The Middle East is a strategic market, rapidly growing and developing industry 4.0 solutions and energy transition process. This region has robust engineering capabilities, with ambitions to build local capabilities and expertise, to explore new horizons in hydrogen, automotive manufacturing, software solutions, high-speed rail networks, and nuclear energy. It is certainly a growing and attractive market, and it represents a great opportunity for SEGULA Technologies to apply its knowledge and expertise, supporting customers to develop their digital transformation and energy transition strategies. 

In this region, SEGULA Technologies is already working with major international and local industrial players. 

“Masdar City in Abu Dhabi is at the core of industry 4.0 and energy transition in the United Arab Emirates, while Cairo is the beating heart of the Egyptian industry and business landscape, where our strategic partners are set up. Our ambition is to emerge as the partner of choice, and as a major contributor to the industrialisation, energy transition, and digital transformation of the Middle East, through partnering with our customers,” states Omar Khattab, Managing Director Middle East at SEGULA Technologies. 

With the opening of these new offices, SEGULA aims to pursue these main goals: 

• To support customers and partners in achieving their digitalization and industry 4.0 goals 

• To grow its expertise in renewable and nuclear energies, while fortifying its conventional energy solutions offering 
• To build a talent hub of qualified engineers and skilled technical resources 
• To achieve growth sustainability to the company and its customers 

SEGULA  plans to recruit 200 new employees, including skilled engineers, skilled software developers, energy experts, and rail technical services specialists by end of 2025 and to set up operations in other cities at a later stage.   

The process for achieving DOA involved a rigorous assessment of Vertical’s procedures, its quality management system, the competence of its technical workforce, and the necessary facilities and equipment to support the design activities to certify the VX4 aircraft.

Certification progress
Earlier this month, the CAA announced its intention to adopt European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) Means of Compliance to SC-VTOL, the standards against which European and now UK manufacturers will design eVTOLs. Vertical continues working closely with the CAA on the Type Certification of its VX4 aircraft, having recently submitted its certification basis proposal to the regulator.

Taken together, this progress provides essential regulatory clarity to Vertical on the requirements for the development of its VX4 aircraft and further discussions will continue with the CAA in coming months, including robust technical familiarisations. This positions the UK, alongside Europe, as a market with a clear regulatory framework for the design and manufacture of these novel electric aircraft.

Japanese validation
Vertical has also formally commenced its certification efforts in Japan, following the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau’s (JCAB) acceptance of the VX4’s validation programme. Successful validation of the VX4’s Type Certificate will allow the aircraft to be operated in this key market. Vertical is well-positioned in Japan, having partnered with Japan Airlines (JAL), through the placement of up to 100 VX4 pre-orders with Avolon, as well as with Marubeni Corporation for up to 200 VX4 pre-orders. In January 2023, Marubeni made a pre-delivery payment to Vertical for the reservation of its first 25 VX4 aircraft delivery slots out of the 200 VX4 conditional pre-orders. In March 2023, it was announced that Marubeni would be one of the operators of the Advanced Air Mobility showcase for the 2025 Osaka World Expo to fly with Vertical’s VX4.

JCAB formally becomes the fourth aviation regulator Vertical is working closely with, including the CAA on Type Certification and concurrent validation with EASA and the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). Vertical is also in discussions with the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil on the VX4’s future validation programme. The establishment of this broad coalition of regulators will enable Vertical to deliver the VX4 into service internationally, with its airline, helicopter operator, aircraft lessor, business aviation and tourism group customers.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical’s Founder and CEO, said “I am immensely proud that Vertical is the first British electric aircraft company in history to receive a DOA from the UK aviation regulator. This approval is a critical step forward in our mission to decarbonise air travel and bring the UK’s first electric aircraft to market. We are grateful for the CAA’s commitment to advancing sustainable aviation, which allows us to build on the UK’s proud aerospace tradition.”

Paul Harper, Vertical’s Head of Certification, said “Receiving a DOA from the CAA is a huge testament to our team and the hard work we are doing to ensure safety is at the core of the VX4. It represents a significant milestone on our journey to Type Certification and we would like to thank the CAA for their guidance and continued support.

I believe that in formally working with JCAB, as the fourth aviation regulator Vertical is committed to certifying with, we are on track for establishing the most detailed understanding of global regulators’ needs and differences for eVTOLs. This will give us a competitive edge in bringing the VX4 into service.”

Garry Lathey, Design and Certification Manager at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “We are committed to enabling innovators such as Vertical take their ideas to market in a safe, secure and sustainable way. The granting of Design Organisation Approval to Vertical is an essential step on their journey bringing an eVTOL aircraft into service. It emphasises our commitment to making the UK a key destination for aviation innovators. It’s also vital that this work has an international impact and so in all our efforts we aim to work collaboratively with other regulatory bodies around the world to support the future of eVTOL flight and maintain the high safety standards that the public expects.”

Alan has 20+ years experience working in the composites sector and brings with him a wide depth of knowledge and international networks. He will focus on building new and existing relationships and working with our internal departments to ensure we are well positioned with relevant stakeholders to meet and exceed expectations both externally and internally.

Carbon ThreeSixty Ltd now has a firm foothold in the Aerospace, Automotive, Energy and Defence markets, working alongside companies ranging from multinational Bluechips to local start-ups. Through 2023 Carbon ThreeSixty is expected to double in size. This level of continued growth is only possible due to the team of expert Engineers and dedicated Production staff. 

Alan Purves commented “I’m very excited to be taking on this new role at Carbon ThreeSixty and to help them grow the business in a new direction, embracing new technologies and challenges along the way”

Ed Allnutt, Managing Director at Carbon ThreeSixty, said “We are delighted to have Alan join the CTS team. Alan has a wealth of experience in material systems and processes that we are only just starting to explore. His appointment will enable the company to rapidly embrace emerging sustainable technologies and scale production to the levels that the company requires over the coming years. Accessing experienced composite experts like Alan is testament to the ever developing vision of the company ”

Elle apporte aux constructeurs automobiles et aux équipementiers des solutions dans le domaine de l’allégement des véhicules en particulier dans l’assemblage des designs multi-matériaux (composites, aluminiums, magnésiums, aciers et aciers hautes performances, … ). Des innovations également adressées à l’industrie aéronautique et ainsi qu’à d’autres industries à fortes exigences technico-économiques.

Leur offre est principalement centrée sur les applications de grandes et très grandes séries.

Asahi Kasei produces fossil fuel–derived hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and adipic acid (ADA) as intermediates to manufacture Leona™ PA66, an engineering plastic featuring outstanding heat resistance and rigidity. PA66 is used in various applications, including plastic parts for automotive and electronic products, and yarn for airbag fabric, and its demand is expected to increase worldwide.

As the world moves toward carbon neutrality, attention is increasingly focused on manufacturing processes for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from chemical products derived from fossil fuels. Microwave Chemical is promoting technological and business development to achieve carbon neutrality in the industrial sector focused on process development using microwaves, which can directly and selectively heat target substances with high energy efficiency. For chemical recycling, Microwave Chemical is advancing its proprietary PlaWave™ technology platform for decomposing plastic using microwaves.
Through development combining Asahi Kasei’s experience in manufacturing HMD and ADA for more than half a century together with Microwave Chemical’s achievements in the industrialization of microwave technology, the two companies aim to commercialize a manufacturing process for PA66 that can reduce GHG emissions compared to the conventional manufacturing process.

Laboratory-scale studies that began in fiscal 2021 have confirmed the high-yield depolymerization of PA66 using microwaves, as well as the principle of the separation and purification process after depolymerization. Bench-scale equipment will now be assembled at Microwave Chemical’s Osaka Factory by the end of fiscal 2023, and a small-scale demonstration trial using this equipment will be performed in fiscal 2024 to collect basic process data for commercialization.

Microwave Chemical’s PlaWave™ technology platform for decomposing plastic using microwaves can depolymerize PA66 with low energy and obtain HMD and ADA monomers in high yield. The manufacturing process for PA66 using HMD and ADA obtained by depolymerization with this technology is expected to reduce GHG emissions compared to the conventional PA66 manufacturing process, while further reduction of GHG emissions may be achieved by the use of renewable energy for the power required to generate the microwaves.

By verifying the process from depolymerization to separation and purification in an integrated manner, this demonstration project aims to enable resource circulation of PA66 for further reduction of GHG emissions.

Moving forward, based on the results of the small-scale demonstration trial, a decision on the possibility of commercialization will be made by fiscal 2025 following detailed analysis. Concurrently with the small-scale demonstration trial, construction of a business model that involves the entire value chain in the chemical recycling of PA66 will be advanced, aiming to achieve a circular economy together with stakeholders in the PA66 value chain.

Asahi Kasei aims to be a global partner for its PA66 customers by providing optimal solutions for their carbon neutrality initiatives through studies of the practical application of material recycling and chemical recycling as well as trials for the commercialization of PA66 made using biomass-derived intermediates.
Microwave Chemical is working to increase the scale of equipment and to make PlaWave™ more generally applicable in order to achieve the practical application of the chemical recycling of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, also called acrylic resin), automotive shredder residue (ASR), plastic containers and packaging, flexible polyurethane foam, etc.

With this project, Vestas will strengthen its position as a leader in offshore wind energy in Japan, leveraging its experience and expertise established through the number of offshore wind energy projects in global markets as well as in Asia Pacific.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Hibiki Wind Energy and provide our V174-9.5 MW turbines for this important project in Japan’s offshore wind energy development. We remain committed to contribute to Japan’s carbon neutrality goal, through our leading wind energy solutions and strong partnership with our customers,” said Purvin Patel, Vestas Asia Pacific President.

Yutaka Mizumachi, Representative Director and President of Hibiki Wind Energy said “We selected Vestas because of the high reliability of its wind turbines, which have been in operation for many years around the world, and also because of the expectation for local contribution. We hope that the service and maintenance provided by Vestas will be a catalyst for the revitalisation of the local economy”.

Commissioning is planned for 2025. Once installed, the project will feature the most powerful wind turbines operating in Japan.

About Polynt Coatings:
Polynt offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of resin technology in the coatings industry from traditional alkyds, polyesters, polyurethanes, epoxies, and acrylics to more innovative technologies such as alkyd emulsions and water-borne oil modified urethanes. Polynt has been a pioneer in creating innovative solutions to help coatings formulators meet their customers’ most demanding applications. Whether developing the latest in high-performance protective coatings or low-VOC architectural paints, formulators can look to Polynt for leading edge innovations to meet the variety of markets in the coatings industry.

About Polynt Group:
Polynt Group is a global leader in composite materials, intermediate chemicals, coating resins, thermosetting composites, gel coats, and niche chemical specialties. Polynt Group has over 3,100 employees in 35 manufacturing operations throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

At an event held at ZeroAvia’s Paine Field research and development site, the companies were joined by high school students from Raisbeck Aviation High School, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers to participate in the formal handover of the 76-seat Q400 aircraft that will be developed by ZeroAvia, the U.S.-headquartered leader in designing and building zero-emission, hydrogen-electric aircraft propulsion systems for aircraft.

When Alaska Airlines’ regional carrier Horizon Air retired its Q400 fleet, it reserved one of the aircraft for research and development purposes to further advance zero emissions technology for the aviation industry. The aircraft was repainted with a special livery to highlight the innovative mission of this partnership.

ZeroAvia also debuted its breakthrough multi-megawatt modular electric motor system in a 1.8MW prototype configuration at the event – demonstrated with a propeller spin aboard the ZeroAvia’s 15-ton HyperTruck ground-test rig. Combined with higher temperature PEM fuel cells and advanced power electronics – both technologies that ZeroAvia is developing in-house – the leading-edge electric motor technology is one of three key building blocks for enabling commercially-relevant hydrogen fuel cell engines for larger aircraft.

Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines CEO, said: “This is a great step forward in aviation innovation, to help create a new future of flight – right here at home. Alaska Airlines has defined a five-part journey to achieve net zero carbon emissions long-term, but we can’t get there alone. New technologies are required to make that future possible, and we’re thrilled to partner with industry leader ZeroAvia to make new zero emissions options a reality.”

Aligning ZeroAvia’s powertrain with the Dash 8-400 airframe will represent a commercially viable zero-emission aircraft with fuel cell engine technology around five times more powerful than what has been demonstrated anywhere to date.

Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia, said: “Demonstrating this size of aircraft in flight, powered entirely by novel propulsion, would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Launching this program puts us on track for a test flight next year, and accelerates our progress toward the future of zero-emission flight for Alaska Airlines and for the world at large.”

ZeroAvia’s recent advancements clear the way for a potential flight of the Q400, also recognized as the Dash 8-400, but also demonstrate rapid progress toward certification of the ZA2000 propulsion system. ZeroAvia has already demonstrated a track-record of world-first flight testing. In January, ZeroAvia flew a retrofitted 19-seat aircraft with its prototype 600kW hydrogen-electric engine (ZA600). This followed the demonstration flight of a 250kW system in 2020, which at the time of flight was the world’s largest aircraft flown using a novel zero-emission power source.

ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engine uses fuel cells to generate electricity from hydrogen fuel, before using that electricity to power electric motors that turn the aircraft propellers. The certifiable ZA2000 system will include ZeroAvia’s High Temperature PEM fuel cells and liquid hydrogen fuel storage, integral to delivering the necessary energy density for commercial operations of large regional turboprops. The company has already established an engineering partnership with De Havilland of Canada, the original manufacturer of the Dash 8 family of aircraft, to enable exchange of data and expertise with the airframe.

In 2021, Alaska Airlines launched a partnership and invested in ZeroAvia to support the development of zero emissions propulsion technology for regional aircraft. As the fifth largest U.S. airline with a large regional network, Alaska has a unique opportunity to support the development of zero-emissions propulsion technology for regional aircraft. By establishing the viability of regional-sized aircraft, both companies will help advance zero-emissions technology across the industry.

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, said: “Our state has a rich history of leadership in aerospace, and we’re proud to be at the center of a technological revolution in zero-emission flight. Through innovation and partnerships like the one demonstrated today, we can help write the next chapter of aviation history right here in Washington State.”

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01), said: “As we work to meet our emissions reduction goals, we must prioritize decarbonizing the commercial transportation sector. Washington state is leading the nation in developing and deploying clean energy technologies, and the Alaska Airlines—ZeroAvia partnership is a prime example. This collaboration could revolutionize the aviation industry to make our planes greener and our skies cleaner.”

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, said: “As a leader in supporting innovative industries, and as the center of aerospace manufacturing in Washington state, Snohomish County is proud to support this partnership and the development of the next generation of aviation technology, driving both job growth and environmental sustainability.”

HyperCore Motor
Over the last few weeks at its Hollister location in California, ZeroAvia has been testing its 1.8MW electric propulsion system configuration with the stock Dash 8-400 engine gearbox and propeller. This configuration consists of two “HyperCore” motor modules, each a high-power, high-speed 900kW permanent magnet radial flux machine which operate at 20,000 rpm, matching the typical turbine engine speeds, and providing an unprecedented 15kW/kg motor power density.

Crucially, HyperCore’s modular design enables the technology to address applications ranging from 900kW up to 5.4MW, meeting a number of regional turbo-prop and regional jet requirements.

The development and testing program will enable the understanding and measurement of system dynamics, calibration of physical and electrical models, and validation of thermal management systems. The company is concurrently developing world-class silicone-carbide power electronics and the matching hydrogen fuel cell systems, which convert hydrogen to electricity, powering the electric propulsion system. These systems will be brought together to create the full hydrogen-electric propulsion system, tested on the ground and then in the air.

The STRATO line is designed to provide businesses and government agencies high-quality components commonly needed for spacecraft, but RWC offers dramatically shorter lead times—approximately two to four weeks—than competing providers, and the order can be placed easily online.

The entire STRATO line meets key requirements for space, with properties that include low outgassing, low to zero CTE, high modulus materials, and a wide operational temperature range. RWC can offer significantly reduced lead times because it stocks raw materials such as M55J/PMT-F33 Cyanate Ester and HR40/NB321 Epoxy for its ecommerce business.

The STRATOLeo class is a more cost competitive option for meeting space requirements without the additional high-performance capability typically associated with GEO orbits and Deep Space flights. The STRATOGeo class uses top-of-the-line materials in all cases where performance can’t be compromised. Please see our RWC STRATO Product Class Table for technical details.

Each order includes a certificate package with dimensional inspection, material certificates, traceability, and a certificate of conformance from RWC. All products are serialized and traceable. Additional options for some products include full traveler verification, resin content testing, and short beam shear testing.

“Our goal is to make space quality hardware readily available in a cost effective and efficient manner,” said Jeremy Senne, head of RWC’s Space market segment. “Whether it’s a start-up business building cube sats or large prime contractors looking to optimize operations, agile organizations in a rapidly growing industry need high quality solutions quickly. Our hope is to help minimize design and build timelines by standardizing available products.”

The partners will work together to build and demonstrate liquefaction and liquid hydrogen storage in an airport context and ultimately explore the technology developments, concept of operations, safety procedures and standards for larger-scale deployment to deliver liquid hydrogen to aircraft.

Grenoble-based Absolut Hydrogen, a subsidiary of Groupe Absolut, is a world leader in developing LH2 systems for heavy-duty mobility for aeronautical, maritime and land applications, building upon Groupe Absolut’s expertise and deep industry knowledge in complex cryogenic systems. Absolut Hydrogen is offering a full LH2 product range with an entry small scale hydrogen liquefaction system (< 50 kg/day), a 100 kg/day Turbo-Brayton based H2 liquefier and a 1T/day liquefier based on the same technology.

Whilst ZeroAvia’s first certified powertrains for up to 19 seat aircraft will be powered by gaseous hydrogen, ZA2000—a 2–5.4 MW modular powertrain for 40–80 seat aircraft, targeting entry-in-service in 2027—will require liquid hydrogen. This will improve the volumetric energy density of the fuel, enabling support for larger aircraft, flying more passengers, on longer typical routes.

The move further cements ZeroAvia’s advantage at developing solutions for large regional turboprops and beyond, following the recent announcement of its high temperature fuel cell technology promising the necessary power for larger aircraft

Arnab Chatterjee, VP Infrastructure, ZeroAvia, said: “As well as building our in-house liquid hydrogen knowledge over the last few months, it has been critical to establish partnerships to begin building the ecosystem that can deliver liquid hydrogen fuel for larger aircraft, at larger airport locations. Retaining and growing aviation will bring us all closer together and keep the world small, but it depends upon this quest for zero-emission aviation being successful.”

Jérôme Lacapère, CEO of Absolut Hydrogen, said: “This partnership with ZeroAvia is an opportunity to take a new step towards a more sustainable aviation. Liquid hydrogen is considered the most advantageous state for tomorrow’s aviation and heavy-duty mobility in general, and Absolut Hydrogen enables its availability thanks to its H2 liquefiers. I am convinced this partnership will lead to new standards on liquid hydrogen infrastructure for aircraft.”

S1E fournira des gaines en fibre de verre renforcées aux UV pour la réhabilitation de conduites d’eaux usées et d’eaux pluviales et sera soutenue par un contact étroit avec le représentant local de Saertex multiCom, Chris Watson.

“Nous sommes heureux d’avoir trouvé en S1E un partenaire solide, qui dispose d’un large portefeuille de produits de qualité et qui est bien connecté au marché. Nous considérons surtout ce partenariat comme une grande valeur ajoutée pour nos clients, qui bénéficieront d’une assistance locale encore meilleure. Il nous permet également de fournir du matériel pour des besoins à court terme”, déclare Chris Watson, directeur des ventes techniques – Royaume-Uni et Irlande chez Saertex multiCom.

Scott McMurray, directeur général de S1E, a déclaré : “Ce partenariat ajoute des produits de haute qualité, leaders sur le marché, à notre offre de revêtement CIPP pour les clients, qui sont toujours à la recherche des meilleurs équipements et systèmes à mettre en œuvre au sein de leur entreprise, sur le marché britannique”.

“Nous distribuerons le Saertex-Liner Multi Type S+ qui a été approuvé par des organismes indépendants et qui est une solution efficace et rentable offrant les meilleures performances de l’industrie. Nous sommes impatients d’en faire la démonstration et de l’offrir à nos clients”, commente Terry Ingleby, directeur général de S1E.

“En plus de la fourniture de matériaux, nous planifions déjà d’autres mesures pour mettre en œuvre un niveau plus élevé de service et d’assistance”, ajoute André Oberfeld, Area Manager Northern Europe & UK chez Saertex multiCom.

The environmental impact of carbon incineration in Europe
According to the European Environment Agency, carbon incineration emits about 90 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year in Europe. In comparison, the total greenhouse gas emissions of the European Union amounted to about 3.9 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in 2020. Carbon incineration is, therefore, a major environmental issue, accounting for about 2.3% of Europe’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

By reducing carbon incineration, Fairmat and Hexcel are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. This collaboration will avoid several thousand tons of CO2 equivalent per year, thus contributing to a positive environmental impact. For example, by recycling 1,000 tons of carbon fiber, it is estimated that up to 10,000 tons of CO2 equivalent can be saved compared to producing virgin carbon fiber.

“We are once again delighted to extend our collaboration with Fairmat at our European sites in Germany. This strategic alliance reflects our shared commitment to sustainable innovation and the preservation of our environment. By working together, we are able to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations and create more efficient recycling solutions for carbon fiber composites used in the aerospace industry. We are confident that our partnership with Fairmat will allow us to continue to grow and expand in Europe while contributing to a greener and more sustainable future for our businesses and customers,” said Thierry Merlot, President Europe/Asia-Pacific/MEA.

The success of the collaboration between Fairmat and Hexcel France

The success of the collaboration between Fairmat and Hexcel France has been a key factor in extending this cooperation to other Hexcel European sites. This partnership demonstrates the commitment of both companies to work together to develop sustainable and innovative solutions for the recycling of carbon fiber composites.

