Dymag and Hankuk Carbon announce strategic partnership for mass production
03min read
Chloe Metcalfe
Dymag is delighted to announce a new strategic partnership with Hankuk Carbon Co., Ltd. to mass manufacture our state-of-the-art carbon composite wheels for the automotive industry.
The collaboration will leverage our brand and experience in manufacturing lightweight carbon composite wheels, together with Hankuk Carbon’s expertise in advanced materials and industrialisation.
The partnership will rapidly scale-up carbon composite wheel production, bringing higher volumes and cost efficiencies for the world’s leading auto OEMs. This technology brings multiple advantages across all sectors, from luxury to high-performance, ICE to BEV, offering weight savings in excess of 50% over a traditional cast alloy wheel, but with far greater strength and durability.
- Partnership will rapidly scale-up carbon composite wheel production, bringing higher volumes and cost efficiencies for the world’s leading auto OEMs
- Dymag’s advanced carbon composite wheels feature a carbon rim with a forged aluminium or magnesium centrepiece
- Lighter, stiffer and stronger than a traditional cast alloy wheel, and available in larger sizes than ever before, they bring huge advantages to all vehicle sectors, from luxury to performance, ICE to BEV
Announcement made at JEC World in Paris where Dymag and Hankuk Carbon are exhibiting on stand N22, Hall 5 from 3-5 May 2022
Tom de Lange, CEO of Dymag said:
“The strategic partnership between Dymag and Hankuk Carbon will enable a step change in the production and supply of state-of-the-art carbon composite wheels to the world’s leading automotive OEMs, bringing not only significantly higher volumes but also greater cost efficiencies via scalable, localised manufacturing.
“The price-point for these wheels will be appropriate for both luxury and performance-oriented versions of road cars, particularly the growing high-end electric vehicle market, thanks to Dymag’s technology benefits in improving EV range and NVH. For all automotive sectors, the dynamic, durability and aesthetic benefits of carbon composite hybrid wheels will become accessible to a larger number of consumers through OEM programmes.”
Hankuk Carbon Chairman Mr. Moonsoo Cho said:
“We share Dymag’s vision for the growth in the global market potential for high performance hybrid carbon composite wheels and our expertise in composite materials and industrialisation will accelerate this. Together, we will bring automotive OEMs an unrivalled technical and commercial offering for future vehicles.”
Pebble Beach 2021 : Guntherwerks Porsche 993 Speedster with forged magnesium – BX-F carbon rim
Dymag and Hankuk Carbon
Together, the two companies will work to scale up mass production of Dymag’s cutting-edge BX-F carbon composite wheel. This technology brings multiple advantages for automotive OEMs across all sectors, from luxury to high-performance, ICE to BEV, offering weight savings in excess of 50 per cent over a traditional cast alloy wheel, but with far greater strength and durability.
Step change benefits include improvements in vehicle range and NVH: two huge advantages that can be applied to all vehicles, but in particular the new breed of luxury EVs, where every gram impacts performance and range, and where the ICE is no longer masking unwanted noises.
Through dramatically reduced unsprung mass, but also a reduced moment of inertia, carbon composite wheels bring benefits to ride and handling too.
With less energy required to accelerate and brake the wheel itself, it is easier to control the rotating mass, in turn making it easier to find an optimum compromise between ride and handling in suspension tuning. Another dynamic benefit is a reduced gyroscopic force thanks to the lightness of the rim itself, which means less steering effort is required.
Carbon composite wheels also bring aesthetic advantages for OEMs; a forged aluminium or magnesium centrepiece offering greater design flexibility than a solid carbon fibre wheel, while Dymag’s unique designs are also proven and tested to OEM standards off-the-shelf.
As a result, the benefits of Dymag’s carbon composite wheels are applicable to traditional high-performance road cars, high-performance and luxury electric vehicles and large SUVs and pickups, which are also becoming increasingly electrified, with Dymag wheels available in sizes of up to 23-inches – rated to 1000kg – with even larger sizes to follow.