Glass mat reinforced thermoplastic (GMT) is a new, energy-saving and light-weight composite material with thermoplastic resin as matrix and glass fiber mat as reinforcement framework. It is a very active composite material development variety in the world at present, and is regarded as one of the new materials in the century.

GMT can generally produce semi-finished sheet products, and then directly process them into products of desired shape. GMT has complex design functions, excellent impact resistance, easy assembly and reprocessing, and is praised for its strength and lightweight, making it an ideal structural component to replace steel and reduce mass.

1、 Advantages of GMT materials

High specific strength: the strength of GMT is similar to that of hand lay polyester FRP products, and its density is 1.01-1.19g/cm, which is smaller than that of thermosetting FRP (1.8-2.0g/cm). Therefore, GMT has higher specific strength.

Lightweight and energy-saving: the weight of automobile door made of GMT material can be reduced from 26kg to 15kg, and the thickness of back can be reduced, so that the car space can be increased. The energy consumption is only 60-80% of steel products and 35-50% of aluminum products.

Compared with the thermosetting SMC (sheet molding compound), GMT material has the advantages of short molding cycle, good impact performance, renewable utilization and long storage period.

2、 Application of GMT material in automobile field

GMT sheet has high specific strength, can be made into light parts, and has high design freedom, strong energy absorption and good processing performance. It has been widely used in automobile industry abroad since 1990s. With the increasing requirements of fuel economy, recyclability and processability, the market of GMT materials for automobile industry will continue to grow steadily.

At present, GMT materials are widely used in automobile industry, mainly including seat frame, bumper, instrument panel, hood, battery bracket, pedal, front end, floor, guard, rear door, roof, luggage carrier, sun visor, spare tire carrier, etc.