Benjamin Saada, founder of Fairmat, said: “We are delighted to take the next step in our partnership with Hexcel, now including their German facilities. This agreement strengthens our position as a key player in the fight against carbon fiber incineration in Europe and underlines our commitment to developing green solutions for the aerospace industry.”

Towards international expansion
This contract also paves the way for Fairmat’s wider expansion in Europe, with the aim of tackling landfill and carbon incineration on an international scale. By focusing on opening new plants in Europe, Fairmat intends to continue to grow and offer innovative solutions.

The global carbon fiber composites recycling market is growing, partly due to the increasing awareness of environmental issues and the need to develop sustainable solutions for industries using these materials. According to market research, the global carbon fiber composites recycling market was estimated to be worth approximately $90 million in 2020 and is expected to reach nearly $250 million by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.4% between 2021 and 2026.

This expanding market offers many opportunities for companies like Fairmat, which are looking to develop advanced technologies for recycling carbon fiber composites. By collaborating with major players such as Hexcel, Fairmat is helping to accelerate the development of sustainable solutions for the aerospace industry and strengthen its position in the global carbon fiber composite recycling market.

Photo: Fairmat is opening a new market with Hexcel Germany to combat carbon incineration in Europe. Copyright Fairmat.

The ultra-low viscosity and snap cure of Proxima, paired with the proprietary process technology of GatorBar and the consistency of NEG’s glass fiber and roving, enables production speeds up to 20 times faster than traditional composite rebar.  This process efficiency makes GatorBar one of the most economic composite rebars on the market and a cost competitive alternative to most steel rebar. 

The proprietary sizing technology of NEG-US glass fiber and the rapid wetout in the Proxima resin systems enables GatorBar to have composite mechanical properties superior to steel in tensile strength at a substantially lighter weight.  NEG also leverages its glass chemistry expertise to target a composition that strengthens GatorBar’s resistance to corrosion.

“As well as expanding our manufacturing capacity recently by more than two-fold, this new strategic alliance has been established with partners making the same level of aligned commitment to capitalize on the tremendous potential of the rebar market,” said Erik Kiilunen, CEO, GatorBar.  “We look forward to ongoing collaboration with ExxonMobil and NEG-US as we mainstream GatorBar within the building and construction industry.”

Industry often lacks the time and equipment to test new developments or test and optimize processes in addition to ongoing customer orders. The SKZ therefore offers the possibility of producing sample quantities or prototypes, which can then be used directly in the companies.

“Since some companies are busy with their current orders and cannot convert their systems for small series at the first go, our partners are increasingly approaching us with inquiries. Thanks to our well-equipped pilot plants, we are able to test a wide variety of constellations and produce sample compounds or, for example, films and short tube sections. The company can then use these for testing purposes or have us carry out comparisons directly,” explains Hatice Malatyali, Compounding and Extrusion Group Manager at SKZ.

Thanks to the extensive equipment, the possibilities are indeed very diverse. In addition to pipes, material compounds and films, sheets or profiles are also frequently in demand. In addition to compounders and extruders, injection molding machines, a recycling plant and various testing devices are also available at SKZ. Therefore, process analyses and testing of non-destructive testing methods are also possible.

“Due to the very broadly positioned technology, we have already been able to support various new developments from the industry or also solve quality problems. Therefore, we are even planning to increase the capacities for orders on samples of any kind. Among other things, a blown film line will be put into operation this year, for example, which will open up new possibilities for us in the film sector,” emphasizes Matthias Ruff, Sales Manager Education & Research at SKZ.

Always being up to date and permanently optimizing manufacturing processes is a basic prerequisite for remaining competitive in the industry. At the same time, production lines are ideally well utilized. Topics such as process optimization, quality assurance, small batches for new developments or even compounds from alternative materials are enormously important in order to survive in the markets of the plastics industry.

Airbus, Fraunhofer, DTU and the sandwich core supplier EconCore will develop a new generation green and sustainable rudder structure based on potentially recyclable thermoplastic materials. It forms part of the project “FASTER H2”, funded by the European Union’s Clean Aviation Research Program under Horizon Europe and led by Airbus. The four partners will collaborate on the work package in FASTER H2, called EcoRudder, which focuses on the development of a new generation rudder structure for a single-aisle commercial aircraft. It is envisaged that the rudder structure will be redesigned and replaced with thermoplastic materials that have the potential to be recycled after the aircraft has been decommissioned.

Within the scope of the project, thermoplastic honeycomb sandwich structures will be produced and evaluated against the requirements for the rudder, and a recycling concept for the panels will be demonstrated. Beside the extensive testing and analysis to ensure that the materials meet all requirements for a certification in a structural aircraft component, also a detailed life-cycle analysis (LCA) will be performed to confirm the reduced CO2 footprint of the new thermoplastic honeycomb sandwich rudder.

One of the system’s most impressive features is its digital twin capability, which enhances its efficiency. The system includes a CAM system for offline programming based on 3D/2D CAD data, collision analysis, and simulation for both machine and layup concept.

“We are delighted to partner with VIC-K in their pursuit of future-oriented solutions for the aerospace, defense, energy, and railway sectors,” said Jonas Wermter, Key Account Manager at Broetje-Automation. “The STAXX One Automated Fiber Placement System is a state-of-the-art technology that enables efficient and cost-effective production of composite structures. We are confident that VIC-K will benefit greatly from this system’s exceptional product flexibility, industrial readiness, and digital twin capability.”

VIC-K is excited to work with the STAXX One system in partnership with their customer in South Korea. With unparalleled customer service and a second-to-none network of suppliers and partners, VIC-K is well-positioned to meet all of its customers’ needs in the aerospace, defense, and heavy industrial sectors.

JEC Composites Magazine : What are the leading sectors for your company?
Luca Businaro, CEO, Novation Tech : We developed technologies and expertise in a number of different sectors where industrial production and high-quality carbon fibre and composite materials are required, such as the automotive, aerospace, and sports and leisure industries. The automotive industry is undoubtedly our reference market and we have been supplying most major car manufacturers since 2007. We produce seats, interior parts, structural components and body parts.

Discover more videos on JEC Composites Web TV.

JEC Composites Magazine : Can you tell us about the technologies you have developed for the space sector?
Luca Businaro : In 2017, we patented a new manufacturing process for composites production and we applied it to airliner seats, which we have been producing in one of our factories ever since. Lightness has always been a key issue in the aeronautical sector. Our innovation enabled us to industrialize a technologically advanced and therefore economically sustainable process. We patented a new compression moulding process using vacuum and metal inserts in order to be able to combine autoclaving and compression moulding in the same process. We use carbon fibre as well as metal inserts.

JEC Composites Magazine : Do you have ongoing research projects for new production technologies?
Luca Businaro : In addition to various undisclosed trials with customers, we are currently focusing on how to integrate 3D printing technologies in our production (we inaugurated a new 3D farm last year) as well as a fully-additive manufacturing approach. We can print using different types of plastics, carbon-reinforced materials as well as epoxy resin, and we can directly handle the correct assembly of these components. Moreover, the new Massivit 10000 for the additive printing of moulds (we have the first one in Europe) has created a series of opportunities for us and our customers to provide faster services and prototyping activities.

The Massivit 10000 creates a type of empty “shell” in a special water-breakable gel, inside which a thermosetting epoxy resin is poured. The resulting shell is then immersed in water, where it crumbles, leaving a mould that therefore does not present the structural criticalities of traditional 3D printing (due to the lack of molecular bonds between the layers). The system is designed to overcome manufacturing bottlenecks in carbon fibre production by enabling direct printing of custom moulds, master tools, mandrels, jigs, and fixtures. This technology reduces the production time for a mould by 80% and the corresponding manual labour by 90%.

JEC Composites Magazine : What do you think of bio-based advanced composite materials?
Luca Businaro : These materials will play an important role in our industry. We are already producing components using bio-based composite materials and we are trying to test how advanced bio-based composite materials will react to production processes and what are the effects on their mechanical performance. We are currently producing a component using a flax composite material for aesthetical results but also structural components for the automotive and sports sectors.

JEC Composites Magazine : Do you have plans for recycling carbon composites?
Luca Businaro : Yes, we have been working on it for some time, especially for “non-aesthetic” components. We are currently producing several recycled carbon fibre components for our customers and we foresee a continuous improvement of these materials in our future developments. On the other hand, some products need to comply with specific mechanical standards that are currently difficult to meet with existing recycled raw materials. This is one of the reasons why we are trying to reduce our environmental impact by looking not only at the raw material but at the entire production process. Since 2022, we have been using a concrete sustainability process to drastically reduce our carbon impact in everything we do. For example, through the reuse of cutting scrap and the use of recycled carbon dry materials from scrap components.

JEC Composites Magazine : How do you see the future?
Luca Businaro : The future will be based on faster and faster processes and the robotization of several production steps to increase volumes and mass production. Bio-based and recycled materials will be part of any new development, as well as a sustainability approach to reduce the carbon footprint of production and logistics.

The market will see companies merge to create bigger players to support product development and market growth. Carbon fibre and composite materials will become a real commodity for every market looking for lighter products.

Since its founding in 2019, MCVE has focused on producing functionalised glass fibre materials with a view to integrating them to composites. Over the years, MCVE’s technology has been validated by proof of concept on a variety of fabrics for composite materials in various applications. This experience has allowed the company to demonstrate the strength of the EOPROM® bonded copper metallisation with fibre glass fabric. Indeed, as a result of its solderability, EOPROM® creates a robust connection for printed electronic functions. The study entitled “Composite materials instrumentation through integration of functional components printed on fabrics: development, processability and characterisation” was carried out at IMT Nord Europe under supervision of IMT Professor Patricia Krawczak, plastics and composites expert.

Its objective was to show that using EOPROM® formulations to integrate a functionalised layer to a composite by means of an infusion process does not affect the mechanical behaviour of the material.

Experiment design
In order to determine the influence of track width, three single longitudinal lines were designed in widths of 0.8 mm, 1.5 mm and 3 mm. Four meanders design, used for heating circuits, were also designed. There were two longitudinal meanders with differing row pitches and two transversal meanders each with a variable row pitch. The last design was specific to the bending test specimens, whose dimensions are smaller. With the exception of the single lines, whose widths vary, all other tracks are 1.5 mm wide.

Sample manufacturing
Tracks were produced by silk-screening designs with EOPROM® paste. Once silkscreened, the samples were placed in a drying cabinet, then im­mersed in various metallisation baths. The purpose of these baths is to deposit a layer of copper over the EOPROM® paste.

Composite plates were manufactured from the following components:

– Layers of a reinforcement material made of satin glass fabric that has a nearly balanced weave (52/48) and a weight of 296 g/m². Samaro material reference PO12768.

– A layer of functional glass fabric (containing copper track) with an un¬balanced weave (60/40) and a weight of 202 g/m². Porcher material reference 7628.

– Gurit Prime 37 resin and AMPREG 3X Slow Hardener, with a mass ratio of 100:29.

The dimensions of the plates manufactured are 250 x 25 x 2 mm; there are four different configurations.

For the tensile test specimens:
– 2.24 mm thickness
– [(0° R)₉ / (0° F) / (0° R)]
For the in plane shearing test specimens:
– 2.24 mm thickness
– [(±45° R)₉ / (0° F) / (±45° R)]
For the three-point bend test specimens and short beam shear test specimens:
– [(0° R)₁₀ / (0° F) / (0° R)₁₀ ]
– [(0° R)₁₉ / (0° F) / (0° R)₁ ]

The various plates were manufactured using the infusion process at ambient temperature and at -900 mbar for 16 hours. The plates were demoulded, then post-cured at 55°C for 24 hours.

Mechanical characterisation in tension
Standard NF EN ISO 527-4 was used, allowing the longitudinal modulus of elasticity (E), and tensile strength σ_M to be determined.
The following test parameters were applied:
– Rate of displacement: 2 mm/min
– Test stopped after a drop of 40%

Displacement was measured via several methods, with an extensometer or through DIC (digital image correlation), and in some cases addition­ally by crosshead displacement.

In the case of single longitudinal lines, tensile test results indicate a linear correlation between the copper surface area and the modulus of elasticity. In the case of longitudinal meanders, the increase in number of meanders (and thus a reduction in the space between meanders) improves modulus. In the case of transversal meanders, the reduction in the space between meanders lowers the modulus of elasticity value.

Results from these tensile strength tests demonstrate that in the case of transversal designs, an increase in the number of copper tracks predicates a drop in tensile strength. Further examination of single lines seems to in­dicate that there is a line width value at which the drop in tensile strength is higher. Therefore, lines less than 2 mm are to be favoured.

Influence of temperature cycling on tensile properties
One of the targeted industrial applications is integration of a heating. It is therefore paramount to check its impact beforehand.

A thermal cycle was applied:
– Seven 30-minute cycles of thermal cycling, followed by 30 minutes at ambient temperature
– For design 19: 4.2 V / 2.8 A
– For design 20: 3.4 V / 2.3 A
– Temperature at the surface ≈ 67 °C
– Temperature of the opposite side ≈ 64 °C

The test specimens subjected to thermal stress were compared to a series of test specimens that were not subjected to thermal stress.

Accounting for standard deviations, measurements show that the values between the test specimens that had been subjected to thermal cycling remain very close to those that did not. The impact of temperature cycling on the mechanical performance is therefore quite low.

In plane shearing test
The second mechanical test performed was the in plane shearing test, conducted through tensile tests at ± 45°, according to the NF EN ISO 14129 standard. It enabled the in plane shearing modulus G₁₂ and in plane shearing strength τ_12M to be determined.

The copper present in the composite involved a drop in plane shearing modulus G₁₂. Nevertheless, the values remain within the order of magni­tude that can be expected for such a material.
Through these tests, we learnt that design orientation can have a strong influence. While longitudinal designs appear to be favorable, transversal designs are to be avoided.

Three-point bending test
The third test considered was the three-point bend test, carried out according to the NF EN ISO 14125 standard. It allows the flexural breaking stress σ_fB and the flexural modulus (E_f) to be determined.

The impact of copper on the flexural modulus of elasticity appears almost negligible, all the more so when the functional layer is placed near the surface. The metallising baths, vital to the manufacturing process, have no significative impact on bending properties.
The presence of copper has a rather positive impact, on both the flexural modulus and the flexural strength. It is therefore possible to integrate functional layers to a piece that will be subject to bending stress without a loss of mechanical properties.

Metallising baths do not present a significant deviation from the reference, thus no significant deterioration in sizing should occur.

Short beam shear test
The last test considered was the ILSS shearing test through three-point bend tests, according to the NF EN ISO 14130 standard. It enabled interlaminar shear strength to be determined τ_13M.

These tests investigated three aspects in particular: the impact of the presence of copper, the impact of metallising baths on sizing.

As most test specimens did not delaminate, the value for interlaminar shearing strength could not be quantified. However, the lower bound values obtained remain within the expected orders of magnitude, and no significant drop in value appears.

Conclusions from the mechanical tests
This study focused on examining the impact of integrating function­al components to a composite material. From a general standpoint, the influence of these components is quite…

Want to read the end of this article?
Subscribe now and access to the entire article published in the JEC Composites Magazine N°150.

« En tant que leader mondial de la propulsion civile et militaire, notre responsabilité est de développer des technologies clés qui conduiront à une aviation plus durable, a déclaré Michel Brioude, Directeur Technique et R&T de Safran Aircraft Engines. L’architecture Open Fan est l’innovation majeure de notre programme de démonstration technologique CFM RISE, mené avec GE Aerospace, et constitue un élément clé pour améliorer l’efficacité énergétique des moteurs de nouvelle génération. Nous sommes impatients de nous associer aux leaders européens de l’industrie pour façonner l’avenir d’une aviation durable. »

La feuille de route d’OFELIA comprendra plus de 20 tests effectués dans les installations des partenaires. Safran Aircraft Engines, Avio Aero et GKN Aerospace travailleront ensemble pour concevoir et produire les composants du démonstrateur de l’Open Fan. Grâce à cette collaboration unique entre les partenaires du programme, les laboratoires et les universités, OFELIA traitera des sujets spécifiques du plan de maturation technologique de l’Open Fan tels que le whirl flutter, la soufflante non-carénée, les hélices et aubes, le compresseur haute-vitesse, l’aérodynamique de la turbine basse pression haute vitesse, le réducteur compact haute puissance, les composants moteurs allégés, les émissions de la chambre de combustion, l’aérodynamique du compresseur haute pression et l’hybridation du moteur. Afin d’être prêt pour la deuxième phase de Clean Aviation axée sur les essais en vol, Airbus préparera le dossier préliminaire pour le démonstrateur en vol.

« Le projet OFELIA fait partie des 20 projets audacieux de Clean Aviation visant à développer des solutions innovantes pour motoriser la prochaine génération d’avions durables. Avec l’appui de l’Union européenne, l’aviation européenne a le pouvoir d’ouvrir la voie vers une aviation climatiquement neutre et d’établir de nouvelles normes mondiales pour un transport aérien sûr, fiable, abordable et propre », a déclaré Axel Kerin, Directeur exécutif de Clean Aviation.

Safran Aircraft Engines joue un rôle clé dans le programme Clean Aviation conformément à sa feuille de route stratégique en explorant plusieurs pistes pour atteindre des objectifs de décarbonation ambitieux. La société est partenaire du projet HYDEA, coordonné par Avio Aero, visant à développer des technologies clés pour la conception d’un moteur à hydrogène. En 2022, Airbus et CFM International ont signé un accord de partenariat pour collaborer sur un programme de démonstrateur à hydrogène qui volera vers le milieu de cette décennie.

hyperMILL^® provides NC code simulation to reliably bring challenging 6-axis output to the machine. Using hyperMILL^®’s VIRTUAL Machining Optimizer to control the orientation of the spindle, as the sixth axis, the cutting blade is aligned to the workpiece. The Optimizer keeps toolpaths within limits for demanding machining processes with limited rotation axes, such as a fork-head style milling machine (with the machine head having two rotary axes).

“Creating the required 6-axis NC programs for knife cutting applications, including five machine axes plus a programmable spindle orientation, has historically proven to be a challenge,” said Mr. Alan Levine, Managing Director of OPEN MIND Technologies USA, Inc. “However,hyperMILL^®  provides users with a productive, accurate, safe and smooth cutting solution which prevents hazardous rotations and retract movements.”

Picture: Ultrasonic Knife Cutting via hyperMILL^® VIRTUAL Machining Optimizer

Alessio Lorusso, Founder & CEO of Roboze added: “The challenge to achieve performance never seen before is what drives the Roboze team every day to evolve 3D printing technology. Partnerships with innovative players like Yamaha fuel our spirit and enable us to accelerate our insights directly on the field. We are ready to mark a further step in 3D printing for the production of Motorsport components.

In this specific cooperation, TERAO will help HRC to calculate the carbon emission footprint in the existing production process and formulate practical emission reduction targets. The aim is to help HRC to optimize and improve the existing energy utilization efficiency while building a new sustainable production base. TERAO will take advantage of HRC’s status as a scarce domestic lightweight solution provider to jointly formulate and promote low-carbon carbon fiber composite material mass production molding process standards. The French company will also quantify the carbon footprint of carbon fiber composite materials in new energy vehicles, aerospace, construction and other industries and carry out larger-scale application promotion.

This project is in line with the goal of “further expanding cooperation in emerging fields such as green consumption, green energy, and technological innovation” proposed by China and France at the fifth meeting of the Sino-French Entrepreneurs Committee. This committee was founded by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the French Ministry of Economy and Finance in 2018. Its aim is to build a new platform for cooperation between the business circles of the two countries, establish a long-term and institutional dialogue between business leaders of the two countries, and further promote the upgrading of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries through practical suggestions and cooperation.

“As a world-leading military and commercial engine manufacturer, our responsibility is to develop key technologies that will lead to a more sustainable aviation, said Michel Brioude, Executive Vice President, Engineering and R&T, Safran Aircraft Engines. The Open Fan architecture is the major innovation of our CFM RISE technology demonstration program with GE Aerospace and stands as a key driver to improve next generation engine’s efficiency. We are looking forward to partnering with European industry leaders to shape the future of a clean aviation.”

The OFELIA roadmap will encompass more than 20 tests at partners’ facilities. Safran Aircraft Engines, Avio Aero and GKN Aerospace will work together to design and manufacture components for the Open Fan engine Demonstrator. In the meantime, thanks to this unique collaboration between the program partners with labs and academics, OFELIA will address specific topics of the technology maturation plan for the Open Fan, such as whirl flutter, unducted FAN, propeller and vanes, high speed booster, high speed low pressure turbine aerodynamics, high power compact reduction gearbox, light weight engine components, combustor emissions, high pressure compressor aerodynamics, engine hybridization. In order to be ready for the second phase of Clean Aviation focused on flight tests, Airbus will prepare the preliminary dossier for the Aircraft Flying Test Demonstrator.

“The OFELIA project is part of Clean Aviation’s 20 daring projects that are researching innovative solutions to power the next generation of sustainable aircraft. Together with the European Union, European aviation has the power to lead the way towards a climate-neutral aviation system and set new global standards for safe, reliable, affordable and clean air transport”, said Axel Krein Executive Director of Clean Aviation.

Safran Aircraft Engines is playing a key role in the Clean Aviation programme in accordance with its strategic roadmap that will explore several ways to reach ambitious goals towards decarbonization. The company is a partner on the HYDEA project, coordinated by Avio Aero, to develop key enabling technologies for a hydrogen combustion engine. In 2022, Airbus and CFM International signed a partnership agreement to collaborate on a hydrogen demonstration programme that will take flight around the middle of this decade.

1. Brand profile: reorganisation and renaming.
2. A step change of investment in innovation and systems.
3. Streamlining the Paper division to improve productivity and margins.

