Application of Glass Fiber Felt Reinforced Thermoplastic Composite (GMT) in Automobiles Using Plastic as a Substitute for Steel

27 Jun,2026

GMT is a novel, energy-saving, and lightweight composite material based on thermoplastic resin and reinforced with glass fiber felt. It is currently one of the most active composite material development varieties internationally and is regarded as one of the new materials of the century. GMT can generally produce semi-finished sheet products, which are then directly processed into the desired shape of the product. GMT has complex design features, excellent impact resistance, easy assembly and reprocessing, and is highly praised for its strength and lightweight, making it an ideal structural component to replace steel and reduce mass.

1、 Advantages of GMT material
1. High specific strength: GMT has a strength similar to hand pasted polyester fiberglass products, with a density of 1.01-1.19g/cm, which is smaller than thermosetting fiberglass (1.8-2.0g/cm). Therefore, it has a higher specific strength.
2. Lightweight and energy-saving: The weight of car doors made of GMT material can be reduced from 26kg to 15kg, and the back thickness can be reduced, increasing the car space. The energy consumption is only 60-80% of steel products and 35-50% of aluminum products.
3. Compared with thermosetting SMC (sheet molding compound), GMT material has the advantages of short molding cycle, good impact performance, renewable utilization, and long storage cycle.
4. Impact performance: GMT has an impact absorption capacity 2.5-3 times higher than SMC. Under the action of impact force, SMC、 Both steel and aluminum showed dents or cracks, while GMT remained unharmed.
5. High rigidity: GMT contains GF fabric, which can maintain its shape even in the event of a 10mph impact collision.
2、 The Application of GMT Materials in the Automotive Industry
GMT sheet has high specific strength, can produce lightweight components, high design freedom, strong collision energy absorption, and good processing performance. It has been widely used in the automotive industry abroad since the 1990s. As the requirements for fuel economy, recyclability, and ease of processing continue to increase, the market for GMT materials used in the automotive industry will also continue to grow steadily. At present, GMT materials are widely used in the automotive industry, mainly including seat frames, bumpers, instrument panels, engine hoods, battery racks, foot pedals, front ends, floors, protective panels, rear doors, car roofs, luggage racks, sun visors, spare tire racks, and other components.

1. Seat frame
The compression molding design of the second row seat back on the 2015 Ford Mustang sports car by Ford Motor Company was carried out by Continental Structural Plastics, a first tier supplier/processor, using Hanwha L&C's 45% unidirectional fiberglass reinforced glass fiber felt thermoplastic composite material (GMT) and Century Tool&Gage molds, and successfully met the European safety regulations ECE under challenging luggage load conditions. This component requires over 100 FEA iterations to complete, eliminating five parts from the early steel structure design and saving 3.1 kilograms per vehicle in a thinner structure, making it easier to install.
The collision beam at the rear of the all-new Hyundai Tucson 2015 is made of GMT material, which is lighter in weight and has better cushioning performance compared to steel products. While reducing vehicle weight and fuel consumption, it ensures safety performance.
3. Front end module
Mercedes Benz chooses Quadrant Plastic Composites GMTex in its S-Class luxury two door coupe ™ Fabric reinforced thermoplastic composite materials are used as front-end module components.
4. Underbody protective panel
High performance GMTex from Quadrant Plastic Composites ™ The underbody protection manufactured is applied to the Mercedes Off Road Special Edition.
5. Tailgate frame
In addition to the usual advantages of functional integration and weight reduction, the GMT tailgate structure also enables product forms that cannot be achieved with steel or aluminum, and is used in Nissan Murano, Infiniti FX 45 and other models.
6. Dashboard frame
The new concept of GMT manufacturing dashboard frames has been used on several models of Ford Group: Volvo S40 and V50, Mazda 3, and Ford C-Max. These composite materials can achieve extensive functional integration, especially by incorporating vehicle crossbeams in the form of thin steel pipes into molded parts, and significantly reducing weight compared to traditional methods without increasing costs.