST will use the equipment to develop prototype, demonstrator and composite parts. Delivery is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 and will see the further application of  Quickstep’s technologies in the growing South Korean automotive sector.

 

According to David Marino, Managing Director of Quickstep,  the contract opens up the South Korean automotive market for Quickstep’s process technology. Quickstep patented technologies will enable medium-volume production of carbon fiber composite automotive parts, providing throughput of more than 10,000 parts per year. He added that KIST is very well positioned within the automotive industry in South Korea, a sector that has made it a priority to develop lightweight carbon fiber solutions for future vehicles.

 

KIST is a multi-disciplinary government research institute located in Seoul, South Korea, with a significant role in the development of South Korea’s growing carbon fiber composite materials industry. It supports Korean companies in the research, evaluation and introduction of new technologies into production.  

 

The Quickstep technologies will be the first system of this kind in South Korea and KIST is very pleased with its decision to work with Quickstep, said Dr. Jun-Kyung Kim, Jeonbuk Branch Composite Material Technology Institute Director General of KIST. The system will offer the complete capabilities that KIST  needs to continue and expand its research in the field of composite materials science. 

 

The Quickstep manufacturing system supplied to KIST will be optimized for niche-to medium-volume automotive industry production. This contract will drive further development of the RST and Qure systems for higher volume production, well above the current capacity of existing systems used in the aerospace sector.

 

KIST selected the Quickstep system after evaluating several processes. This provides a significant endorsement, confirming Quickstep’s competitiveness compared to other composites manufacturing technologies used for medium-volume automotive applications. Quickstep’s Qure and RST technology will enable KIST to produce Class-A surface quality parts at an overall lower cost, and will demonstrate the benefits of the system for industry uptake in the Korean market.

 

South Korea provides a number of opportunities for the uptake of Quickstep’s process capabilities in the future, both in its fast-growing automotive market, as well as in its emerging aerospace manufacturing sector. The carbon fiber sector is seen as a major growth area in South Korea with significant government and industry investment going into major initiatives such as Carbon Valley Project in Jeollabuk-do province, creating an internationally focused region for research, development and industry in areas such as carbon fiber, artificial graphite, and carbon polymers.