Brand profile: reorganisation and renaming
The Group will invest in the James Cropper brand by reorganising itself from three separate divisions
(James Cropper Paper, Technical Fibre Products and Colourform) into four market-facing segments,
unified under the Group name:

• James Cropper Creative Papers
  The Group’s historic business supplying specialist paper markets with a world leading range of coloured and embossed papers, and unique sustainable fibre options including CupCycling.
• James Cropper Luxury Packaging
  Incorporating James Cropper’s multi-award winning Colourform moulded pulp innovation and the packaging papers made for the world’s leading luxury brands.
• James Cropper Technical Fibres
  Core technical fibre markets including aerospace, defence, construction and industrial.
• James Cropper Future Energy
  Incorporating TFP Hydrogen, and including materials and products for fuel cells, carbon capture, batteries and wind.

The above segments will be managed under two Managing Directors covering paper products and
advanced materials respectively.

The new brand strategy positions the Company across an exciting spectrum from heritage to cutting
edge and leverages the brand value of the James Cropper name across all markets and geographies.

This will also generate a more focused operation and streamlined cost base with greater collaboration
and sharing of functions across the Group.

The reorganisation and renaming will be delivered within the remainder of this calendar year.

Investment in innovation and systems
The strategy will realise greater synergies across the Group, supported by a multi-million pound
investment in the next three years that will simplify processes and systems and combine Group
functions. In turn this will enable smarter access to data and inform leaner working practices allowing
the Group to operate more efficiently.

To drive future growth through innovation, the Board has made a senior level appointment with the
move of Patrick Willink to the new position of Chief Innovation Officer, starting immediately. Patrick
will lead a Centre for Innovation at James Cropper, bringing a wealth of experience to this role, as
former Paper Operations Director, Group Chief Technology Officer, and most recently Managing
Director of Colourform, the Group’s award-winning luxury packaging division.

The Innovation team will be scaled up to play a critical part in ensuring James Cropper will meet the
anticipated demands of future markets and customers, whether technical, environmental or
economic, to drive costs down and volumes up. Activities will include: delivering ambitious plans to
decarbonise the Group’s operations; making ever greater use of recovered fibres; and helping to
create technology roadmaps in emerging markets such as green hydrogen, fuel cells and carbon
capture.

Streamlining the Paper division
Another key element of the Group’s strategy will be significant changes to the Paper division. In order
to create a more resilient and higher margin business that is less exposed to the multiple headwinds
it has faced for many years, the Group is proposing to reduce the number of paper machines in
operation from four to three, with two machines anticipated to be in production at any one time.

Together with the reorganisation and streamlining of Group functions and related investment (as
outlined above), this will lead to a change in overall headcount, and accordingly the Company has
today submitted an advance notification of redundancies, with a 90-day consultation period
commencing with immediate effect. Overall, approximately 10% of employees will potentially be
affected, predominantly within the Paper and Group functions.

James Cropper Chief Executive Officer, Steve Adams said: “We’re a purpose-driven business built on
strong values and announcing potential job loses is not a decision taken lightly. We will work
collaboratively with our employees, unions, and representatives throughout this process. Change is
difficult yet it is essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of James Cropper.

“Our strategic realignment will drive margin improvements by bringing greater focus on our customers
and allow us to take better advantage of our size and remain agile and dynamic in our markets.
Combined with our wealth of manufacturing knowledge, sustainability alternatives and pioneering
abilities we will strengthen our position across multiple sectors as the preferred global partner of
choice.”

Commenting on the Strategy Update, James Cropper Chairman, Mark Cropper added: “The next few
years should see breakout growth in many areas as we truly live our purpose and help the world shift
to a low carbon economy in better balance with nature. Nevertheless, we have become increasingly
aware that this will not be achieved without more robust and efficient systems, greater collaboration
across our different businesses, and a resizing of our Paper business to make it more consistently
profitable and sustainable.”

The aircraft is designed to be an innovative stealth fighter with supersonic capability and equipped with cutting-edge technologies, including state-of-the-art sensing and protection capabilities. This will make the aircraft one of the world’s most advanced, interoperable, adaptable and connected fighter jets in service, delivering battle-winning next generation weapons to protect the UK and its allies.  

Ben Wallace, UK Secretary of State for Defence said: “The next tranche of funding for future combat air will help fuse the combined technologies and expertise we have with our international partners – both in Europe and the Pacific – to deliver this world-leading fighter jet by 2035, protecting our skies for decades to come.”

Richard Berthon, MOD Director Future Combat Air added: “Today, as planned, the UK MOD is releasing the next tranche of funding for future combat air. This shows that the UK is committed to working with international partners to deliver a next-generation fighter jet for 2035. We are facing a growing threat from our adversaries, who are investing in combat air and air defences of their own. By investing in GCAP, we will stay ahead of these intensifying and proliferating threats, and provide a highly credible deterrent capability for decades to come.”

Herman Claesen, Managing Director, Future Combat Air Systems – BAE Systems Air Sector said: “This contract reflects the continued commitment by the UK Government and ensures we continue to mature this significant programme and the vital technology pipeline that will drive innovation into – and beyond – the combat air sector for decades to come. This important work is at the core of the newly created Global Combat Air Programme; a major international partnership and ambitious endeavour between the UK, Japan and Italy with the shared goal to deliver the next generation of combat air fighter jets.”

GCAP builds on the substantial progress already made in the UK by BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA UK, Rolls-Royce and the UK MoD who have been working in partnership since 2018 to research, evaluate and develop a host of next generation future combat air systems capabilities.

The programme will span many decades, creating thousands of jobs and economic value to the UK, Italy and Japan while sustaining critical sovereign skills for the three nations. The programme is inspiring current and future generations to play their part in this vital international endeavour. There are already more than 2,800 people working at the UK partners and wider industry, with almost 600 organisations on contract, including SMEs and academic institutions.

Across UK industry, work on this programme is driving investment in new digital technologies, tools and techniques, including model-based systems engineering with open architectures, digital twins and virtual environments. This will ensure the next generation combat aircraft will be delivered more rapidly and more cost-effectively than previous combat air programmes.

Following successful flights of the company’s ¼ scale prototype last year, the mock-up represents a key next step in the build journey for REGENT that will enable customers to begin interfacing with the full-scale vehicle design and think about the passenger experience. The company also announced it has tapped EP Systems and MAGicALL as key vendors for the batteries and motors that will power the prototype’s all-electric distributed propulsion system.

“This mock-up along with the announcement of our plans to build new state-of-the-art facilities showcases our growth trajectory and our commitment to begin production as soon as possible,” said REGENT co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer. “Our studies, based on publicly validated data, show that our seagliders serve an $11 billion market that we project to swell to as much as $25 billion as battery technology advances. The $8 billion in orders our company has already received from a variety of companies around the world reflect the need for fast, reliable, and sustainable maritime transportation.”

Friday’s unveiling comes during an era of hyper-growth for the company which has already procured over $50 million in funding since its launch just two years ago. In the past few months, REGENT has announced the appointment of aerospace visionaries David Neeleman, co-founder of Breeze Airways, JetBlue, and Azul Airlines, and Dennis Muilenburg, former CEO of The Boeing Company, to its Board of Advisors; announced strategic investments from Japan Airlines, Lockheed Martin, and Japan’s Yamato Holdings, and continued to build its order book to more than 500 seagliders from a swath of companies including Brittany Ferries, FRS (Germany), Mesa Airlines, Ocean Flyer (New Zealand), and Mokulele Airlines. 

As it looks ahead to the future and brings its products to market, REGENT confirmed that Southern Airways/Mokulele Airlines will receive the first commercial passenger seagliders once they hit the market, promising to increase their commitment to serving coastal and island residents around the globe.

“Since shortly after our founding, Southern Airways has been working toward the day when all of our flying would be green,” said Stan Little, chairman and CEO of Southern Airways. “During that time, we’ve been approached by dozens of companies seeking our participation in their efforts, as well. It wasn’t until we saw the work being done by REGENT that we decided to commit to a vehicle outside our current fleet. The seaglider is truly transformative, and Southern Airways is incredibly proud to be the launch customer through our Mokulele brand.” 

REGENT expects its first commercial Viceroy seagliders to enter service by mid-decade.

The textile reinforcement of organosheets consists mainly of glass, carbon, basalt or aramid fibers. These fibers have high stiffnesses and tensile strengths, but are energy-intensive to manufacture and recycle and can only be recycled in an increasingly low-grade condition.

In contrast, the CELLUN composite developed at DITF is a much more sustainable alternative. For the production of CELLUN, the reinforcing component is combined from non-fusible cellulose fibers as well as thermoplastic derivatized cellulose fibers as matrix to form a hybrid roving. The cellulosic reinforcing fibers used are regenerated fibers from the company Cordenka and the HighPerCell® cellulose fibers developed at DITF.

CELLUN is now being further developed to industrial maturity as part of a joint project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). The tasks of the DITF in the CELLUN joint project are primarily the production of suitable cellulose-based reinforcing fibers and the embedding of the fibers in the thermoplastic cellulose derivative matrix. The material is further processed in the in-house pilot plants into technical hybrid rovings and hybrid textiles. Using pultrusion and thermoforming processes or injection molding, molded parts can finally be produced that illustrate the technical application possibilities of the new material.

In the further course of the project, the focus will be on the complete recycling of the CELLUN material after the end of life (EOL). Two different approaches are being researched for this purpose. On the one hand, it is possible to thermally reshape CELLUN molded parts without any loss of quality. A second possible approach is to chemically separate the CELLUN material into its individual components again. These can then be used again 100% as new starting materials.

The novel CELLUN materials will offer a real advantage in the market for semi-finished technical products as an environmentally friendly, resource-conserving and cost-effective alternative to established composites in the lightweight construction and automotive sectors. By using renewable biopolymers, CELLUN will make a significant contribution to environmental and climate protection: on the one hand, conventional crude oil-based plastics can be substituted, and on the other hand, CELLUN reinforcement and matrix fibers can be produced with only low energy input and from natural raw materials.

The facility will cover a surface area of 717,000 square metres and a storage capacity of 125 aircraft. It will be embedded in a complete ecosystem with an adjacent aviation industry park hosting aerospace manufacturing and services companies in Shuangliu District, Chengdu. It will be another key milestone of cooperation between Airbus and China, as it contributes to strengthening China’s aviation industry in aftermarket services. With this aircraft lifecycle centre, Airbus’ footprint in China is expanded to cover the entire industrial chain, from parts manufacturing, aircraft assembly and delivery, fleet operation and to end-of-life services, such as dismantling and high-value parts re-cycling.

“This new centre in Chengdu fits perfectly into Airbus’ approach to environmental responsibility across the entire aircraft lifecycle. Aircraft storage, upgrades and dismantling will all take place under one roof. We are very pleased to be working with our strong and experienced partners Tarmac Aerosave and the City of Chengdu to develop the first lifecycle services centre of this kind in China and its range of services,” says Cristina Aguilar, Airbus SVP Customer Services.

Tarmac Aerosave brings its more than 15 years of proven expertise in efficient aircraft dismantling to the project. Located in the same centre, Airbus subsidiary Satair will acquire ageing aircraft, trade and distribute the used parts to complete the full scope of lifecycle services. 75 percent of the aircraft stored in the centre will be transitioned into a second lifecycle. The remaining aircraft will be dismantled with the unique Tarmac Aerosave process, recovering around 90 percent of the aircraft weight, far exceeding industry standards.

Image: The new Aircraft Lifecycle Services Centre in Chengdu.

The ecofoiler foiling dinghy will allow sailors – from beginners to professionals – to experience the magic of foiling on a truly sustainable boat. Thanks to Breton SpA’s additive manufacturing technology, the mould can be created in a short time and is fully recyclable at the end of its life. The natural fibre composite solution with Bcomp’s ampliTex™ and a thermoplastic resin makes the ecofoiler the first fully recyclable foiler.

Meet Bcomp at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth A45.

Johannes Kilian studied mechatronics, robotics and automation technology, and economics and has already been with ENGEL for ten years. After holding positions of responsibility, he took over as head of the Process Technologies and inject 4.0 division in 2021.

Thanks to the strongly application-oriented development approach and the involvement of customers in development projects, Johannes Kilian has already worked closely with the global processing engineering division in recent years and will now also bring the two divisions even closer together in terms of operations. “This gives us the best possible position for process technology challenges and digital opportunities of the future,“ says Dimmler.

As Professor of Plastics Processing at the Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences, Norbert Müller is dedicated to the development of new fibre composite technologies, among other things, and can build on a wealth of experience from his time at ENGEL. “We sincerely thank Mr. Müller for the great commitment he showed during his total of eight years at ENGEL,“ says Gerhard Dimmler.

The milestone is the culmination of an intensive period of training, audits, and approvals, during which the site successfully achieved approval of the AS9100, Rev. D quality management system in November last year.

This was followed by several prime customer audits through December 2022 and early January 2023 and concluded in full customer audit approval and authority to proceed with First Article manufacture. This critical step is the ultimate verification by the customer that the site fit out and infrastructure, the trained processes and procedures, and the quality and transfer plans presented by Velocity exceed the required standard.

The detailed First Article plan that has been agreed with the customer can now be implemented, where one of every kit can be manufactured, delivered and verified prior to sustained volume production. This will be on a programme-by-programme basis leading to the phased transfer of all kits to Velocity supply, with the final programme scheduled to be completed within this financial year and the full rate of production starting either at or before the next financial year.

In the future, the site will become a launch hub for other customer contracts, and high-level business development activities are already underway with several potential large customers.  

Jon Bridges, Chief Executive of Velocity Composites, said:“This is a major milestone for Velocity Composites as we expand into North America. The whole Velocity team, both in the US and UK, have worked incredibly hard to deliver a fully operational site, a well-trained team, and a plan ready to start delivering flying products to our launch customer.

“The site can move forward into production ramp-up with continued support from the UK team and close collaboration with our customer to ensure a smooth transfer of the entire project.

“For myself and the Velocity team, the customer and industry approvals of this new showcase facility is further endorsement that our business model, processes and technology are world class in our industry, and our targeted business development activities are further enhanced by having a capable advanced manufacturing site in North America with significant capacity to grow.”  

Combining water-based eco-resins with a sustainable curing process, Hypetex materials are made with bold, colourful aesthetics as well as technical and cost-saving benefits – a perfect fit for any quality brand in need of lightweight and high-performance products.

Parcours is a leading wheel brand that offers high-performance, premium wheelsets that employs the latest advancements in aerodynamic technology. The Parcours X Hypetex gold wheels were featured at The Cycle Show in London on a bespoke Handsling A1R0evo, which was nominated for the Jaw Droppers trophy – a competition for the industry’s most striking designs. The Hampshire-based carbon bike frame manufacturer supplies to multiple professional cycling teams around the world.

Only 10 sets of the Parcours X Hypetex limited edition wheels will be available, with prices ranging from £1,799 to £2,499. Featuring the Hypetex gold, the premium sets will also include custom hubs in gunmetal grey, custom lasered detailing and ceramic bearings.

Marc Cohen, Hypetex CEO said: “The Parcours X Hypetex wheels are a work of art, not just aesthetically but also technically. Coloured carbon fibre has endless possibilities with applications in almost every sector. We’re extremely excited to be working with a leading brand in its sector such as Parcours.”

Dov Tate, Parcours Founder said: “We’re very excited to be working with Hypetex in this partnership. They have brought innovation and world-leading engineering to the materials industry which we think could be game changing for use of coloured carbon in the cycling industry. We can’t wait to bring coloured wheels to customers.”

Meet Hypetex at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth S52.

The NCC team has successfully trialled the new concept design tool as part of the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) FlyZero programme which aimed to realise zero carbon emission commercial aviation by 2030. The team used the tool to develop three cryogenic tank design options for Regional, Narrowbody and Mid-size aircraft, evaluating thermal, static, shape and volume needs. All the concepts demonstrated significant weight savings for both the inner skin and outer skin of the tanks when compared to a metallic baseline.  

Alex Hickson, Head of Technology – Structures, Manufacturing & Materials from the Aerospace Technology Institute said “Design Tools are essential for the progression of cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks as part of the future fuel systems of zero emission aircraft for medium to long range flights. The development of these capabilities that can be accessed by all those seeking to mature designs and systems for a sustainable aviation sector marks a valuable step forward for the UK. The NCC and broader HVM Catapult form part of the growing UK Network establishing Hydrogen Capabilities for the benefit of the environment whilst creating opportunities for the UK supply chain in this future low carbon economy on the path to target net zero by 2050.” 

While hydrogen has great potential to lower the carbon footprint of commercial aviation, significant engineering challenges exist. Chief amongst these is the issue of fuel storage where hydrogen has lower volumetric density than conventional aviation fuels, so must be kept at -253°C, in liquid form, and not take up too much space within the aircraft. Tanks must be capable of resisting pressure and flight loads but with minimal mass penalty, and configured to fit the limited, sometimes awkwardly shaped interior volumes available. Composites can offer a competitive solution in the future – a work programme the NCC is progressing with partners to mature the technology. 

The Concept Design Tool forms part of the National Composites Centre’s Hydrogen work programme building on two years of R&D and a singular vision to boost supply chain capabilities for composite hydrogen pressure vessels and cryogenic tanks, in order to anchor manufacturing in the UK.  The next steps in this programme which are underway, with a UK-based composite cryogenic storage tank testing programme that will validate and accelerate design, manufacture and test capabilities, commencing with a linerless carbon fibre tank for storing liquid hydrogen (LH2). The team are also working on materials characterisation, developing a true understanding of the behaviour of composites at cryogenic temperatures.  

Announcing the tool, Marcus Walls-Bruck, Head of Hydrogen Technologies at the NCC said: “The concept design tool we have developed offers significant value and advantage to manufacturers looking to accelerate their composite cryogenic tank capabilities. We have pooled our collective engineering expertise at the NCC to build a design tool that is flexible and rigorous, and ultimately gives confidence to customers to down-select concepts more quickly.” 

Meet the National Composites Centre at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth S52.

How are composites revolutionising the field of architecture and providing new material, construction, and structural opportunities for designers, builders?
Dr George Kotsikos: “Composite materials are increasingly visible in architecture and infrastructure applications. Architects, taking full advantage of composites’ properties, are now able to design and create buildings with large, bright and airy spaces, not easily achieved with traditional materials. Composite materials can be formed in a variety of complex shapes, offering versatility in design and can also have their properties tailored to the design needs, e.g. lightweight, sound or thermal insulation, UV resistance, fire resistance, etc., thus saving time as well as reducing component transport and installation costs.  Thirty years ago, few envisaged that cast iron manhole covers would be replaced by composite ones with the same performance characteristics but one third of the weight!”

According to your experience what are the main obstacles and levers for the composites development in the building sector?
Dr George Kotsikos: “Although the benefits of these materials in civil construction are well understood, there are indeed obstacles. One cannot say with precision which are the most important but those frequently sited include unfamiliarity with composite materials -giving rise to fears of litigation, conservative views in the industry, recycling, repair and cost.”

What are the future developments, in terms of materials, technologies, machines, which could help the building sector using the best of the composites?
Dr George Kotsikos: “Traditional construction materials have been around for millennia. In comparison therefore, polymer composites can be characterised as “newcomers”. However, in the span of 1960-1970 years we have made huge advances in the applications of polymer composites through innovation and R&D. Development of novel manufacturing technologies to reduce costs; use of additive manufacturing approaches; low cost reinforcements (particularly carbon fibre); development of bio-composites for sustainability and circularity are some of the areas where, in my opinion, future efforts are likely to concentrate.”

These are the author’s opinions and do not in any way reflect the position of the European Commission.

Get inspired by top leaders in the composites landscape as they share their vision of the future!

L’IRT Jules Verne propose des solutions complètes et personnalisées aux industriels qu’il accompagne dans leur démarche d’innovation. Outre les compétences techniques et des équipements de pointe, les entreprises ont accès à un réseau de compétences unique, associant partenaires industriels et académiques réputés dans le domaine des composites et des procédés de fabrication.

Découvrez plus de vidéos sur la JEC Composites Web TV.

Les dernières réalisations exposées à JEC World 2023

• AFAL – Mise en œuvre robotisée de tissus préimprégnés

Dans le contexte actuel, les technologies de drapage automatique sont peu adaptées aux petites pièces et nécessitent l’intervention d’opérateurs spécialisés. Si leurs compétences sont indispensables pour les pièces complexes, il est intéressant de réfléchir à l’automatisation pour les pièces plus simples.  Ainsi, on peut imaginer un couple homme/machine permettant de tirer le meilleur de chaque pièce, c’est-à-dire la rapidité et la répétabilité d’un robot et la dextérité et le jugement d’un drapeur expérimenté. AFAL a été conçu pour répondre à ce besoin. Suite à une première étude aux résultats prometteurs, l’IRT et ses partenaires industriels poursuivent leurs travaux autour de l’automatisation du drapage dans le cadre d’un nouveau projet démarrant en 2023.

Les acteurs du projet : IRT Jules Verne | Daher

• FIBIAS – de la fibre imprégnée à la structure

L’intégration de composites dans les chaînes de production se heurte aujourd’hui à plusieurs problématiques : matériaux chers, temps de cycle longs, opérations de reprise nombreuses, automatisation trop faible. La pièce prototype issue du projet FIBIAS porte sur la mise en œuvre de composites thermoplastiques dans la réalisation de pièces automobiles de grandes dimensions. Cette pièce de siège central de banquette arrière de voiture a été réalisée par estampage surmoulage de verre/polyamide. Elle a été réalisée par un procédé one-shot et intègre l’ensemble des fonctions de la pièce réelle : iso fixe, raidissage par nervurage, inserts métalliques pour assemblage …

Les acteurs du projet : IRT Jules Verne | Faurecia

• FOIL – pièce structurelle sandwich double courbure

L’objectif de ce démonstrateur est double. Il vise à démontrer la processabilité de la fibre de carbone FORCE¹ et à prouver la possibilité de réaliser une pièce composite complexe à faible impact environnemental, en utilisant des matériaux biosourcés et des procédés à haut rendement.

La pièce a été fabriquée en utilisant trois procédés principaux : Tout d’abord, une mousse a été usinée pour obtenir la forme finale de la pièce. Ensuite, la préforme en carbone a été réalisée en utilisant la technologie Tailored Fiber Placement (TFP) permettant de produire des préformes de forme nettes (sans rebut) et mécaniquement optimisées. Enfin, la préforme carbone et la mousse ont été installées dans un moule fermé permettant d’imprégner la matrice par Resin Transfer Moulding. Ce processus nécessite la quantité exacte de résine et une quantité limitée de consommables.

