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New materials
Page 50
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The renewed focus on payload is encouraging some operators and bodybuilders to explore the use of new materials.
One of the most exotic potential bodybuilding materials is carbon fibre, as used in Fl racing cars, expensive sports cars and some London ambulance bodies. The NHS has just completed a comparison of six integral carbon-fibre bodies with more conventional alloy box bodies, all fitted on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. With the 150hp five-cylinder engine, these offer a five-tonne GVW, and the carbonfibre bodies increase payload by 360kg.
Walsall-based MacNeil lie and Son built the bodies; they are demountable and can be transferred to new chassis once the current crop reach the end of their six-year operating life. However, Mercedes-Benz reports that while the extra weight saving is valuable and there are some fuel savings, the additional cost is felt to exceed the benefits.
Another bodybuilder with a track record in specialist materials for emergency service vehicle bodies is Strong Plastics Products.
The company is a specialist in plastic fabrication; it manufactures plastic water tanks and bodies for, among others, Dennis fire engines using flat plastic sheet cut to shape then welded into shape. Plastic has several advantages over glass-fibrereinforced aluminium, according to director Myles Clarkson: "It's fireproof to 450°C and more robust than aluminium, with inherent body strength. Repairs are simple too: you simply weld a patch over the damaged area, sand down and repaint."
The company is now expanding into general bodywork and sees opportunities in crewcabs and bespoke bodywork for mobile service engineers.
Panel manufacturer Polytont's Carbofont honeycomb panel has been around for several years, but it is now attracting interest from a wider range of users, says sales manager Barry Crawford.
He points out that although there is a premium of up to 20% for a body built with Carbofont panels compared with conventional GRP panels, the weight of the finished body is cut by up to 50%. "That equates to over 100kg on a 4.0-metre body and 140kg on a 5.0-metre body," he says.
The Carbofont panel is more resistant to damage than an equivalent GRP panel, so it ideal for urban operations, says Crawford: "The honeycomb core means that outer damage doesn't necessarily go through to the inner skin, so repairs are easier. Also there is no water ingress, so there's no risk of the panel holding water and swelling or of delamination."