Working on the Ariel Hipercar project, Powdertech Surface Science has developed a process, that uses no adhesives, for bonding polypropylene glass fibre composite to aluminium for the vehicle’s monocoque chassis.

The process, called Powderbond – part of an Innovate UK funded project called SOLMAC – requires no surface preparation for the polymer, no activation period and is single stage, placing powder coated aluminium into a mould together with polypropylene and using the standard composite curing cycle.