Lexus Develops 3D Carbon Fiber Loom To Achieve Supercar Perfection

The Lexus LFA is one of the most high-tech supercars on the road – even the tachometer had to be made digital in order to display the rapid engine revs. But, did you know that Lexus called an audible during the design to add even more high-tech materials?

The video below shows off the new way Lexus engineers are able to weave carbon fiber in the vehicle's chassis. By using a "3D loom" Lexus is able to create carbon fiber objects that can be more easily molded into a finished part, bringing costs down.

I can't wait to see what other practical applications are discovered for this machine.
(cough) Government funding for the military.

Thats pretty cool im wondering when they will replace carbon fiber with hemp

reply to post by xmetalgear


That's what Lotus did with the Eco Elise concept car. You could even go a stop further and use plant based resins to replace the potroleum sourced resins.

That's really neat! I wonder what other applications that material would have, like in housing.

Originally posted by xmetalgear
Thats pretty cool im wondering when they will replace carbon fiber with hemp

Heh, I'm wondering when they're going to replace EVERYTHING with hemp

Originally posted by scojak

Originally posted by xmetalgear
Thats pretty cool im wondering when they will replace carbon fiber with hemp

Heh, I'm wondering when they're going to replace EVERYTHING with hemp

Originally posted by xmetalgear
Thats pretty cool im wondering when they will replace carbon fiber with hemp

Really people? When you see a beautiful display of technological genius this is all you can think of? Why would the first thing that came to your minds be a inuendo about the benifits of "Hemp". That is one incredible machine that produces a fantastic material that has been used for years but just now is getting into the mainstream lime light. We have been using carbon fiber for years in making super high horspower rated drive shafts for drag cars. Not only does is have a weight advantage but it has a huge safety advantage when it comes to the drive shaft breaking, rather then break in half like the metal driveshafts and cause traumatic damage to the car and maybe the driver, the carbon fiber drive shaft will "broom" out into what will remind you of an old time straw broom, and only barely scratch the undercoat of our cars. This is an amazing material, so if you want to discuss it then please leave your "hemp" fantasies out of the discussion.

Originally posted by LeaderOfProgressReally people? When you see a beautiful display of technological genius this is all you can think of? Why would the first thing that came to your minds be a inuendo about the benifits of "Hemp". That is one incredible machine that produces a fantastic material that has been used for years but just now is getting into the mainstream lime light. We have been using carbon fiber for years in making super high horspower rated drive shafts for drag cars. Not only does is have a weight advantage but it has a huge safety advantage when it comes to the drive shaft breaking, rather then break in half like the metal driveshafts and cause traumatic damage to the car and maybe the driver, the carbon fiber drive shaft will "broom" out into what will remind you of an old time straw broom, and only barely scratch the undercoat of our cars. This is an amazing material, so if you want to discuss it then please leave your "hemp" fantasies out of the discussion.

I appreciate your love for carbon fiber, and it's beneficial applications. I agree that it is an amazing material that will be a huge factor in creating safer and better cars for the future.

However...

I don't believe there was any innuendo involved in the discussion, unless you are referring to the innuendo that hemp is arguably the most useful plant that exists on our planet. I believe, though, that you are 'refer'ring to the stoner innuendo, which I was not thinking about at all. The legalization of hemp for industrial use and production would be one of the greatest things that could be done, especially with our oil dependency. However, for unproven but widely discussed reasons, hemp in ALL uses, not just smoking, has been criminalized, despite the thousands of uses it has that are superior to materials we use today. I'm not, nor did I say that hemp would be better for this particular application, but I would gladly watch this invention, as great as it is, go down in flames to see the legalization of hemp. Sure I have dreams about the day when hemp is legal for all uses but smoking, or including smoking, whatever, but don't focus on the smoking, because that's why it was made illegal in the first place.

well funny thing is i grow hemp on the farm and we use it for heaps of products and if you try to smoke it it will make you sick we just had an show to show farmers how to grow it and it is used in high performance brakes and door trims and high speed bullet trains at the moment im working on it to make a heat bandage out of hemp as it's good at high temps and hemp is a lot cheaper than ur traditional "carbon fiber" and theres over 1000+ strands of hemp