Les acteurs du projet : IRT Jules Verne

• DESCARTES – Cadres de fuselage par drapage TFP (Tailored Fibre Placement) de fils comêlés C/PEKK

L’objectif de ce projet est de réduire les coûts de fabrication de cadres de fuselage en C/PAEK. Ces pièces sont particulièrement complexes avec un profil en Z évolutif et un rayon de courbure variable.  Après une phase d’étude, le procédé retenu pour son potentiel économique est la dépose par Tailored Fiber Placement (TFP) d’un fil comêlé de carbone de matrice PEKK, ce qui consiste à juxtaposer des fils en les brodant sur un support textile.  La pièce finale est obtenue en pressant à chaud la préforme TFP. La pièce présentée à JEC WORLD 2023 est le deuxième démonstrateur du projet, sur lequel la technologie a été appliquée à des singularités retrouvées dans les cadres les plus complexes : Rayon de courbure de 1500 mm, prise d’épaisseur, hauteur d’âme variable. On peut voir une préforme réalisée sur une machine ZSK puis formée en étuve, ainsi que cette même préforme après un cycle de consolidation sous presse.

Les acteurs du projet : IRT Jules Verne | Arkema| Airbus | Airbus Atlantic | Cetim |Cousin Composites |CQFD Composites |Duqueine Composites| Latécoère

Un stand commun « Alliance Matériaux » pour découvrir la synergie des 3 IRT

Cette année, au JEC WORLD 2023, l’IRT M2P, l’IRT Jules Verne et l’IRT Saint Exupéry vous accueilleront sur leur espace commun « Alliance Matériaux ».

Vous pourrez y découvrir l’ensemble des solutions et synergies des trois IRT dans le domaine des Matériaux & Procédés au service de la transformation environnementale et digitale de nos industries. Ils vous présenteront leurs dernières innovations et leur expertise pour le développement,  l’optimisation et la simulation de matériaux et procédés composites adaptés à des secteurs et marchés très différents (aéronautique, automobile, énergie, BTP, etc.)

FIT Alliance Matériaux regroupe les Instituts de Recherche Technologiques (IRT) Jules Verne, MP2 et Saint Exupéry qui mutualisent leurs compétences, plateformes, moyens et expertises pour l’industrie de demain dans le cadre du plan d’investissement « France 2030 ».

Un premier démonstrateur commun exposé à JEC World 2023

Les trois IRT ont débloqué des fonds propres dans le cadre de projets d’innovation afin de développer des démonstrateurs communs répondant à des enjeux technologiques. Le premier démonstrateur développé et présenté au JEC WORLD 2023 stand H6-R71, est représentatif d’une canalisation d’air pour les avions de ligne vendue par la société LIEBHERR Aerospace. La canalisation est obtenue par l’assemblage de deux pièces au niveau des zones surmoulées.

Ce démonstrateur a été conçu pour caractériser la résistance des zones surmoulées lors que les canalisations sont soumises à une forte pression d’air.

Cette pièce permet de mettre en lumière les synergies existant entre les trois instituts ainsi que leurs domaines de compétences respectifs : L’IRT Saint Exupéry a produit les pré-impregnés carbone/PEEK qui ont ensuite permis à l’IRT M2P de réaliser l’étape de drapage par le procédé Automated Fiber Placement (AFP). L’estampage et le détourage des flancs ont également été réalisés à l’IRT M2P avant transmission des plaques consolidées à l’IRT Jules Verne qui a mis en forme et surmoulé la matière grâce à son équipement dédié. La finalisation du démonstrateur a été réalisée par l’IRT Saint Exupéry avec la fonctionnalisation par impression d’une piste électrique et le contrôle par tomographie.

Rencontrez l’IRT Jules Verne, et les Instituts de Recherche Technologiques (IRT) M2P et Saint Exupéry sous la bannière de FIT Alliance Matériaux, à JEC World 2023, hall 6, stand R71.

Le matériau Fairmat, performant et à faible impact environnemental, permet la production de raquettes de padel légères, robustes et éco-responsables. Cette initiative s’inscrit dans la volonté de Decathlon et Fairmat de promouvoir une économie circulaire et de s’adapter aux enjeux actuels de la raréfaction des matières premières.

Au-delà des raquettes de padel, la collaboration entre Fairmat et Decathlon vise à explorer d’autres applications du sport. Ensemble, ils entendent réduire l’empreinte environnementale des équipements sportifs et répondre aux nouvelles attentes des consommateurs.

Ce rapprochement positionne Fairmat comme un acteur clé de la transition vers des équipements sportifs performants et à faible impact environnemental. L’association avec Décathlon, reconnu pour son engagement en faveur de l’environnement et de l’innovation, renforce l’impact de cette collaboration

« Nous sommes très heureux de cette collaboration avec Decathlon, qui est un leader mondial de l’industrie du sport. Chez Fairmat, nous avons à coeur de développer des équipements sportifs durables et de haute qualité, en utilisant des matériaux composites performants et respectueux de l’environnement. Cette collaboration avec Decathlon nous permettra de mettre en commun notre expertise pour créer des équipements répondant aux attentes des sportifs d’aujourd’hui, tout en étant plus écologiques et plus résistants.» a déclaré Benjamin Saada, fondateur de Fairmat.

Fairmat : Pionnier des matériaux composites durables Made In France pour un avenir plus vert
L’entreprise se distingue par sa technologie brevetée de production d’un nouveau matériau plus durable issu de composite de fibres de carbone. Ces matériaux innovants intègrent des matériaux composites recyclés et des résines biosourcées, offrant ainsi une solution éco-responsable pour les fabricants d’équipements sportifs.

Fairmat met l’accent sur la recherche et le développement pour créer des matériaux aux propriétés mécaniques exceptionnelles. L’équipe d’experts de Fairmat travaille en étroite collaboration avec des chercheurs et des partenaires industriels pour concevoir des solutions adaptées aux besoins spécifiques de chaque sport.

L’entreprise s’engage également à réduire l’empreinte environnementale de ses propres activités. Elle a mis en place une chaine de production vertueuse avec une usine proche de Nantes, pour minimiser l’impact environnemental de ses processus de production et de distribution.

La vision de Fairmat va au-delà de l’industrie du sport. L’entreprise explore activement d’autres secteurs où ses matériaux composites durables pourraient contribuer à une Économie plus verte et circulaire. Parmi ces secteurs, on trouve notamment la mobilité, les objets connectés, l’automobile, les technologies High-Tech, la construction et le design.

Grâce à sa démarche innovante et éco responsable, Fairmat s’impose comme un acteur incontournable de la transition vers des solutions en composites plus respectueuses de l’environnement et adaptées aux équipements sportifs.

« Nous sommes ravis de travailler avec Fairmat pour développer nos équipements sportifs de demain. Chez Decathlon, nous sommes engagés dans une forte démarche de réduction de l’impact environnemental de nos produits. FAIRMAT partage nos valeurs et nos ambitions, rendant possible des solutions en réponse à nos défis technologiques. Nous sommes convaincus que le matériau développé par Fairmat nous permettra de créer des équipements sportifs innovants, performants et respectueux de l’environnement. Nous avons hâte de mettre en commun nos savoir-faire respectifs pour offrir à nos clients des produits de haute qualité.» annonce Guillaume LENCLEN, Manager de la BU Composite chez Decathlon.

Rencontrez Fairmat à JEC World 2023, Hall 5, stand E22.

The Fairmat material, with its high performance and low carbon impact, enables production of light, robust and eco-responsible padel rackets. This initiative is in line with Decathlon and Fairmat’s desire to promote a circular economy and to adapt to the current challenges of the scarcity of raw materials.

Beyond padel rackets, the partnership between Fairmat and Decathlon will explore other sporting applications. Together, the companies intend to reduce the environmental footprint of sports equipment and meet the new expectations of consumers.

This collaboration positions Fairmat as a key player in the transition to high-performance, low-carbon sports equipment. The association with Decathlon, recognized for its commitment to the environment and innovation, reinforces the impact of this partnership.

“We are very pleased with this partnership with Decathlon, a world leader in the sports industry. At Fairmat, we are committed to developing high-quality, sustainable sports equipment using high-performance, environmentally friendly composite materials. Partnering with Decathlon will allow us to pool our expertise to create equipment that meets the expectations of today’s athletes, while being more environmentally friendly and durable,” said Benjamin Saada, founder of Fairmat.

Fairmat: Pioneer of French-made, sustainable composite materials, for a greener future
The company is noted for its patented technology for the production of a new, more sustainable material made from carbon fiber composites. These innovative materials integrate recycled composite materials and biosourced resins, offering an eco-responsible solution for sports equipment manufacturers.

Fairmat focuses on research and development to create materials with exceptional mechanical properties. Fairmat’s team of experts works closely with researchers and industry partners to develop solutions tailored to the specific needs of each sport.

The company is also committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its own activities. It has set up a virtuous production chain with a factory near Nantes, France, to minimize the environmental impact of its production and distribution processes.

Fairmat’s vision goes beyond the sports industry. The company is actively exploring other sectors where its sustainable composite materials could contribute to a greener, circular Economy. These sectors include mobility, connected objects, automotive, high-tech, construction and design.

Thanks to its innovative and eco-responsible approach, Fairmat is establishing itself as a key player in the transition to more environmentally friendly composite solutions for sports equipment.

Guillaume LENCLEN, Manager of the Composite BU at Decathlon spoke about the partnership: “We are delighted to be working with Fairmat to develop the sports equipment of tomorrow. At Decathlon, we are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our products. We are constantly looking for partners who share our values and ambitions, making solutions to our technological challenges possible. We are convinced that the material developed by Fairmat will enable us to create innovative, high-performance and environmentally friendly sports equipment. We are looking forward to pooling our respective know-how to offer our customers high-quality products”.

Meet Fairmat at JEC World 2023, Hall 5, booth E22.

Le jury, qui a délibéré le 26 avril, est composé de représentants des principaux fabricants et investisseurs :
• Turlough MCMAHON, Composite Industrial Technologist, Airbus
• Karl-Heinz FUELLER, Manager Future Outside & Materials, Mercedes-Benz
• Raphael SALAPETE, R&T Plan Manager, Ariane Group
• Christer LARSSON, Founding Partner, The Impact Fellowship
• Chris SKINNER, Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Owens Corning

Ce concours représente une opportunité unique pour les startups participantes, ainsi que pour l’audience internationale de JEC World, de s’inspirer, faire des rencontres et encourager de futures collaborations. Deux excellentes sessions de pitchs ont eu lieu le 25 avril, à la suite desquelles le jury s’est réuni et a délibéré, annonçant les 3 lauréats de cette édition 2023 :

Catégorie “Produits et Matériaux”

INCA Renewable Technologies (Canada)
Développement de bio-composites plus solides, plus légers, mais aussi plus durables et compétitifs en termes de coûts, pour les industries automobiles, marines, éoliennes, de camping-cars, et des plastiques consommables.
INCA innove et fabrique des substituts de composites durables, performants et compétitifs en termes de coûts pour les plastiques à base de pétrole, le contreplaqué issu de la forêt tropicale et le bois de balsa. Notre équipe, qui est la première à utiliser des fibres naturelles pour l’industrie automobile, a aussi créé la prochaine génération de préimprégnés brevetés pour Toyota. Nous avons également développé des solutions de composites en fibres naturelles pour Winnebago, Gurit et d’autres clients. Nous nous approvisionnons en fibres de chanvre industriel cultivé dans les Prairies canadiennes pour obtenir des protéines et nous les raffinons selon les normes automobiles en vigueur dans l’Alberta, au Canada.
Plus d’information : www.incarenewtech.com

Catégorie “Processus, Fabrication & Equipement”

Composite Recycling (Suisse)
Boucler la boucle des matériaux composites.
Composite Recycling a mis au point un processus durable et à haut rendement énergétique pour séparer la résine des fibres. En collaboration avec l’École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, l’équipe a conçu un post-traitement pour nettoyer les fibres et les rendre réutilisables dans de nouveaux composites, refermant ainsi la boucle des composites.
Plus d’information : www.composite-recycling.ch

Prix “Développement Durable“

Agrona (Egypte)
Obtenir du bois sans abattre un seul arbre.
Deux milliards d’arbres sont abattus chaque année pour fournir du bois à l’industrie du meuble et de la construction, faisant de la déforestation la deuxième cause de changement climatique. Agrona fabrique les premiers panneaux de bois 100 % écologiques au monde à partir de déchets agricoles et de résines bio-sourcées… sans abattre un seul arbre. Pour chaque tonne de panneaux produite par Agrona, trois arbres sont sauvés et 500 mètres cubes d’émissions de CO2 sont évités. Agrona vise à étendre ses activités en Europe au cours des deux prochaines années.
Plus d’information : www.agrona.net

Le concours de cette année a été parrainé par Airbus, Mercedes-Benz et Owens Corning en tant que principaux partenaires de l’innovation, ainsi que par le groupe Mitsubishi Chemical en tant que partenaire d’innovation.

SAVE THE DATE !
JEC World 2024 • Paris Nord Villepinte
05-07 Mars 2024

The jury who deliberated on April 26th included representatives from major manufacturers and investors:
• Turlough MCMAHON, Composite Industrial Technologist, Airbus
• Karl-Heinz FUELLER, Manager Future Outside & Materials, Mercedes-Benz
• Raphael SALAPETE, R&T Plan Manager, Ariane Group
• Christer LARSSON, Founding Partner, The Impact Fellowship
• Chris SKINNER, Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Owens Corning

This contest gives a unique opportunity to the participating startups as well as the international audience of JEC World to get some inspiration, network and foster business collaboration. Two exciting pitches sessions took place on April 25th and, after deliberation of the jury, 3 winners have been announced:

Category “Products & Materials”

INCA Renewable Technologies (Canada)
Developing stronger, lighter, cost competitive, sustainable bio-composites for the automotive, RV, marine, wind and consumer plastics industries.
INCA innovates and manufactures high performance, cost competitive, and sustainable composite substitutes for petroleum-based plastics, rainforest plywood and balsa wood.  Our team pioneered use of natural fibre for the automotive industry and have now created the next generation of patented prepreg for Toyota.  We have also developed natural fibre composite solutions for Winnebago, Gurit and others.  We are acquiring fibre from industrial hemp grown on the Canadian Prairie for protein and will refine it to automotive standards in Alberta, Canada.
More information: www.incarenewtech.com

Category “Process, Manufacturing & Equipment”

Composite Recycling (Switzerland)
Closing the loop on composite materials.
Composite Recycling has developed a highly energy efficient and sustainable process to separate the resin from the fibres. With the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the team has designed a post-treatment to clean the fibres and make them reusable in new composites, closing the loop.
More information: www.composite-recycling.ch

Sustainability Prize

Agrona (Egypt)
Making wood without cutting a single tree
Two Billion trees are cut down every year just to supply wood to the furniture and the construction industry making deforestation the second leading cause of climate change. Agrona manufactures the first 100% eco-friendly wood panels in the world out of agri waste and bio-based resins without cutting a single tree. For every ton of panels produced by Agrona that helps to save three trees and avoid five hundred cubic meters of CO2 emissions. Agrona’s aims to expand it is operations to Europe in the next 2 years.
More information: www.agrona.net

This year’s competition has been sponsored by Airbus, Mercedes-Benz and Owens Corning as Main Innovation Partners, and Mitsubishi Chemical Group as Innovation Partner.

SAVE THE DATE !
JEC World 2024 • Paris Nord Villepinte
05-07 March 2024

Virtually unbreakable sporting goods
As a reinforcement solution to heighten impact tolerance and increase lifetime, it offers the sporting goods industry high-performance, near-unbreakable equipment. Consumers of sports goods that are typically subjected to extreme impacts such as golf club heads, hockey sticks or mountain bike wheels can benefit from enhanced performance, reliability and longevity thanks to NAWAStitch. In addition, NAWA’s cost-effective and efficient mass production of VACNT technology means there is a short time-to-market advantage, delivering greater play today.

Stronger, lighter hydrogen storage tanks
Safety is of paramount importance when storing hydrogen, which is kept in highly-pressurized tanks. NAWAStitch’s application can provide stronger, but crucially lighter tanks, contributing to weight savings on zero emission vehicles. Its performance qualities stop cracks from bridging across the interface of composites and achieve consistent behavior of cracks within a ply.

NAWA’s first POC testing of a liquid hydrogen tank with VACNTs in cryogenic conditions demonstrated 20-50% less microcracking compared with typical composites, a result that proves its great benefit and importance to this market.

Multifunctional composites for tomorrow’s airplanes
NAWAStitch’s versatility can also be applied within the aviation sector. Not only can VACNT be used to dramatically strengthen composites used in aerospace, but the nano-material can also carry and store electrical energy, with benefits in anti-icing and de-icing, structural health monitoring or even structural energy storage, giving a composite component multifunctional capabilities.

Temperature-controlled battery casings for next-gen automotive EVs
As well as bringing lighter and stronger hydrogen tanks, NAWAStitch has multiple applications in automotive. For example, the nano-material’s innovative combination of greater strength combined with the ability to carry electric current can be applied to next-generation composite electric vehicle battery casings, that are not only stronger and safer, but by applying a current to the nano-layer, offer the ability to keep the battery at a constant temperature, avoiding the requirement for additional thermal management, helping to prolong the performance and life of the cells inside.

Antoine Saucier, new NAWA Technologies CEO, commented: “We are very excited to present NAWA’s ground-breaking NAWAStitch technology at JEC World, our revolutionary nano-material can transform a wide spectrum of industries, providing greater performance, longevity and safety to composites used in everything from sporting goods to aviation and automotive. The potential of this technology is enormous – and consumers will soon be enjoying its advantages thanks to its quick-to-market mass production.”

Yet there is more to this pipe than meets the eye. Feeling curious, the Graphene Flagship decided to speak with representatives of Avanzare to learn more. Here is what they shared.

Tell us a little about Avanzare.
“We’d be happy to! Avanzare is a Spanish company specialising in the development, production, and commercialisation of advanced functional materials for both emerging and alternative applications to traditional materials.

To date, we have focused on producing additives. However, moving forward, we intend to focus more on the research and development space. We also act as a sort of consultant company for other companies that require advanced materials and need advice on which kind of materials will meet their needs best.”

Why the pipe?
“We chose to exhibit the pipe primarily because it’s a showcase of rather complex and very useful technology. It draws people’s attention through its sheer scale – and it keeps their attention once they begin to realise that it’s actually quite sophisticated.

The pipe is made of glass fibre, with a graphene coating forming part of the resin. Graphene renders the material fire-resistant, which is incredibly important given pipes like this one are designed to be used to transport flammable substances such as oil and gas.

The pipe also has a sensing component thanks to graphene’s conductive qualities. The pipe can effectively monitor its own condition, monitoring its surface’s electrical resistance in order to determine whether it is damaged. This sophisticated technology therefore embodies a sort of safety application – because if a pipe breaks while transporting substances like oil or gas, the environmental impact can be extremely severe. If all pipes could be like this one and be capable of monitoring their own condition, there might be fewer environmental and biohazardous disasters.”

This sounds really useful! Could this technology have further applications?
“Absolutely. Another obvious use for the technology presented in the pipe demo is to use it in chemical tanks. The graphene coating would render the surface of the tank chemically resistant, which would be excellent given such tanks are typically used for organic solvents: they need to be resistant and non-porous. Indeed, graphene is an ideal material for reinforcing pipes, tanks, and similar structures in this way.”

Thank you for sharing all of these explanations. One last question: what is next for Avanzare?
“At Avanzare, we are excited about the future! Currently, as well as continuing with our existing manufacturing and project work, we are planning to move further into research and development. We are also aiming to collaborate more with various innovative companies in order to take our technologies firmly into application areas. We are looking forward to what the future holds.”

Meet Avanzare at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth M75.

Plug and Play option for AFP manufacturing
This years’ JEC Paris is the stage for a new product introduction by Broetje-Automation. The STAXX Box, completes the STAXX family of AFP systems. As a robust machine for multiple materials the STAXX Box offers the well-known advantages of the larger STAXX systems such as STAXX Compact and STAXX One in one compact and flexible system. Various material types such as PrePreg, TowPreg, DryFiber, ThinPly, Thermoplast, etc. can be processed in widths from ¼ to 2 inches.  

Discover more videos on JEC Composites Web TV.

Options for controlled heating concepts using an infrared emitter, diode laser, or flash-lamp allow optimized processes and heating of the materials for resource efficient production. This ensures that the machine can handle a wide range of manufacturing processes. The STAXX Box combines flexibility with industrial readiness and, thanks to its modular concept, offers good accessibility for easy maintenance and an ergonomic working environment. 

One of the special advantages of the STAXX family is the digital twin, simulation and offline programming software. Broetje-Automations larger Systems already come with a Digital Twin. Likewise, it is now also available in the STAXX Box. Additional features such as the CAM system for offline programming based on 3D/2D CAD data and internal water cooling make it a cost-efficient approach to automated production.  

Lightweight and sustainable solution
The lightweight configuration of the STAXX BOX requires no foundation and uses standardized system components, further reducing overall production costs and providing a sustainable solution for customers through optimized production parameters while scalability is possible at any time. 

“We are excited to open a new market segment with the STAXX BOX ,” says Raphael Reinhold, Head of R&T Composites at Broetje-Automation. “This machine offers a range of features that make it ideal for use in the manufacturing industry. It is also a great tool for businesses looking to automate their production processes of small composite parts.” 

Broetje-Automation is showcasing this new product at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth N82.

TDL Technique, a subsidiary of Terre de Lin, is currently developing flax / thermoplastic rovings, aiming to bring increased productivity to the use of flax fiber in composites and better manage the end of life for recycling.

