Vermont Governor Douglas and Dave Hill of General Motors visited Vermont Composites on Tuesday, May 10 to celebrate the announcement that the company will be producing carbon fiber fenders for the new Corvette Z06. Both Vermont Composites and General Motors believe that production of this part represents a major step forward in the application of carbon fibers to high production automobiles.
Vermont Composites has worked closely with General Motors for the past year to develop a light weight front fender for GM's new 2006 Corvette Z06. This car was introduced to the public last January at the North American Automobile Show in Detroit , Michigan and will be available at dealers in Q4 2005.
The use of carbon fiber composites saves a total of 5.5 kilograms (12.1 lbs) for the two front fenders, compared to the standard RIM molded parts used on other Corvettes. Each fender weighs approximately 1.7 kilograms (3.8 lbs). The fenders are delivered to General Motors ready for application of the final color top coat and subsequent assembly onto the car.
Vermont Composites has set up a production facility dedicated to producing carbon fiber composites for the automotive market. This facility is located at 139 Shields Drive , in Bennington , Vermont . Included in this facility are the engineering resources needed to develop and produce the product, and all manufacturing equipment necessary to manufacture the parts.
Jim Sharkey , General Manager of Vermont Composites, said “Vermont Composites is very excited about this new application for carbon fiber composites and looks forward to many other applications within the automotive industry.” Gary Spencer, Vice President of Vermont Composites for Automotive Products stated “We have invested a great deal of effort to make this program a success.” The company has recently added a new facility and has substantially growth opportunities.
Vermont Composites is a fabricator of advanced composite structures. The company serves medical imaging, aerospace and automotive markets.
Vermont Composites Inc. designs, develops and fabricates advanced composite structures for commercial and aerospace markets and is ISO 9001:2000 certified and services a broad range of customers. Manufacturing processes include lay up, autoclave and press cure, CNC routing and machining, finishing, and assembly. Support functions include design, analysis, tooling design, testing and all administrative functions.
The companies product areas included: medical x-ray tables and other composite structures used in diagnostic imaging, products for the aerospace and aircraft industries including fairings, radomes, electronic enclosures, and other composite structures used in aircraft, launch vehicles and space craft. The company has recently launched the new capability to produce lightweight carbon composite automotive body components.
Vermont Composites is a subsidiary of Advanced Products Corp
For further information please contact: Mr. Jim Sharkey , General Manager of Vermont Composites.
jim.sharkey@vtcomposites.com
802 442 9964 x1248