This environmentally conscious range is the answer to increasing designer demands for composite parts that are simultaneously modern, attractive, durable, and immediately recognizable as natural. By developing this type of solution, Porcher Industries wishes to contribute positively in the fields of 3 of its clients in the context of their GHG (greenhouse gas) evaluation. That’s what Porcher Industries has done with POLYPREG FLAX/TP and its subtly apparent flax fibers.

Pascal Joubert des Ouches, Marketing Director of Porcher Industries states, “this partnership allows Porcher Industries to guarantee very large volumes for top vehicle and aeronautics suppliers, as well as sports brands seeking this high performance thermoplastic material with a lower environmental impact and which is easily recyclable”.

Meet Porcher Industries at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth V40.
Meet Terre de Lin / TDL Technique hall 5, booth C49.

SHD’s and Lineat’s unique prepreg developments will support the growing cry for increased sustainability, material circularity and efficiency across all sectors of the composite market.

Meet SHD Composite Materials LTD at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth D22.
Meet Lineat Composites, hall 6, booth H4.

In addition to showcasing NTB-500 BMI, NEXX will be exhibiting their unique line of modified epoxy and cyanate ester prepreg materials. NEXX Technologies’ prepregs all boast finished parts that demonstrate minimal through thickness void content (often <1%) and pin-hole free surfaces.

Meet NEXX Technologies at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth A32.

“The lightness of composites and printed electronics means that with compositronics we can significantly reduce the weight of components and large structures and also cut costs in assembly processes by introducing sensors during composite manufacturing,” says Maria Eugenia Rodríguez, head of Technological Development in the Industrial Area at Eurecat.

Specifically, the prototype “consists of a high-performance polymer composite structure which has LEDs inside it to furnish ambient lighting to the cabin while maintaining the structural properties of the composite,” adds Iker Arroyo, head of the In-Mould Electronics Line in the Functional Printing and Embedded Devices Unit at Eurecat.

Composites R&D for sustainability and weight reduction
The aeronautical industry “has taken a keen interest in compositronics in recent years to make aircraft operations more sustainable due to the considerable weight reduction this technology delivers,” he adds.

At JEC World Eurecat is also displaying innovations in sustainability and circular economy, weight reduction and Industry 4.0. They include biocomposites from linen fabrics and bio-based resins for developing sustainable and lightweight parts with applications in sectors such as mobility and sports since they enable a significant reduction in carbon footprints.

These biocomposites “have been developed using a range of manufacturing techniques, steering clear of autoclave and thus reducing high energy usage and shortening manufacturing lead times,” points out Mª Eugenia Rodríguez.

Projects in recycling include developing new composites from recycled carbon fibre and other types of composite waste with thermoplastic and thermosetting matrices.

The technology centre is also presenting at the event demonstrators of thermoplastic and thermosetting composite aerostructures developed with out-of-autoclave technologies, specifically by thermocompression and RTM (resin transfer moulding), in which it has led the integrated development of the process and where sensorised moulds have been designed to monitor the process and determine the optimum manufacturing parameters.

Meet Eurecat at JEC World 2023, Hall 6, booth G86.

Et c’est ici que les matériaux composites jouent un rôle clé. Umbrosa a choisi d’utiliser des baleines composites dans la plupart de ses parasols. Ces baleines en fibre de verre sont fabriquées par pultrusion, car le niveau élevé d’alignement et la densité des fibres garantissent la cohérence structurelle de ces éléments.

Umbrosa privilégie la qualité et veut proposer des produits capables de rester fonctionnels et intacts pendant très longtemps. Pour cela, tous les composants de ses produits ont été revus pour garantir le meilleur niveau de qualité possible.

« Chez Umbrosa nos produits sont fabriqués selon trois valeurs : identité, durabilité et esthétique. Ces valeurs sont réellement importantes, car nous voulons créer des produits qui durent pour toujours ”, explique Christophe Haemers, PDG et fondateur d’Umbrosa.

Sur cette base, il était évident pour Umbrosa que les matériaux composites permettraient de répondre à tous ses critères de conception, par conséquent cette société a fait appel à Exel Composites pour l’aider à concevoir une solution.

« Nous avons opté pour les composites en raison de leur flexibilité et de leur résistance au vent, car c’est le principal défi pour nos parapluies », précise Pieter Willemyns, responsable du développement de produits chez Umbrosa. « Les matériaux composites donnent à la structure une chance de résister au vent. Ensuite, leur rigidité est très importante, car les baleines tiennent le parapluie ouvert pendant des périodes prolongées. Les matériaux composites offrent un excellent compromis entre la flexibilité et la rigidité. »

« Exel Composites fournit à Umbrosa différentes tiges en fibre de verre qui sont résistantes à la corrosion, à la décomposition, à la rouille, aux UV et qui présentent également un faible coefficient d’expansion thermique, ce qui les rend idéales pour l’utilisation prolongée en extérieur. » ajoute Erwin Diepvens, Responsable commercial régional chez Exel Composites.

Depuis la rencontre initiale, Umbrosa a de nombreux contacts avec l’équipe R&D d’Exel, ce qui signifie que lorsque de nouveaux modèles sont envisagés, Umbrosa peut consulter l’équipe Exel en amont et optimiser tous les aspects.

« Notre collaboration avec Exel a démontré que nous pouvions compter sur l’expertise technique de notre fournisseur. Cette expertise et ses conseils d’intégration optimale des matériaux composites, font d’Exel un véritable co-concepteur pour certains de nos produits », conclut Pieter Willemyns.

Exel Composites allie la fabrication localisée et une expertise internationalement reconnue pour assurer une assistance commerciale et un service de conseils techniques efficace et toujours accessible. Nous intervenons dans plus de 50 pays et puisons dans cette expérience pour enrichir la création de solutions composites qui répondent à tous vos challenges opérationnels et assurent des résultats sur le long terme.

Rencontrez Exel Composites à JEC World 2023, hall 6, stand D55.

Geert Nouwen, owner of OKKER, states: “The deployment of the electrified mobility for land, air and water travel will require more sustainable materials”. The alliance will focus on filament winding, the original additive manufacturing for composites.

Meet Sharp Composites at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth A39.

Côté matériaux, Daher consacre une part importante de ses travaux aux applications aéronautiques du thermoplastique et dispose aujourd’hui d’une avance technologique significative sur ce marché.  Le thermoplastique permet de produire, à forte cadence et à coût contenu, des pièces plus légères mais aussi plus résistantes que les métaux employés précédemment. C’est l’un des game changers qui pourrait permettre à l’aviation de résoudre le double enjeu de la compétitivité et de l’impact environnemental.

« Outre ses qualités intrinsèques, le thermoplastique permet de diminuer l’impact de la production, d’avoir une industrie plus « verte » : contrairement aux composites thermodurcissables, il ne nécessite pas de transport et de stockage à -18°c, ni de mise en œuvre dans des salles de drapage climatisées et pressurisées, d’où une réduction significative de la consommation d’énergie. Il est en outre plus facilement recyclable et nous le démontrons ! », souligne Julie Vaudour.

Pour en savoir plus, rendez vous à la conférence sur JEC World 2023 intitulée : “Less is Better: Reducing Waste, Costs, Energy & Time“), le 26 avril 2023, 12-13h, Agora 5

Daher présente ainsi au salon JEC World des pédales de palonnier en thermoplastique revalorisé à partir de chutes de production. Une pièce de structure aujourd’hui certifiée, prête à voler sur nos avions TBM et réalisée selon un procédé breveté.

Concilier cadences et éco-responsabilité
La mise au point de procédés automatisés qui permettront de proposer demain des structures composites auto-raidies, à faible mase et à forte rigidité est l’un des axes prioritaires de travaux de recherche menés par Daher. Outre la soudure thermoplastique, particulièrement adaptée aux fortes cadences et qui permet un allègement significatif grâce à la suppression des rivets, l’estampage direct, autre procédé breveté, permet de s’affranchir de plusieurs étapes de fabrication et donc d’accélérer les cycles de production, tout en réduisant la consommation d’énergie et les coûts de production. Ce procédé, associé au placement automatique de fibres (AFP, Automated fiber Placement) – que Daher est parmi les premiers à maîtriser au niveau adéquat – permet de fabriquer des pièces complexes de grande dimension et de forte épaisseur en thermoplastique.

« C’est le cas de pièces pour l’environnement moteur que nous présentons à JEC World, tel que le cadre d’entrée d’air d’un démonstrateur de moteur, réalisé en partenariat avec Airbus. Avec sa circonférence de plusieurs mètres, cette pièce, constituée de 4 sections assemblées, est l’une des plus grandes jamais réalisées en thermoplastique, indique Julie Vaudour. Ou encore du pylône de suspension d’un moteur réalisée dans le cadre du projet MATCH de l’IRT Jules Verne dont la forte épaisseur – 196 plis/ 35mm – n’est réalisable que grâce à l’AFP, avec un gain de masse de 20%. »

Malgré la prépondérance des travaux autour du thermoplastique, Daher continue à travailler sur le thermodurcissable, en suivant son double objectif green/forte cadence. JEC World sera ainsi l’occasion de présenter un procédé forte cadence développé en partenariat avec Safran, le « compression molding » (moulage par compression) qui permet non seulement de réduire les chutes de matière et la production de déchets mais aussi d’utiliser de la matière revalorisée à partir de chutes de production.

« Notre ambition aujourd’hui est de travailler sur l’analyse des cycles de vie (ACV) de façon à pouvoir mettre au point des produits conçus dès le départ pour répondre au double enjeu environnemental et économique. Nous devons aujourd’hui capitaliser sur notre expérience, c’est indispensable pour avancer vite et bien, car il le faut ! », conclut Julie Vaudour.

Retrouvez les speakers de Daher :
> Julie Vaudour, directrice R&D adjointe, à la conférence “Less is Better: Reducing Waste, Costs, Energy & Time“, le 26 avril 2023, 12-13h, Agora 5
> Julie Dausseins, responsable technique AME, à la conférence “Empowering Women in the Composites Industry”, le 27 avril 2023, 11-12h, Agora 6

Rencontrez Daher sur JEC World 2023, hall 6, stand C32.

Les 2 centres de R&D du Groupe DEMGY créent des procédés innovants de production, sur-mesure et personnalisables, pour répondre à toutes les demandes de pièces complexes.

FLAXCOMP® CLEAR, encapsule la nature

Flaxcomp® by DEMGY est la transformation de composites thermoplastiques renforcés par des fibres naturelles et illustre notre savoir-faire sur les procédés de transformation des composites thermoplastiques renforcés par des fibres naturelles. La force de la nouvelle solution

FLAXCOMP® CLEAR, combinaison d’une résine transparente et d’une fibre naturelle (association du lin avec des résines thermoplastiques recyclables transparentes) :

• Une finition qui rappelle la brillance des finitions époxy, une mise en valeur esthétique de la fibre de lin grâce à une solution process qui apporte profondeur et brillance, tout en étant 100 % recyclable

• L’utilisation de procédés respectueux de la fibre de lin pour conserver ses propriétés spécifiques (propriétés mécaniques et d’absorptions vibratoires) : tissu sergé de lin 2/2 associé à une matrice thermoplastique transparente.

• La solution innovante Flaxcomp® est totalement personnalisable grâce à de multiples options comme la texturation de la surface

• Flaxcomp® est applicable aux marchés à fort volume tels que les intérieurs automobile, le luxe, le sport et les loisirs.

Procédé hybride Net-shape
DEMGY a accompagné Kipsta, marque de football de Decathlon, dans le développement de leur nouvelle chaussure de foot TRAXIUM COMPRESSOR, officiellement lancée et désormais disponible en magasin : éco-conçue, 100% thermoplastique, fabriquée en France.

Pensée à Tourcoing, co-développée et fabriquée à Nantes par Demgy Atlantique, la Traxium Compressor est disponible depuis le 13 janvier 2023 dans 21 magasins Decathlon en Europe.

Pour concevoir la Traxium Compressor, DEMGY a innové dans le procédé hybride Net-shape à partir de préformes textiles. Alors que les chaussures traditionnelles sont fabriquées à partir de tissus 2D vernis, découpés puis mis à la forme du pied en 3D par collage sur une semelle injectée, la Traxium Compressor est conçue sans couture ni colle. Elle est moulée en une seule étape de fabrication. Cette technique lui confère une durabilité bien au-dessus de la moyenne avec une promesse de 350 expériences (utilisations), soit 3,5 fois plus qu’une autre chaussure. Elle est garantie 10 ans anti-décollement entre la tige et la semelle. Son prix public est de 95 euros.

La Traxium Compressor sera également présentée sur l’espace Innovation Planets à JEC World 2023.

Le composite hybride : estampage et surmoulage
Le concept de planche de bord hybride breveté par Airbus Atlantic dans le cadre du projet Advanced Cockpit, a été mise au point avec les experts DEMGY.

Dans le cadre de ce projet de sous-structure de panneau de commande principal, le Groupe DEMGY a travaillé sur le développement, l’optimisation et l’industrialisation de ce nouveau concept de structure thermoplastique hybride, proposé par Airbus Atlantic.

Le Groupe a réalisé une forme innovante à partir d’une plaque de matériau composite en estampant, usinant et surmoulant des pièces pour les assembler en une seule pièce. Ce nouveau développement est une preuve de la capacité du Groupe à combiner des technologies pour aboutir à une grande pièce complexe constituée de plus de vingt composants de différents matériaux. Cette pièce sera visible sur le JEC, sur le stand du Groupe.

Avec son Atelier DEMGY 3D, incluant 2 stations de fabrication additive, le Groupe DEMGY est le 1er industriel Européen équipé pour produire des pièces fonctionnelles et des composants livrés dans le monde entier, en polymères hautes-performances PEKK carbone :

Avec ses stations EOS P 810, dont une nouvelle acquise en 2022, machine de frittage laser utilisant la matière EOS HT-23 (basé sur le PEKK Kepstan®, polymère de l’extrême d’Arkema, et renforcé fibres de carbone).

Avec un volume de construction de 700 x 380 x 380 mm, EOS P 810 permet une production rapide de pièces en séries, en polymère haute performance, directement à partir de données CAO et ceci sans besoin d’outillage. Ces pièces offrent une grande résistance à faible poids et résistent à des températures très largement supérieures à 200°C.

Toutes les pièces ou composants issus de l’Atelier DEMGY 3D peuvent être métallisés pour apporter une continuité électrique ou servir de blindage électromagnétique.

Rencontrez DEMGY à JEC World 2023, hall 5, stand B46, et sur la zone Innovation Planet.

The DEMGY Group’s two R&D centers create innovative, customizable production processes to meet all demands for complex parts.

FLAXCOMP® CLEAR, encapsulate nature.

Flaxcomp® by DEMGY is the transformation of thermoplastic composites reinforced by natural fibers and illustrates our know-how on the transformation processes of thermoplastic composites reinforced by natural fibers. The strength of the new FLAXCOMP® CLEAR solution, a combination of a transparent resin and a natural fiber (association of flax with transparent recyclable thermoplastic resins) :

• A finish reminiscent of the gloss of epoxy finishes, an aesthetic enhancement of the linen fiber thanks to a process solution that brings depth and gloss, while being 100% recyclable

• The use of processes respectful of the linen fiber to preserve its specific properties (mechanical properties and vibration absorption): 2/2 linen twill fabric associated with a transparent thermoplastic matrix.

• The innovative Flaxcomp® solution is fully customizable with multiple options such as surface texturing

• Flaxcomp® is applicable to high volume markets such as automotive interiors, luxury, sports and leisure.

Net-shape hybrid process
DEMGY accompanied Kipsta, Decathlon’s soccer brand, in the development of their new TRAXIUM COMPRESSOR soccer shoe, officially launched and now available in stores: eco-designed, 100% thermoplastic, made in France.

Designed in Tourcoing, co-developed and manufactured in Nantes by Demgy Atlantique, the Traxium Compressor is available since January 13, 2023 in 21 Decathlon stores in Europe.

To design the Traxium Compressor, DEMGY innovated in the hybrid Net-shape process from textile preforms.

While traditional shoes are made from varnished 2D fabrics, cut and then shaped to the shape of the foot in 3D by gluing on an injected sole, the Traxium Compressor is designed without sewing or glue. It is molded in a single manufacturing step. This technique gives it a durability well above the average with a promise of 350 experiences (uses), 3.5 times more than another shoe. It is guaranteed for 10 years against delamination between the upper and the sole. Its public price is 95 euros.

The Traxium Compressor will also be presented on the Innovation Planets area at JEC World 2023.

Hybrid composite: stamping and overmolding
The hybrid instrument panel concept patented by Airbus Atlantic as part of the Advanced Cockpit project was developed with DEMGY experts.

Within the framework of this main control panel substructure project, DEMGY Group worked on the development, optimization and industrialization of this new hybrid thermoplastic structure concept, proposed by Airbus Atlantic.

The Group has created an innovative shape from a sheet of composite material by stamping, machining and overmolding parts to assemble them into a single piece. This new development is a demonstration of the Group’s ability to combine technologies into a large, complex part made up of more than twenty components of different materials. This part will be on display at company booth, hall 5, stand B46.

With its DEMGY 3D Workshop, including 2 additive manufacturing stations, the DEMGY Group is the 1st European industrialist equipped to produce functional parts and components delivered worldwide, in high performance PEKK carbon polymers:

With its EOS P 810 stations, including a new one acquired in 2022, a laser sintering machine using the EOS HT-23 material (based on PEKK Kepstan®, Arkema’s extreme polymer, and reinforced with carbon fibers).

With a build volume of 700 x 380 x 380 mm, the EOS P 810 enables rapid production of high performance polymer parts in series directly from CAD data without the need for tooling. These parts offer high strength at low weight and withstand temperatures well above 200°C.

All parts or components from the DEMGY 3D workshop can be metallized to provide electrical continuity or to serve as electromagnetic shielding.

Meet DEMGY at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth B46, and on the Innovation Planet.

In material development, a large part of the work currently underway at Daher is devoted to the aerospace applications of thermoplastics, with the Group now establishing significant technological leadership in this market. Thermoplastics enable the production of lighter, stronger components than possible with the previously-used metals, and with higher production output and at a lower cost. This is one of the game-changing solutions that could help the aviation industry resolve the twin challenges of competitiveness and environmental impact.

“Over and above its intrinsic qualities, thermoplastics allow us to reduce the impact of production processes and make our industry greener. Unlike thermoset composites, thermoplastics do not require their transportation and storage at -18°C, nor do they need to be processed in air-conditioned rooms and with pressure during layup, which in turn means significant energy savings. We’ve also demonstrated that it’s easier to recycle!” continues Julie Vaudour.

To find out more, attend the JEC World’s conference session: “Less is Better: Reducing Waste, Costs, Energy & Time for Sustainable Composites Manufacturing“, on April 26, 12:00 – 13:00, Agora 5.

At this year’s JEC World, Daher is showcasing rudder pedals made using recycled material from thermoplastic production scraps. These components are now airworthiness certified, ready to fly in our TBM aircraft and manufactured using a Daher-patented process.

Reconciling higher production rates with eco-responsibility
A research priority at Daher is developing automated processes that eventually will enable the Group to offer self-stiffened, low-weight, high-rigidity composite structures. In addition to thermoplastic welding – which is particularly well suited to high production rates and delivers a significant weight reduction by eliminating the need for rivets – another patented process known as direct stamping eliminates a number of manufacturing stages for accelerated production cycles, while also reducing energy consumption and bringing down production costs. Used in combination with automated fiber placement, or AFP (Daher is one of the few early adopters of this technology at scale), the process opens up the possibility to manufacture large-scale, complex parts with high thermoplastic thicknesses.

“This is exactly what we’re showing at JEC World, with parts for the engine environment – including an air inlet for an engine demonstrator produced in partnership with Airbus. At several meters in circumference, this component is assembled from four separate sections, and is one of the largest ever created with thermoplastics,” added Julie Vaudour. “And we’re also showing an engine pylon fabricated as part of the IRT Jules Verne R&D institute’s MATCH project, whose thickness – 196 layers totaling 35 mm – is possible only through the use of AFP, and which delivers a weight gain of 20%.” 

In addition to its major focus on thermoplastics, Daher is continuing to work as well on thermoset composites in pursuing its twin goals of green/high-throughput production. At JEC World, Daher will showcase the high-throughput compression molding production process developed in partnership with Safran, which not only reduces material offcuts and waste production, but also enables the use of materials upcycled from production waste.

“Our ambition today is to conduct life cycle analyses (LCAs) as the basis for developing products designed from the outset to deliver an effective response to today’s twin environmental and economic challenges. Now is the time to capitalize on our experience in moving forward quickly and effectively, because it is necessary!” concludes Julie Vaudour.

Meet Daher speakers:
> Julie Vaudour, Deputy Head of R&D, at the “Less is Better: Reducing Waste, Costs, Energy & Time for Sustainable Composites Manufacturing” conference session, 12:00-13:00 on April 26 in Agora 5;
> Julie Dausseins, Technical Leader Thermoplastic Comosites, at the “Empowering Women in the Composites Industry” conference session, 11:00-12:00 on April 27 in Agora 6.

Meet Daher at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth C32.

« La volonté d’améliorer les processus de fabrication et la productivité, associée aux préoccupations en matière de santé et de sécurité, est au cœur de la stratégie du Groupe Cannon depuis plus de 40 ans, lorsque nous avons éliminé les solvants de nettoyage pour nos têtes de mélange de traitement du PU en remplaçant la technologie de mélange basse pression par des têtes autonettoyantes haute pression. L’introduction de notre tête de mélange laminaire à coulée libre en 1979 a révolutionné le mode de production des polyuréthanes moulés, entraînant des économies et surtout des avantages environnementaux sur le lieu de travail, et constituant un exemple avant-gardiste d’innovation axée sur le développement durable », explique Dario Pigliafreddo, Responsable Grands Comptes chez Cannon Afros. « La durabilité est devenue un impératif commercial fondamental et Cannon investit 5% de son chiffre d’affaires annuel en recherche & développement, moteur indispensable à la création de produits innovants, technologiquement avancés et toujours plus durables pour nos clients ».

L’influence des composites est prépondérante dans deux secteurs industriels majeurs : d’une part, l’automobile et les transports ; de l’autre, les énergies renouvelables, en particulier les turbines éoliennes.

Cannon répond pleinement aux exigences de l’industrie automobile grâce à une expertise de haut niveau ainsi qu’à la conception et à l’ingénierie de solutions clés en main permettant de fournir des produits d’excellente qualité tout en optimisant les temps de cycle, la consommation d’énergie et la sécurité du personnel de l’usine.

Les équipementiers automobiles doivent diminuer le poids total des véhicules tout en maintenant des niveaux élevés de sécurité, de performance et d’esthétique. Les connaissances et l’expérience étendues du Groupe en matière de technologies de traitement du PU et de l’époxy englobent le traitement des matériaux renforcés par des fibres et les technologies composites, entièrement optimisées pour fournir des solutions avancées et des applications sur mesure.

L’industrie automobile est en pleine mutation avec l’essor des véhicules hybrides et 100% électriques (VE), plus lourds que leurs homologues thermiques. Ces véhicules font de plus en plus appel aux composites dans le cadre d’initiatives d’allègement de la carrosserie et du groupe motopropulseur avec pour but d’accroître leur autonomie.

Les boîtiers composites pour batteries de véhicules électriques constituent une application critique, comportant un ensemble complexe de contraintes : résistance aux chocs, aux impacts et au feu ; intrusion de corrosion, de poussière et d’humidité ; impact des pierres ; et, dans certaines circonstances, décharges électrostatiques. Des boucliers de protection anti-encastrement en composite offrent une protection supplémentaire aux boîtiers de batteries. Cannon propose par ailleurs des installations entièrement automatisées avec unités de dosage, têtes de mélange et robots pour assurer les processus de microdosage de polymères thermodurcissables, de silicone ou de résine époxy nécessaires à l’étanchéification et à l’encapsulage qui garantissent la protection des composants électriques et électroniques des batteries. En outre, Cannon fournit des presses, des moules et des systèmes d’automatisation liés aux composés de moulage en feuille (SMC), au moulage de préimprégné par compression (PCM), aux procédés hybrides, au moulage par transfert de résine haute pression (HP-RTM), à l’Interwet-LFI et autres technologies inhérentes à la production de boîtiers, couvercles, plateaux et capots de batterie.

Parmi les autres développements, figurent des têtes multi-mélange et des systèmes de dosage haute précision pour le processus d’enroulement filamentaire, essentiellement pour satisfaire les demandes croissantes de réservoirs et récipients sous pression de type VI en matériaux composites émanant de l’industrie des transports, où la précision du rapport de mélange, du débit et du contrôle de la température est cruciale.

Le Groupe Cannon collabore depuis plus de 15 ans avec des fabricants de pales d’éoliennes de rang 1. Les pales d’éoliennes sont généralement constituées de matériaux composites à base de fibres de verre et de résines thermodurcissables. Il s’agit du marché le plus important en termes de volume pour les composites, permettant ainsi de concevoir des pales de rotor novatrices afin d’améliorer le rendement des turbines et de réduire le coût global de l’électricité. Cannon livre des usines innovantes clés en main de HP-RTM, moulage par compression en voie humide (WCM) et injection de fibres longues (LFI), entièrement équipées de machines de dosage pour les résines époxy, les adhésifs et la pultrusion, ainsi que de systèmes de dégazage sous vide. L’entreprise a par ailleurs introduit récemment un nouveau système d’infusion directe pour automatiser et assurer le dosage précis de volumes plus importants, ce de façon à accélérer l’infusion sous vide (VARTM) avec un processus de production reproductible, fiable et plus rapide qui réduit les déchets, diminue considérablement les COV et améliore la sécurité de l’opérateur.

Présent depuis plus de cinq décennies dans un large éventail de technologies des composites, le Groupe Cannon propose des solutions d’ingénierie d’avant-garde révolutionnaires. Il fournit des machines de dosage et de mélange efficaces et fiables pour les résines réactives, des unités de préformage pour les fibres de verre et de carbone, des presses de fort tonnage avec des systèmes de manutention et de transfert pour des lignes de production complètes, ainsi que des services de conception et de fabrication de moules. La viabilité de la production de polymères renforcés de fibres de carbone (PRFC) à partir de fibres de carbone recyclées, présentant des propriétés mécaniques comparables à celles des matériaux vierges, a été démontrée grâce à un processus pilote novateur. C’est là une étape clé en matière de développement durable pour réduire l’impact de la production industrielle sur l’environnement.

Grâce à un vaste savoir-faire et à une grande capacité d’innovation attestée par plus de 200 brevets, Cannon conçoit et développe des solutions efficaces adaptées aux besoins des clients. En mettant en œuvre des changements intentionnels pour améliorer son empreinte environnementale, le Groupe Cannon, avec ses produits, processus et services, procure des avantages environnementaux durables à ses clients tout en générant des gains économiques pour le Groupe.

Cannon fera une présentation axée sur les « Applications légères structurelles et esthétiques pour VE grâce à la technologie Interwet-LFI », animée par Fabio Carminati, Directeur commercial de Cannon Tipos, lors des sessions de « Composites Exchange » du JEC World 2023, le mercredi 26 avril, Agora 5 (16h30-16h55).

Le groupe Cannon expose au JEC World 2023, Hall 5, stand N56.

“Dedication to improve manufacturing processes and productivity, coupled with health and safety concerns, has been at the core of Cannon Group’s strategy for over 40 years when we eliminated cleaning solvents for our PU processing mixing heads, replaced low-pressure mixing technology with high-pressure self-cleaning heads. The introduction of our game-changing free pouring laminar mixing head in 1979 revolutionized the way molded polyurethanes were produced, bringing cost-savings and especially environmental advantages in the workplace and, an avant-garde example of sustainability-driven innovation,” said Dario Pigliafreddo, Key Account Manager at Cannon Afros. “Sustainability has become a core business imperative and Cannon invests 5% of annual turnover in research and development which is the essential driver for innovative, technologically advanced, and increasingly sustainable products for our customers.”

The influence of composites is acutely predominant in two major industries – automotive and transportation, and renewable energy, especially wind turbines.

Cannon fully meets the automotive industry’s demanding requirements with superior expertise and the design and engineering of turnkey solutions to deliver high-quality products while optimizing cycle times and energy consumption, and the safety of factory floor personnel.

Automotive OEMs need to reduce the total weight of vehicles while maintaining high levels of safety, performance, and aesthetics. The Group’s knowledge and experience in PU and epoxy processing technology is extended and encompasses fiber-reinforced materials processing and composite technologies, fully optimized to provide advanced solutions and tailor-made applications.

The automotive industry is undergoing upheaval with the burgeoning rise of hybrid and fully electric vehicles (EVs), heavier than thermal combustion counterparts, and are also using composites more and more as part of lightweighting initiatives in body and powertrain applications to increase their autonomy.

Composite enclosures for EV batteries are a critical application with a complex array of constraints ranging from crash, impact and fire resistance to corrosion, dust and moisture incursion, stone impact, and in some circumstances, electrostatic discharge. Composite underrun protection shields further safeguard the battery casings. In addition, Cannon offers fully automated plants, including dosing units, mixing heads, and robots allowing micro-dosing processes of thermosetting polymers, silicone, or epoxy resin for gasketing and potting guarantee the protection of battery electrical and electronic components. In addition, Cannon supplies presses, molds, and automation related to sheet molding compounds (SMC), pre-preg compression molding (PCM), hybrid processes, high-pressure resin transfer molding (HP-RTM), Interwet-LFI, and other technologies to produce battery cases, lids, trays, and covers.

Further developments include high-precision multi-mixing heads and dosing systems for the filament winding process focusing mainly on the growing demands for Type VI composite pressure vessels and tanks for the transportation industry, where precision in mixing ratio, flowrate and temperature control are crucial.

Cannon Group has been collaborating with Tier 1 wind turbine blade manufacturers for over 15 years. Wind turbine blades are typically manufactured using glass fiber composite materials with thermoset resins and is the highest volume market for composites which enable innovative rotor blade designs to enhance turbine efficiency and lower the overall cost of electricity. Cannon supplies innovative turnkey HP-RTM, wet compression molding (WCM) and long fiber injection (LFI) plants fully equipped with dosing machines for epoxy resins, adhesives and pultrusion, vacuum degassing systems, and recently introduced a novel direct infusion system to automatize and provide accurate higher volume dosing to accelerate vacuum infusion (VARTM) for repeatable, reliable, and quicker production process that reduces waste, drastically lowers VOCs, and improves operator safety.

For more than five decades, Cannon Group has been active in a wide range of composite technologies providing state-of-the-art and game-changing engineering solutions delivering efficient and reliable dosing metering and mixing machines for reactive resins, preforming units for glass and carbon fiber, high tonnage presses with handling and shuttling systems for complete production lines, and mold design and manufacturing. A key sustainability-driven milestone to reduce the impact of industrial production on the environment resulted from an innovative pilot process to prove the viability of producing carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) from recycled carbon fiber with some mechanical properties comparable to virgin material.

Extensive know-how and a significant aptitude for innovation, proven by over 200 patents, enables Cannon to conceive and develop efficient solutions tailored to meet customers’ needs. By implementing intentional changes to improve our environmental footprint, Cannon Group’s products, processes, and services generate durable environmental benefits for its customers while at the same time creating economic gains for the Group.

Cannon will feature a presentation focusing on “Structural and Aesthetic Lightweight Applications for EVs with Interwet-LFI technology” led by Fabio Carminati, Sales Manager, Cannon Tipos, during the ‘Composites Exchange’ sessions at JEC World 2023 on Wednesday, April 26 Agora 5 (16:30-16:55).

Cannon Group is exhibiting at JEC World 2023, Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris, France (April 25-27), in Hall 5 Booth N56. 

Composite materials in natural fibres are more and more used in various sectors, what were the necessary adjustments to guarantee effectiveness and durability for the Route du Rhum?
Roland Jourdain: “Plant fibres such as flax have enormous potential and are not yet used enough! Within the framework of We Explore, we faced several challenges with VPLP naval architecture firm and Outremer shipyard, given the size of the boat. Calculations, testing and characterisation. Our Kaïros team brought ten years of experience to the table. The project focused on R&D for future industrialisation.
A new Terre de Lin quadriaxial fabric was designed to adapt to the industrial process in place in the Outremer yard. The flax is infused with vinylester resin, some parts in epoxy, and the fittings are made of our JEC 2022 award-winning material Kairlin®.
We Explore is a ‘too solid’ boat because the architects, and the yard, wanted me to cross the Atlantic without risk. Optimisations are possible to make future flax boats lighter.”

We Explore, being the first race boat of its kind, does it have a vocation to emulate in the field of ocean racing?
Roland Jourdain: “The future of ocean racing will be dictated by sponsorship. Society is changing and consumers are evolving, so companies must adapt. It is the move towards environmental performance that will make a company a success in the future. Ocean racing will therefore have to adapt, at the risk, in the age of social networks, of being seen as a sport that is no longer in line with the values it promotes.”

Get inspired by top leaders in the composites landscape as they share their vision of the future!

Dry ice cleaning can remove a variety of contaminants from many different types of tooling substrates. It is very common to clean sacrificial release agents, epoxy, Teflon® tape, tacky tape, silicones, oils, polymers, phenolic, carbon, graphite and Kevlar®. The molds themselves are manufactured from a variety of materials: steel, aluminum, epoxy, urethane, teflon-coated, composite and some with gelcoat. Cold Jet have worked with all of them, ensuring “no foreign object debris”.

Most would agree that tooling is the heart of making a good composite part. A tremendous amount of work goes into the design of tooling: proper tooling base material; permanent and semi-permanent release agents, coatings, etc. Maintaining the quality of the tooling surface is vital to the continued production of quality parts. Dry ice cleaning provides a non-abrasive way to clean the tools without causing the tool wear that is seen with some traditional cleaning methods: razor blades, scrapers, brushes, rags, etc.

At Cold Jet, they understand these applications offer solutions to clean molds and composite parts faster, cheaper and better. They do so in a non-abrasive, sustainable, environmentally responsible manner. Their dry ice technology is proven to clean better, while reducing cleaning time up to 75% without causing mold wear or damage to the parts.

They also offer automated, integrated cleaning solutions. Cold Jet systems are prepared for easy integration into automated systems for cleaning or the reapplying of an even coat of sacrificial mold release agents.

Today, proven LEAN manufacturing management methodologies, such as 5S and TPM are encouraging organizations to embrace maintenance as a critical business function. Dry ice cleaning is assisting companies in reaching those objectives.

At JEC World 2023, Cold Jet is showcasing their i³ MicroClean 2®, their latest patented, gentle cleaning microparticle SMART dry ice blaster adapted for the composite industry.

Meet Cold Jet at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth D73.

JEC World will be the place to promote the composites sector’s most innovative projects. More than 600 product launches are expected to be announced over the three days of the show, evidences a solidly dynamic sector led by high-performance and environmentally friendly innovations. Among which 79 product launches listed in the 2023 Innovation Report: from Raw materials, Intermediates and Ancillary, R&D to Production and Equipment, including composite Applications. The JEC World Preview including the Innovation report is available here for download:

Competitions and awards ceremonies

Two competitions, the JEC Composites Startup Booster and the famous JEC Composites Innovation Award, will also put the spotlights on the most innovative solutions and products this year.
The JEC Composites Startup Booster has a line-up of 20 finalists who will pitch during two live sessions in the Agora stage (Hall 6), on Tuesday, April 25^th, at 10 am for the category Products & Materials and at 4.30 pm for the category: Process, Manufacturing & Equipment. Three winners will be chosen by the jury and one winner for the sustainable aspects of the project. The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April, 26^th at 3 pm.
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrate successful projects and cooperation between players of the composites industry. These composites champions are awarded based on multiple criteria such as partner involvement in the value chain, complexity, or commercial potential of the project. As last year, the Innovation Awards ceremony was held prior to JEC World, raising great enthusiasm and showing the composites community’s eagerness to get together, get inspired and build strong business connections. Do not miss the opportunity to meet with the winners and learn more about their projects and expectations for the future at JEC World 2023 from April 25th to 27th and join them for the Opening session on April 25th at 9:30am in Agora 5.

In 2022, Toray developed a 100% bio-based adipic acid, a raw material for polyamide 66 (nylon 66), from sugars derived from inedible biomass. This achievement came from using a proprietary synthesis technique combining the company’s microbial fermentation technology and chemical purification technology that harnesses separation membranes. The recent demonstration was a first step toward creating a technology to make cellulosic sugar from biomass, putting it on track to mass production. The company now looks to establish an integrated technology to manufacture fiber and resin from abundant agricultural residue, avoiding competition with the food chain (see Figure 2).

Toray looks to set up a structure to supply cellulosic sugar in collaboration with Thai sugar refineries and starch manufacturers and other companies using biomass resources. It will endeavor to upscale technology from an effort under development to produce adipic acid from cellulosic sugar. In providing cellulosic sugars to chemical companies around the globe, Toray seeks to help materialize a circular economy by replacing petroleum-based chemicals with plant-derived offerings that are not part of the food chain. 

Toray is leveraging a basic policy of creating and deploying innovative new materials and technologies for tomorrow in entering new fields while drawing on internal and external collaboration to accelerate research. As part of this approach, it will engage in open innovation for membrane bioprocessing with players in different industries, establishing supply chains and providing solutions with companies using biomass and cellulosic sugar.

The technology announced is a fruit of NEDO’s Demonstration Project for an Energy-Saving Cellulosic Sugar Production System using Bagasse under International Demonstration Project on Japan’s Energy Efficiency Technologies. The demonstration plant is at a site in Udon Thani Province, Thailand, of Cellulosic Biomass Technology Co., Ltd., which Toray and Mitsui Sugar Co., Ltd., set up in January 2017. There, Toray verified and assessed manufacturing process energy savings, production performance, and the economic feasibility of this production system from August 2018 through December 2022. It completed the demonstration in March 2023. The Thai government looks for the new technology to contribute significantly to materializing the Bio-Circular Green Economy model, which the Thai Government deployed as a strategy for national development and post-pandemic recovery. 

Demonstration project overview
1.Name: Demonstration Project for an Energy-Saving Cellulosic Sugar Production System Using Bagasse (as part of NEDO’s International Demonstration Project on Japan’s Energy Efficiency Technologies)
https://www.nedo.go.jp/english/activities/activities_AT1_00175.html
2.Project period: August 2016 through March 2023
3.Demonstration period: August 2018 through December 2022
4.Location: Udon Thani Province, Thailand
5.Facility scale: Dried bagasse processing capacity of 3,000 metric tons annually

Demonstration technology details
1.Using enzymes and separation membranes to turn inedible plants into sugars
At the demonstration plant, Toray verified a technology to produce cellulosic sugar as a raw fermentation material for ethanol, lactic acid, succinic acid, and other substances by reacting unused bagasse and cassava pulp with enzymes, using membrane separation to purify and concentrate the resulting cellulosic sugar.
In verifying this technology with bagasse as a raw material, Toray confirmed that it is possible to halve enzyme usage by recovering and reusing enzymes in membranes. Such losses have been costly to date in producing cellulosic sugar.
The company further purified sugars with membranes, separating acetic and other organic acids from cellulosic sugars. It thereby obtained cellulosic sugars offering outstanding fermentability and confirmed that fermentation into ethanol and succinic acid and edible sugars is possible.

2.Cost savings in producing chemicals with proprietary enzyme production technology
Toray upscaled production of the enzyme production technology stemming from its R&D (a non-genetically modified organism enzyme production technology using a trichoderma filamentous fungi; attaining world-class enzyme production capacity). It used the upscaled enzyme production facilities in Thailand to demonstrate sugar production from bagasse. This enzyme production technology should serve as an on-site technology as sugar production systems spread, cutting enzyme costs to help such systems become mainstream.

3.Reducing total chemical production costs by using cassava pulp as raw material
cellulosic sugar derived from cassava pulp does not contain xylose (see note 4). It can be purified through membrane saccharification to remove viscous substances. This results in a sugar solution with higher glucose purity than that of cellulosic sugar derived from bagasse (see Figure 3). Toray also confirmed good conversion efficiency in fermentation through the demonstration effort. The high glucose purity and low impurity content could slash the total costs of manufacturing chemicals. Among them are adipic acid, the raw material for nylon 66.

Notes:
1.Cellulosic sugar is a solution whose prime component is glucose. It results from decomposing agricultural residue (biomass) that is not used as food.
2.Bagasse is a solid residue from pressing sugarcane. Sugar refineries burn some bagasse in boilers to generate electricity; the remainder is called surplus bagasse. Thailand is one of the world’s leading sugarcane producers.
3.Cassava pulp is a residue from extracting tapioca. It is used as livestock feed after drying in the sun. It cannot be preserved when undried, creating a need for ways to use it in that state.
4.Biomass-derived cellulosic sugars mainly comprise glucose, which microorganisms can easily metabolize, and xylose, which is hard for microorganisms to metabolize. Lower xylose concentrations enhance chemical production efficiency. Bagasse-derived cellulosic sugars normally have a glucose and xylose ratio of 2:1. Cassava pulp-derived cellulosic sugars have very little xylose.

Meet Toray Advanced Composites at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth D28.
And Toray Carbon Fibers Europe, hall 5, booth J5.

Composite core conductors were first installed 20 years ago. By replacing the traditional steel core with a carbon fiber composite core, the operating temperature can be doubled. Carbon fiber’s has a coefficient of thermal expansion ten times lower than steel. This feature allows the transmission of peak energy from renewable sources. Moreover, the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) reduces the weight of conductors significantly. The CFRP is four times lighter than steel, which enables the design of conductors with an additional 30% aluminum cross-section without increasing the conductor’s weight. This translates to a reduction in electrical resistance by over 30%, resulting in considerable savings in electricity, CO2 emissions, and generation costs.

Romain Coullette, Sales Director at Epsilon Composite Cable said: “By improving the grid performance, flexibility and resiliency, High Voltage Composite Reinforced Conductors are a vital component of the energy transition. We are proud to work alongside Nexans to provide such innovative solutions to electrical utilities worldwide, and look forward to the upcoming projects.”

Nexans and Epsilon Composite Cable have a long-standing partnership, which started ten years ago when they collaborated on a 90kV pilot project for RTE in 2013. By using the Lo-Sag® conductor designed by Nexans with an aluminum cladding to prevent galvanic corrosion between CFRP and aluminum wires both compagnies proved their technical expertise and answered needs.

Stéphane Morice, OHL Business Manager at Nexans added: “Nexans electrify the future by deploying high capacity overhead conductors with Epsilon carbon fiber cores to double line capacity and support the rise of energy demand.”

Epsilon also developed a cost-competitive solution called HVCRC® (High Voltage Composite Reinforced Conductor) with a slightly lower modulus of elasticity, this solution is particularly well suited to locations with limited ice loads. This technology has been successfully installed since 2012 in many countries across Asia, Africa and America. Today, along with Nexans, HVCRC® is also showing success in Southern Europe.

By leveraging both companies expertise and experience in their respective fields of cable standing and carbon fiber pultrusion, Nexans and Epsilon Composite Cable contribute to build a stronger electric grid, and are positioned as ideal partners for any project requiring composite core conductors.

Meet Epsilon Composite at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth F6.

To support the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy, the NCC is developing underpinning knowledge for composite cryogenic storage tanks and testing by developing product demonstrators with increasing complexity. Its team of specialist engineers have also created and built a range of comprehensive cryogenic concepting and design tools to help UK organisations overcome known engineering challenges critical to accelerating hydrogen development.

With no clear existing industry standards for aerospace cryogenic tanks, the ability to analyse a range of designs is essential. This led to the development of a range of concepting tools covering tank design space exploration, permeability, microcracking, thermal and mechanical stresses. These tools form a baseline toolset that can be used by industry for cryogenic tank projects, enabling detailed design and manufacturing risk identification and analysis. Understanding cryogenics at this fundamental level will enable the NCC to support a wide range of industries and applications, each facing separate but overlapping challenges.

Testing is a crucial part of the cryogenic tank development programme, which currently requires access to specialist testing facilities. For example, LH2 requires well-insulated cryogenic storage vessels to maintain it at a temperature of -253°C, and handling requires specialist knowledge and equipment.

To develop a UK-based testing capability for its customers, the NCC has partnered with Filton Systems Engineering (FSE), a Bristol-based SME specialising in fluid system engineering, that owns and operates a hydrogen test facility capable of both gaseous and liquid hydrogen testing. Working in partnership with FSE, the NCC has developed a tank-testing programme that uses an LH2 vacuum test chamber and cryo-rated testing instrumentation. As a world leading composites research and development centre, the NCC has designed and manufactured five linerless carbon fibre demonstrator tanks, using a mix of automated fibre placement (AFP), tape winding, and hand lay-up composite processes. The tanks will be used for the liquid hydrogen testing programme, starting at the end of April 2023, with results expected summer 2023.

Daniel Galpin, Advanced Research Engineer, NCC, stated “The cross-sector capability we’ve developed will enable UK industry to accelerate and advance engineering expertise in composite cryogenic storage, and secure future commercial competitiveness. Our comprehensive programme will enable us to support customers on their journey to design, validate, manufacture, and test high-cycle composite cryogenic tanks.”

The NCC Hydrogen team is collaborating with partners and the supply chain to advance engineering expertise in composite cryogenic storage systems that will help the UK to achieve its net-zero ambitions. This builds on NCC’s investment in capability development for hydrogen pressure vessels and hydrogen smart pipes: two other areas that will help establish a strong H2 supply chain as the Government implements its UK Hydrogen Strategy to kick-start a vibrant hydrogen economy by 2030. Expertise and knowledge developed through the focus on cryogenics has enormous potential for numerous cross sector applications and will guide technology development.

Meet the National Composites Centre at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth S52.

AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, and the Dutch research centre TNO have completed the ELIOT Project, which involved carrying out an in-depth review of current recycling technologies for the composites and biocomposites used in the aeronautics sector in order to analyse the best alternatives on a pilot plant scale that are also technically and financially feasible. As a result of the study, solvolysis was found to be the best method of the 12 technologies analysed for recycling six different biocomposites.

This study helps promote cost-effective recycling technologies that enable the aeronautics industry to guarantee the sustainability of its components in the search for new solutions aligned with the circular economy.

The results show that pyrolysis emits 17% more carbon dioxide and consumes twice as much heat as solvolysis, which entails additional associated costs. Solvolysis uses solvents as a substitute for heat, but these solvents are recovered with great efficiency and reused in the process. The study has also shown that solvolysis works even better on large biocomposites.

For both pyrolysis and solvolysis, additional purification steps are required to be able to use the pyrolysis liquid and the distilled product, respectively. These estimates were made based on a processing plant with a capacity of 10 kilotonnes of biocomposites per year.

Other technologies analysed in the study included mechanical recycling, dissolution, enzymatic degradation, gasification and composting.

The ELIOT Project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme within the framework of the Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative under grant agreement number 886416.

Meet AIMPLAS at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth G86.

The tool support feature enables manufacturers to schedule and manage their tools, molds and resources effectively, ensuring that they are always in top condition and ready for use. The maintenance cycle monitoring ensures that tools and machines are properly maintained, reducing downtime and increasing productivity. The new UX design is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easier for planners to navigate and use the system effectively.

Plataine’s Scheduler overcomes bottlenecks in the production process, such as autoclave availability, and offers solutions to optimize production and autoclave runs. The Production Scheduler generates real-time reports that provide insights into the production process, enabling manufacturers to make data-driven decisions.

The Production Scheduler solution can quickly respond to unexpected events on the factory floor such as production delays, machine malfunction or shortage of staff. The automated solution may reduce response time to an incident from days to minutes – the planner can adjust the schedule, approve it with the supervisor and distribute it to the floor in a few mouse clicks. This leads to higher throughput and improved on-time delivery rate.

“Plataine’s Production Scheduler Solution is an industry game-changer. With its advanced Practimum Optimum™ algorithm, manufacturers can optimize their production processes, enhance productivity, and reduce costs,” said Amir Ben-Assa, VP Marketing & Product Strategy at Plataine. “Our solution provides real-time insight into production processes, allowing manufacturers to identify bottlenecks and quickly respond to unexpected events on the factory floor. With this solution in hand, manufacturers can ramp-up production and meet their targets.”

Meet Plataine at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth H74.

« L’aspect novateur de cette technologie réside dans la qualité de l’imprégnation des fibres de verre (roving), grâce à un concept spécial de mélange par co-injection interne », explique Dario Pigliafreddo, Responsable Grands Comptes chez Cannon Afros. « Un vide aspire les fibres de verre dans un hachoir placé au-dessus d’une tête de mélange haute pression en L spécialement modifiée et brevetée ; et là encore, grâce à un venturi, les fibres de verre découpées a la longueur souhaitée sont aspirées à l’intérieur de la chambre de mélange et imprégnées avec le polyuréthane pour produire une dispersion homogène, d’où le processus que nous appelons Interwet ».

La technologie Interwet-LFI a été développée pour produire des pièces structurelles automobiles moulées par compression et renforcées par des  fibres de verre, en remplacement des processus de production basés sur des mats de verre ou des fibres de verre découpées pré-mélangées avec du polyol.

ECOS Chocen, une entreprise familiale fondée en 1990 et établie en République tchèque, a maîtrisé au fil des ans un éventail très diversifié de procédés d’ingénierie et de fabrication des métaux et des matériaux polymères, couplés à la cataphorèse en préparation de la peinture en poudre et humide de divers composants de véhicules utilitaires, tels que les châssis et les panneaux extérieurs de carrosserie. L’orientation future des activités de l’entreprise a été définie à la suite d’une collaboration fructueuse au début des années 2000 relative au développement et à la production d’une série de prototypes de panneaux avant et arrière pour un important constructeur néerlandais d’autobus. ECOS Chocen, qui a obtenu la certification IATF 16949:2016, est aujourd’hui spécialisée dans la fabrication et la production de composants et d’unités d’assemblage complètes destinées à l’industrie automobile, en mettant l’accent sur les véhicules utilitaires, notamment les autobus, les autocars et les camions.

« Nous nous sommes associés à Cannon pour atteindre un objectif ambitieux : produire en une seule étape des éléments de carrosserie extérieure complexes en polyuréthane renforcé de fibres de verre, semi-structurels et structurels, grâce à leur technologie exclusive Interwet-LFI qui associe un revêtement appliqué dans le moule pour une excellente esthétique de surface prête à peindre », précise Jiri Kutlvasr, Directeur exécutif d’ECOS Chocen. « Cannon a fourni une solution clé en main pour le processus Interwet-LFI comprenant des machines de dosage et des têtes de mélange, des moules et des presses, ainsi que l’automatisation robotisée des processus. Nous obtenons ainsi une qualité élevée tout en facilitant et en augmentant la répétabilité et la productivité globale ».

Les propriétés structurelles obtenues grâce à la technologie et au procédé Interwet-LFI suscitent l’intérêt des équipementiers qui fabriquent des panneaux extérieurs pour les véhicules électriques (VE) en quête croissante d’allègement.

Cannon fera une présentation axée sur les « Applications légères structurelles et esthétiques pour VE grâce à la technologie Interwet-LFI », animée par Fabio Carminati, Directeur commercial de Cannon Tipos, lors des sessions de « Composites Exchange » du JEC World 2023, le mercredi 26 avril, Agora 5 (16h30-16h55).

Le Groupe Cannon expose au JEC World 2023, Parc des expositions Paris Nord Villepinte (25-27 avril), Hall 5 stand N56.

Un changement de dimension qui en dit long sur le potentiel de son graphène, un nanomatériau permettant de développer des produits aux fonctions très diverses. Connu depuis 20 ans pour sa résistance mécanique et thermique et sa conductivité électrique et thermique, le graphène présente également d’excellentes propriétés anticorrosion et conservatrices.

Toute l’innovation de rupture de Carbon Waters réside dans son procédé unique de production de graphène sous forme dispersée, permettant de proposer des gammes de produits « prêts à l’emploi » au monde industriel. Carbon Waters y a consacré 4 ans de R&D, 3 millions d’euros, et a déjà déposé 2 brevets, un 3e étant en cours.

« Aujourd’hui, nous travaillons sur 3 grands axes de développement. Premier champ d’expertise : le remplacement partiel ou total des produits toxiques, notamment pour les fabricants de peinture. Deuxième axe d’action : la décarbonation de l’industrie et l’allègement des structures pour les secteurs naval, automobile, aéronautique et spatial. Troisième axe d’investigation : le développement de solutions pour le stockage et le transport de l’hydrogène, ainsi que l’allongement de la durée de vie de certains matériaux, dont ceux utilisés dans les batteries. » dit Alban Chesneau, CEO de Carbon Waters.

Grâce à cet investissement, la start-up va passer du mode prototypage au procédé pré-industriel. L’opération a été réalisée auprès d’Aquiti Gestion et de NACO (Nouvelle-Aquitaine Co-investissement), actionnaires historiques, ainsi que des fonds d’investissement Tirésias Angels et Paris Business Angels et de plusieurs autres business angels. Carbon Waters a également reçu le soutien financier de Bpifrance.

Dans un premier temps, ce tour de table va permettre de financer une usine pilote, qui se veut exemplaire avec des procédés peu consommateurs en ressources. Le futur projet immobilier, d’environ 1200 m², devrait voir le jour dans les prochains mois, autour de Bordeaux Métropole. Pour soutenir son développement, la start-up lance un plan de recrutement d’envergure, avec la création d’une dizaine d’emplois qualifiés.

Carbon Waters produit actuellement 500 kilos de dispersions de graphène. Les performances des additifs développés ont été validées par de nombreuses entreprises représentant de multiples secteurs industriels. Carbon Waters prévoit de multiplier par 10 sa production l’an prochain, avant de cibler entre 50 à 100 tonnes fin 2025. Cette montée en puissance suppose de disposer d’une usine de plus grande capacité et d’une équipe commerciale renforcée. Ce nouveau virage industriel fera l’objet d’un nouveau tour de table.

Deux marchés sont principalement visés : le secteur de la peinture qui représente un potentiel de 2 milliards d’euros et celui des polymères qui pourrait dépasser les 4 milliards d’euros. Pour accélérer la pénétration de ces marchés en France et à l’international, Carbon Waters conclut, avec les leaders de ces secteurs, de multiples partenariats technologiques, industriels et commerciaux.

Rencontrez Carbon Waters à JEC World 2023, hall 6, stand F73.

JEC World 2023 takes place at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience live demonstrations of the Massivit 10000-G at Massivit’s Booth K58 in Hall 6 as well as a showcase of industry applications.

The system offers manufacturers significant production time and cost savings – up to 80% of mold production time and 50% in material costs. This latest industrial 3D printer on the company’s second-generation product line provides access to Massivit’s full set of Dimengel thermoset materials that have until now been available with the company’s Gel Dispensing Printing (GDP) product line. GDP enables custom manufacturing and functional prototyping before going to production at up to 30 times the speed of other technologies. The growing range of Dimengel materials respond to essential industry requirements including flame retardancy, high-definition production, and a waste reduction. GDP systems have to date been installed across 40 countries, allowing manufacturers to expedite manufacturing of large, industrial parts.

“We are thrilled to introduce the revolutionary 10000-G to the European composites market at JEC World 2023,” said Erez Zimerman, CEO of Massivit 3D. “This event is the perfect platform to showcase our latest innovations and connect with industry leaders and experts. We are confident that our 10000-G printer will disrupt composite materials manufacturing as we know it, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”

Lance Lyons, President of Massivit’s customer Lyons Industries, concurred “Massivit’s Cast In Motion process is a game changer.”, referring to the printer’s ability to automate production. “Finally, someone’s figured out how to print a composite mold. Now, with the Massivit 10000, it prints the mold in a fraction of the time, energy and cost.”

Massivit has also announced that it will utilize the JEC World event to launch its 2023 corporate rebranding roll out. The rebrand represents a significant step forward for Massivit, reflecting the company’s strategic endeavors to overcome real-world manufacturing needs by offering new, advanced additive manufacturing technologies. Massivit’s vision is to transform large-scale manufacturing from traditional processes to digital, high-speed production using industrial-grade materials. The new logo, look and feel serve to communicate Massivit’s brand identity and unique value proposition towards future growth.

The company’s rebranding process has incorporated Massivit’s core values: radical innovation, reliability – with a current install base across 40 countries, knowledge sharing with the global manufacturing and additive manufacturing communities, and a commitment to supporting greener manufacturing through waste-free, additive innovation.

Meet Massivit at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth K58.

RoboMACH HA combines almost a decade’s worth of Loop Technology’s experience in developing bespoke robotic machining solutions. This process knowledge has allowed the company to design a versatile product that satisfies a wide range of machining applications with enhanced accuracy and enables them to pass on the cost-savings to their customers.

Discover more videos on JEC Composites Web TV.

“Whilst Loop Technology are best known for bespoke solutions, we recognised common requirements and an opportunity to make automation more accessible with an off-the-shelf solution that would suit many applications” says James Streatfeild, Product Manager at Loop Technology. “We want to help our customers stay ahead of the market with a flexible, affordable process that can keep up with new and constantly changing product designs.”

Typically, robotic machining has suited softer materials such as wood, engineering foam, or sand-casting moulds; however, ROBOMACH HA uses the latest advancements in robotics with FANUC’s M-800iA/60 high rigidity model for high accuracy path applications, making it suitable for harder materials such as cured carbon fibre.

RoboMACH HA key features and capabilities include:
• Handles workpieces up to 2000mm wide, 2000mm long, and 800mm high as standard. Maximum capacity dependant on application.
• Machine guarding, to protect personnel and contain debris, with modular design to easily extend and alter cell dimensions.
• Add-ons to suit different customer needs including: tooling rack, 7th axis positioner, CAD/CAM robot programming software, cell extraction, and at-source extraction.

Learn more about RoboMACH HD in-person at JEC World 2023, at the UK pavilion, Hall 6, Stand S52.

Driven by a global dynamic of sustainable development in all industries and strengthened by its expertise in the eco-design and implementation of decorative and structural parts, Lavoisier Composites is launching its CIRCULARITY offer at the occasion of the JEC World trade show, which will be held in Paris from 25th to 27th of April 2023.

In practice, CIRCULARITY allows any company wishing to eco-design composite parts to be accompanied in the choice of the most suitable thermoplastic or thermoset matrix materials and their transformation in order to obtain a proof of concept and a technical and economic validation to move on to production.
When possible, Lavoisier Composites will favour the use of recyclable and biobased by-products to reduce the environmental impact of the composite parts developed. This approach makes it possible to prevent waste generation while creating traced and controlled material closed-loops to guarantee performance and compliance with regulations.

With CIRCULARITY, get in touch with the French gold nugget of by-product reuse to develop more sustainable composite parts.

Lavoisier Composites is a startup that invents and manufactures innovative materials with low environmental impact from by-products of various industries. The company works with clients in the luxury and high-tech sectors such as electronics, aeronautics and mobility in the broadest sense to design and manufacture cosmetic and structural parts.

Founded in Lyon in 2018 by Esteban and Guillaume, two engineers with a bit of a dream, Lavoisier Composites now has nearly a dozen collaborators. As part of its development in France and Europe, the company is taking on the means to achieve its ambitions by continuing to recruit, investing in production resources and setting up industrial partnerships to meet the needs of more sustainable products.

Meet Lavoisier Composites at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth M3.

Portée par une dynamique globale de développement durable dans l’ensemble des industries et forte de son expertise dans l’écoconception et la mise en oeuvre de pièces d’aspect et de structure, à l’occasion du salon JEC World qui se tiendra à Paris du 25 au 27 avril 2023, la société Lavoisier Composites lance son offre CIRCULARITY.

En pratique, CIRCULARITY permet à toute société désireuse d’éco-concevoir des pièces composites, d’être accompagnée dans le choix des matériaux à matrice thermoplastique ou thermodurcissable les plus adaptés et leur transformation pour obtenir une preuve de concept et une valider sur le plan technico-économique pour passer à la production série.

Favorisant le recours à des sous-produits bio ou agro-sourcés et des matières en boucle fermée, l’offre CIRCULARITY de Lavoisier Composites permet de réduire l’impact environnemental des pièces composites développées. Cette démarche permet de faire de la prévention de déchets tout en créant des boucles le réemploi tracés et contrôlés pour garantir les performances et la conformité avec la règlementation.

Avec CIRCULARITY de Lavoisier Composites, faites appel à la pépite Française du réemploi de sous-produits pour développer des pièces composites plus soutenables.

Lavoisier Composites est une startup qui invente et fabrique des matériaux innovants à faible impact environnemental à partir de gisements de sous-produits de différentes filières. Elle collabore avec des clients du luxe et des secteurs de pointe tels que l’électronique, l’aéronautique et la mobilité au sens large pour concevoir et fabriquer des pièces d’aspect et de structure.

Fondée à Lyon en 2018 par Esteban et Guillaume, deux ingénieurs un peu rêveurs, Lavoisier Composites compte à présent près d’une douzaine de collaborateurs. Dans le cadre de son développement en France et en Europe, la société se donne les moyens de ses ambitions en poursuivant les recrutements, les investissements en moyens de production et les partenariats industriels pour répondre aux besoins de produits plus soutenables.

Photo: Lavoisier Composites est né de la rencontre de Guillaume et d’Esteban, deux ingénieurs un peu rêveurs qui voulaient mettre leur art au service d’une belle cause: Révéler le meilleur de la matière et de l’homme !

Rencontrez Lavoisier Composites à JEC World 2023, hall 6, stand M3.

INCA’s team has deployed their decades of award-winning experience in fibre processing and bio-composites innovation and manufacturing to produce lighter prepregs for the automotive industry, large dimensional panels to replace plywood in RV sidewalls, cores for wind turbine blades and boats and compounded pellets to replace glass reinforced plastics.

The product line will be manufactured from hemp which has been legally grown in the Canadian Prairies since 1998, primarily for plant-based protein. INCA will acquire the waste biomass from large growers, refine it into long fiber, short fiber, and hurd and manufacture the full product line.

The New York Family Office CEO said, “As the shift to new lighter, stronger composite materials which reduce carbon footprint is accelerating. Our firm sees the value of this innovative technology, which is not only good business, but on Earth Day, good for the planet.”

The family office engaged the services of Woodington Lane Ventures to evaluate the investment in INCA. Woodington’s CEO, Howard Morton commented that, “INCA serves a proven, growing market – balancing atractive automotive contracts, with distinctive technology. I believe that INCA’s vertically integrated business model helps de-risk an already established industry. This ‘farm to factory floor’ business model offers Tier 1 manufacturers a secure supply chain and cost competitive alternatives to petroleum and wood-based incumbents.”

“Our ability to transform a low-cost raw material into a set of patented high value products, will enable our customers to produce lighter, stronger, lower cost and far more environmentally sustainable products. We think it is a winning value proposition,” added Saltman.

Discover the JEC Composites Startup Booster competition at JEC World 2023: JEC Composites Startup Booster 2023: Tailored to find and assess the best startups in the composites industry

Examples of different materials will be presented on Procotex Apply Carbon booth, aside from parts made by compression molding by Lavoisier Composites from these recycled thermoplastic materials.

Meet Apply Carbon/Procotex at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth Q81.

Des exemples de réalisations de découpe de différents matériaux seront présentés sur le stand G81, Hall 5, en vis-à-vis de pièces réalisées par compression par Lavoisier Composites à partir de ces matériaux thermoplastiques recyclés.

Rencontrez Apply Carbon/Procotex à JEC World 2023, hall 5, stand Q81.

The machine was developed as part of a UK collaboration to develop the technical and supply chain capability to achieve high-grade, composites-intensive components at rate for high-volume markets. The ASCEND programme is a four-year, £40m project launched in 2021 and led by Tier-1 aerospace supplier GKN Aerospace with funding from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and Innovate UK. Cygnet Texkimp is a partner in the consortium which is made up of 14 UK organisations including the National Composites Centre.

The Multi Roll Stack is a UD (unidirectional) and fabric prepreg impregnation machine comprising a series of compaction rollers configured vertically. It is a major departure from conventional in-line prepreg machines which incorporate separate compaction stations (compactors) arranged in a horizontal line. In contrast, the Multi Roll Stack features a single compaction module containing multiple impregnation rollers arranged vertically.

“This space-saving machine offers a way to manufacture towpreg and prepreg materials quickly and accurately while delivering considerable cost and energy benefits,” explains Graeme Jones, Wide Web Product Director at Cygnet Texkimp.

“It is a more sustainable and cost-effective way to process prepregs which offers the potential for them to be used more widely in high-volume and mainstream applications.

“Trials of the technology have been extremely positive with high accuracy, low coat weight prepregs of 112gsm being achieved at speeds of 10metres per minute, with upper limits of performance still to be discovered.”

The material passes repeatedly around the Multi Roll Stack’s heated impregnation rollers, increasing contact with the rollers throughout the process and reducing the energy required to achieve impregnation of the resin within the fibres. One aim of the design was to reduce or remove the heating-cooling cycle, which is typical in conventional in-line prepreg technologies, so that the temperature of the material remains consistent. This is significant because it results in lower energy consumption and reduced material scrappage, while maintaining consistency and accuracy in the finished prepreg and the performance in the resulting component. The production speed and coat weight accuracy achieved by the Multi Roll Stack mean it is capable of manufacturing precision towpregs with the same resin systems commonly used in the aerospace industry.

By configuring the technology in this way, Cygnet Texkimp has shortened the machine’s footprint by more than 50% (with greater space savings relative to larger machines) and increased processing speeds. Stacking the rollers within one compaction module removes the need for multiple drive motors and heaters, which in turn also reduces energy consumption and cost by more than half compared to conventional prepreg technologies. The machine’s shortened web path also leads to reduced material wastage and the compact design will reduce CapEx costs.

Following JEC World, the Multi Roll Stack will be available for industry trials at Cygnet Texkimp’s new Innovation Centre, based at its UK headquarters in Cheshire.

In the last decade, Cygnet Texkimp has designed and supplied more than 30 UD and fabric thermoset prepreg lines to the aerospace, automotive and industrial markets, making it one of the largest suppliers of thermoset prepreg technologies in the world. In 2021, the company launched the Direct Melt Impregnation Thermoplastic Composite Line as the world’s first commercially available thermoplastic composite line capable of using standard polymer, from polypropylene to PEEK, to create high-grade thermoplastic composite prepregs on an industrial scale.

Cygnet Texkimp’s Multi Roll Stack technology will be exhibited at JEC World 2023, Paris, 25-27 April 2023, Hall 5, Stand M72.

ENGEL offers a wide range of technologies for simple and fast mould changes. This includes magnetic clamping platens and quick couplings, intelligent assistance systems, the famox mould changing system for complete automation of the set-up process, and training offers that support the optimisation of the product change strategy.

Setup wizard saves time and reduces the risk of error
ENGEL consultancy starts as early as in the selection of the appropriate training package. Three different courses are available, each tailored to the different requirements of the processors, the conditions in the company and the know-how of the production staff. Basics, Advanced and Expert differ in terms of the depth of knowledge taught and the mould change methods covered. While Basics provides an introduction to the topic and demonstrates the potential using a pilot machine in the ENGEL training centre, the two more advanced courses take place on site at the processor’s facility. Together, the mould set-up processes are analysed and the various methods for product change optimisation are evaluated. Starting with magnetic rapid clamping systems and multiple couplings, through mould positioning and preheating, to the use of a Setup wizard in the Expert course. In all three courses, ENGEL collaborates with Stäubli and other partner companies. This means that participants are given valuable information and practical tips beyond the scope of the injection moulding machine.

“In view of the shortage of skilled workers, Wizard based mould set-up is increasingly shifting into the processors’ focus,“ as Wilke emphasises. “Standardised menu-driven mould changes not only save time, but also reduce the risk of errors.“

The Setup wizard is a kind of checklist that interactively guides the machine operator through the individual steps required for the mould change. To the extent possible, the Setup wizard handles the program steps automatically. Manual steps need to be confirmed on the control unit. This empowers less experienced employees to set up moulds safely and without errors. For experienced mould set-up teams, the Setup wizard further boosts efficiency.

Processor benefits from in-depth injection moulding know-how of trainer
One key component of the ENGEL offering is the training of employees who support the implementation of optimisation measures at the processing facility.

In all phases of product change optimisation, the processor benefits from the ENGEL trainers’ in-depth understanding of injection moulding. “This sets us apart from many other seminar providers on the market who do not focus on the injection moulding industry,“ as Wilke emphasises. “We make sure that our customers leverage the injection moulding production cell to the max – and with as little overhead as possible.“

ENGEL is offering the new product change optimisation courses in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The courses are available in other countries on request.

Meet ENGEL at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth N79.

The Interwet-LFI technology was developed to produce compression molded automotive structural parts reinforced with glass fiber roving as an alternative to production processes based on glass mats or chopped glass fiber pre-blended with polyol.

Based in the Czech Republic, ECOS Chocen, a family-owned business founded in 1990, has mastered a very diverse range of engineering and manufacturing processes over the years for both metals and polymeric materials coupled with cataphoresis in preparation for powder and wet painting of various commercial vehicle components, such as chassis and body exterior panels. The future direction of the company’s activities was established following a successful collaboration in the early 2000s for the development and production of a prototype series of front and rear-end panels for a major Dutch manufacturer of buses. ECOS Chocen, which gained IATF 16949:2016 accreditation, today specializes in the manufacture and production of components and entire assembly units for the automotive industry with a particular focus on commercial vehicles, especially buses, coaches, and trucks.

“We partnered with Cannon to achieve an ambitious goal to produce complex semi-structural and structural glass fiber reinforced polyurethane exterior body components in a one-step process using their unique Interwet-LFI technology, which combines in-mold coating for an excellent surface aesthetic ready for painting,” said Jiri Kutlvasr, Executive Manager of ECOS Chocen. “Cannon delivered a turnkey solution for the Interwet-LFI process including dosing unit machines and mixing heads, molds and presses and robotic process automation that bring high quality and facilitate and increase repeatability and overall productivity”

The interest in the structural properties achievable with Interwet-LFI technology and process is attracting the attention of OEMs fabricating exterior panels for electric vehicles (EVs) in the burgeoning pursuit of lightweighting.

Cannon will feature a presentation focusing on “Structural and Aesthetic Lightweight Applications for EVs with Interwet-LFI technology” led by Fabio Carminati, Sales Manager, Cannon Tipos, during the ‘Composites Exchange’ sessions at JEC World 2023 on Wednesday, April 26 Agora 5 (16:30-16:55).

Cannon Group is exhibiting at JEC World 2023, Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris, France (April 25-27), in Hall 5 Booth N56. 

R&D services focus on machining and assembly of large lightweight structures made of various materials for the aviation and aerospace, wind turbine, commercial vehicle, rail vehicle, and agricultural sectors. Automated or semi-automated manufacturing solutions up to industrial scale are developed.

Pioneering concepts for current challenges
The 4500 m² research hall with an utilizable height of 15 m of Fraunhofer IFAM at the Research Center CFK NORD in Stade provides many large-scale research facilities which can be used flexibly and are equipped with robots, fixtures, and high-performance measurement technology. This makes it possible to relieve customers of the “upscaling” involved in the direct transfer of research results to their production, since Fraunhofer IFAM can validate the step from the laboratory to a production-analog environment with real components on a 1:1 scale on the institute’s own premises as part of process and plant development.

New weight-saving materials and manufacturing processes not only increase efficiency and reduce costs in production, but also decrease energy consumption in operation, which in turn saves costs and promotes climate protection. However, the experts in Automation and Production Technology are also rising to the challenge of reconciling ergonomic workplace design in large-scale structural assembly with efficiency and sustainability. At JEC World 2023, they will provide insights into current application-oriented R&D results in the context of automated assembly, including machining and joining processes.

Modular system with potential – Cognitive production with modular lightweight robotics

In the joint project “Cobots, Humans and Machines from Lower Saxony” (CoMMaNds 2), the researchers at Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade, together with their project partners, developed mobile lightweight robot systems for the efficient and sustainable assembly of aircraft components.

The aim of the R&D activities was to create a modular lightweight robotics toolkit that makes it possible to configure and reconfigure lightweight robot systems with reduced time and financial effort. This allows not only new systems to be projected at lower cost and with shorter delivery time, but also existing systems to be more easily adapted to changing conditions. The system modeling as well as the standardized interfaces are based on the open data exchange standard OPC UA and the standardized sequence control consists of capability-based software modules. Thus, a “Plug & Produce” as well as a fast and simple generation of control codes is achieved in production practice.

Other important components of the project are human-machine interface, which was realized using AR technologies, among others, technologies for fast and reliable referencing, mobilization of the robots, and development of some aerospace-related processes.

The developed technology components of the modular system have already proven themselves in exemplary applications. For example, the crimping of rivets on an aircraft fuselage shell and the drilling and screwing of riveted joints were successfully carried out on a 1:1 scale using the example of an aircraft vertical tail plane box.

Clean Sky 2 – “MFFD” – An aircraft fuselage of the future – Assembly technologies for new fuselage designs with thermoplastic CFRP

In Stade, Fraunhofer is currently building the Clean Sky 2 “Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator” (“MFFD”) on a 1:1 scale. The significant weight reduction of the aircraft fuselage of the future results from a new design, which in turn is made accessible for this area of application by the use of thermoplastic fiber composites for the first time worldwide.

Increasing demand for aircraft and the need to reduce CO₂ emissions require new methods and technologies in the aircraft construction. For a significant increase in productivity on the one hand and environmental compatibility – through weight reduction – on the other, there is a promising approach: the combination of thermoplastic, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) aircraft structural elements, fairing parts and cabin system elements into an integrated structural module.

The Clean Sky 2 “Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator” (“MFFD”) is investigating the technological and economic feasibility of welding-based assembly of highly integrated, thermoplastic aircraft fuselage structures. This includes the construction of a 1:1 scale demonstrator with various joint designs and welding processes in Stade, which is being developed together with international project partners. In addition to the welding process, the focus is on automated manipulation and assembly of the structures while maintaining the highest tolerance requirements.

Positioning and drilling end-effector for automated, high-precision and quality-assured pre-assembly of CFRP integral frames

The automation solutions developed in the “Impuls” subproject “Tempo” (“Technologies for the efficient assembly and production of CFRP fuselage components”) by Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade together with project partners have already been validated in a near-series environment on a full-scale prototype.

The positioning and drilling end effector newly developed for a portal system to automate the pre-assembly of stiffening elements (cleats) on CFRP integral frames for the manufacture of aircraft fuselages enables production rate increases both with constant quality and at lower cost. In addition, the previous manual production requires more process steps.

The positioning and drilling end effector fulfills the tasks of receiving various cleats, positioning them on different integral frames and simultaneously double drilling both components. The compactly built end effector can be picked up by the portal system used as well as by standard industrial robots. It can be controlled via a system PLC and receives its global position data from imported CAD data of the components. The new assembly situation is adapted via a quick upstream measurement using a laser tracker. The innovative technology enables a reliable process and high positioning accuracy. The measuring technology integrated in the end effector documents exactly the required contact pressure as well as many other parameters for monitoring the optimal conditions for the pre-assembly of the cleats on the integral frame. This guarantees online quality assurance.

The end effector developed for the pre-assembly, positioning, and drilling of frames can also be used for the assembly of components in other industries, such as wind turbines-, rail vehicle-, commercial vehicle-, automotive- or shipbuilding, by adapting the mounting system.

Agile production technologies for CFRP box structures – Automated rudder hinge assembly in aircraft vertical tail planes

By using agile production technologies for CFRP box structures, researchers at Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade optimized the production processes of aircraft vertical tail planes in the joint project “FastFlexMont 2”.

With the aim of no longer interrupting the assembly of rudder hinges to the Vertical Tail Plane (VTP) box by long waiting times, Fraunhofer IFAM experts and partners have developed application and curing of shim material (gap-filling material; as a parallel process. Automated and digitally networked processes enable volume-accurate metering and application as well as precise shaping and edge smoothing of the shim. Only after the gap filling has cured, the completely shimmed rudder hinge is inserted into the vertical tail plane.

Thus, in addition to agile manufacturing, the parallelization of work steps makes it possible to reuse technical resources and consequently increase productivity while at the same time reducing costs.

Efficiency-enhancing flow-line production of large CFRP components – Trend-setting mobile holding fixture for flexible pick-up, alignment, and transport of components

Discover more videos on JEC Composites Web TV.

A further milestone with regard to agile production technologies – the new mobile holding fixture developed by Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade together with project partners can flexibly hold various large components, such as aircraft tail planes or landing flaps, in different types up to eight meters in length, align them precisely and sustainably, and transport them.

This joint research project (“UniFix”; “Universal mobile component clamping and fixing device for the processing of fiber composite structures”) is also all about weight-reducing large CFRP structures on a 1:1 scale for aircraft construction. Focused on machining processes in the production flow, this holding fixture is able to significantly relieve a machining line of time-consuming, non-value-adding secondary activities by passing through various process stations in advance with the optimally and precisely aligned large components, at which preparatory work can be carried out in parallel and simultaneously.

This flow-oriented production makes it possible to reduce throughput times and thus increase productivity, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and consequently competitiveness in the international market. The advantages of flow-oriented manufacturing lie primarily in the reduction of manual handling operations and non-productive time. In addition, there are increases in efficiency through specialization of the individual plants, reduced throughput times due to harmonized cycle times, as well as an associated reduction in buffer stocks and faster reaction to process deviations.

Meet Fraunhofer IFAM at the JEC World 2023, Hall 6, Booth Q 28, Position 16 (joint booth of Composites United e.V.).

“The thermoplastic composites industry has recently seen a strong growth. With this new collaboration we can further expand the market for these high-quality products in Europe and Asia. Johns Manville’s new Neomera^® portfolio is a perfect fit to our existing range of products and solutions for the advanced composites market. Biesterfeld Spezialchemie represents the modern thermoplastic composites solutions towards a wide range of industries: from general industrial applications, to automotive, to aerospace and space applications,” says Stig Eines, Market Manager Performance Products, Biesterfeld Spezialchemie.

“We are looking forward to our partnership with Biesterfeld Spezialchemie, a partner with in-depth market knowledge and international distribution know-how,” says Stefan Mohr, Director for Johns Manville’s European business activities. “The properties of Neomera^® thermoplastic composites are simply outstanding. We expect them to quickly find their way into many applications over the next few years. We are delighted to take this step together with Biesterfeld Spezialchemie.”

Meet Johns Manville at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth D84.

Nouveau système de dosage pour les applications de mastic
Le puttymix est une nouveauté dans la gamme de produits DOPAG. La finition des pales de rotor est devenue de plus en plus importante en raison de l’augmentation de la longueur des pales. Afin de protéger particulièrement bien la surface des pales de rotor, les petites irrégularités sont remplies de mastic à la fin du processus de production. Avec le puttymix, DOPAG a développé un système spécifique qui dose et mélange parfaitement le matériau de mastic à deux composants avec sa variance de viscosité élevée.

Photo: puttymix : Système de dosage et de mélange pour l’application de mastic sur les pales de rotor.

Rencontrez DOPAG à JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth E72.

Developed in a manufacturing cell at TPI’s Automotive Technology Center in Warren, Rhode Island using the latest in automated ply cutting and robotic pick and place technologies, the process is a seamless and cost-effective implementation of Helicoid™ architectures. A multiaxial non-crimp fabric technology is used to strategically compose the full Helicoid™ stack in sub-units. The stack layers are then robotically dosed and automatically placed and retrieved from a 2500T press, resulting in high performance precision parts.

“TPI Automotive offers full-service development and production solutions for OEM next generation vehicles with efficient designs, superior performance, and outstanding quality. We offer industrialization expertise for engineered solutions that are quick to market, and low investment for our customers’ demanding technical and commercial battery enclosure and structural applications. We are excited to work with Helicoid to provide this innovative solution,” noted Jerry Lavine, President, TPI Automotive.

Kitting recorded net sales of CHF 33.7 million for the first quarter of 2023. This is an increase of 2.7% at constant exchange rates compared to the first quarter of the prior year. Kitting net sales achieved good volumes in China but continues to be impacted by the reduced demand for wind blades, primarily for Western customers.

Manufacturing Solutions (Tooling) significantly increased its first quarter 2023 net sales by 24.1% at constant exchange rates to CHF 12.6 million, driven by new mould demand for Western customers which is expected to continue in the course of 2023.

Outlook
After a low start, Gurit experienced a positive trend both in sales volume and earnings in the last month of the first quarter. Gurit’s guidance for 2023 remains with expected net sales of 450–510 million CHF and an operating profit margin of 2–5% excluding M&A effects, restructuring and impairment charges.

Annual General Meeting of Shareholders
The Annual General Meeting today approved all motions proposed by the Board of Directors. Due to the significant funds required and the resulting debt level from the strategic acquisition of 60% of the Structural Profiles (Fiberline) business in 2022 and the current level of profitability, Gurit does not pay out a dividend in 2023 and will instead use the funds to reduce the debt level of the company further.

Gurit Half-Year 2023 Report
Gurit will publish its half-year report 2023 on August 16, 2023 at 07:00 AM CEST. Management will also discuss the results at a joint media and analyst conference on August 16, 2023, at 09:00 AM CEST.

Meet Gurit at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth L22.

Hankuk Carbon is the latest investor in Dymag, following on from funding from the UK government’s Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI), alongside several rounds from Puma Private Equity, underlining Dymag’s momentum and position as a British manufacturing success story.

Combined with new investment from Hankuk Carbon, Dymag will be able to accelerate time-to-market and enable economies of scale in the manufacturing of carbon hybrid wheels. Focusing on a uniquely scalable and localised approach, the two companies will bring
state-of-the-art lightweight composite wheels to more mass-market performance vehicles rapidly, cost-effectively, and sustainably.

Lighter, stiffer and stronger than a traditional cast alloy wheel, Dymag’s carbon hybrid wheels bring huge advantages to all vehicle sectors, particularly electric vehicles. Already seen on the world’s leading high-performance cars and SUVs, the company is in advanced stages with multiple global OEMs regarding further lightweight wheel supply agreements.

Tom de Lange, CEO of Dymag said: “On behalf of all at Dymag, I am delighted to announce that Hankuk Carbon is now an investor in our business, building on the strategic partnership we signed last year. Lightweight carbon hybrid wheels bring a vast array of benefits for vehicles – particularly EVs – with no development costs. Thanks to new investment from Hankuk Carbon, combined with the funding we have already received from the UK government and Puma Private Equity, we are now entering the next exciting phase in our journey, bringing our game-changing lightweight wheel technology to a wider audience of global automotive customers.”

Mr. Moonsoo Cho, Chairman of Hankuk Carbon Group said: “The core objective of our strategic partnership with Dymag has always been to accelerate the growth in the global market potential for high performance carbon hybrid wheels. Building on our existing relationship, we have now become a strategic investor in Dymag, and with this investment we will be further leveraging Hankuk’s expertise in composite materials and industrialisation to automotive customers around the world.”

Leading advanced wheel design since 1974, Dymag has unrivalled heritage and was the first in the world to commercialise carbon hybrid automotive wheels in 2004. Designed for high-performance vehicles, from sports cars to SUVs and pickups, the patented carbon hybrid wheel, which combine a carbon outer rim with a forged aluminium or magnesium centrepiece, delivers multiple gains for OEMs, the aftermarket and customers alike.

As well as being 40% lighter than a traditional cast alloy wheel, Dymag’s carbon hybrid wheel brings major gains in reduced unsprung mass and reduced moment of inertia, with less energy required to accelerate and brake. Another dynamic benefit is a reduced gyroscopic force thanks to the lightness of the wheel itself, which means less steering effort is required. Strength and durability are also greatly improved.

These gains can make a significant difference on any high-performance vehicle, but especially so for large SUVs and pickups, and in particular EV versions of these, where Dymag’s technology can represent a saving of up to 10kg per corner, 40kg total, in unsprung mass versus cast wheels.

Furthermore, this weight-saving has the potential to enhance EV range by around five percent, equating to an extra 25km on an EV with a typical 500km range.

Carbon fibre’s superior flexibility can also reduce Noise Vehicle Harshness (NVH) too – a huge boon for engineers developing an EV where the ICE is no longer masking unwanted noises. Carbon hybrid wheels also bring aesthetic advantages for OEMs; a forged aluminium or magnesium centrepiece offering greater design flexibility than a solid carbon fibre wheel, while Dymag’s unique designs are also proven and tested to all worldwide OEM standards.

Dymag offers a full range of 18-to-23-inch carbon hybrid wheels, to which it will add new
24-inch and 25-inch examples later this year. 

Meet Hankuk Carbon at JEC World 2023, hall 5, N22.

As well as at the Bcomp stand, products and parts developed using ampliTex^TM and powerRibs^TM technologies will be on display as part of the JEC World ‘Planet’ exhibitions. The Industry Planet for example will feature an ecoFoiler – the first recyclable foiling sailing dinghy on the market – developed by Northern Light Composites.

Harnessing the properties of flax fibres, Bcomp’s sustainable composites can be used to produce parts with similar stiffness and weight to carbon fibre while cutting CO₂ emissions by up to 85% depending on the application. The technologies also offer significantly better vibration damping and ductile failure modes – rather than the shattering and splintering of carbon fibre – to deliver important safety benefits, particularly in motorsport.

Christian Fischer, CEO and Co-Founder at Bcomp, commented: “We are very excited to display a great number of parts that are in production with leading brands, at this year’s event. Especially, the first European display of the bodywork that will be used in Japan’s Super Formula race series this year. It shows the exceptional performance potential of our sustainable lightweighting solutions. As the world looks to develop circular economies and find carbon-neutral materials, our natural fibre technologies offer a compelling alternative to traditional performance composites. We have achieved the IATF and ISO 14001 certifications, both required for the large-scale automotive serial production which we are entering this year. We welcome everyone attending JEC World 2023 to visit us at the Bcomp stand and see the potential of ampliTex^TM and powerRibs^TM first-hand.”

JEC World is a leading global gathering for the composites industry, attracting more than 33,000 professionals from over 112 countries. Uniting major companies, startups, and experts, it covers the entire value chain, providing inspiration across sectors like aerospace, marine, construction, and automotive. With more than 1,200 exhibitors and 26 pavilions, the event facilitates over 5,400 business meetings, fostering connections within the industry.

Meet Bcomp at JEC World 2023, in the Natural Fibre Village, hall 5, booth A45.

The partnership will enable both companies to leverage their strengths, creating a new standard in custom NFC components at scale. Customers will benefit from the combined strengths of the two companies, increasing the pace of product development and possible scale of production.

“Our partnership with Cobra allows us to focus on our strengths in technology and product development, while Cobra scales up production to meet the increasing demand for sustainable composite components,” said Jan Paul Schirmer, Managing Director of Greenboats.

“We are excited to work with Greenboats. They are real pioneers when it comes to NFC. Together we can continue to lower the barriers to entry for sustainable composites and boost the adoption of innovative NFC solutions,” said Danu Chotikapanich, CEO of Cobra.

The partnership started earlier this year with a first customer project, a home charging unit for Electric Cars (Wallbox). The Unit will be displayed on the Cobra booth hall 6, stand E28 at JEC World in Paris, taking place 25-27 April 2023.

Photo: Greenboats Monocab 2022

Visitors to the stand will be able to examine a PRO-SET epoxy infused rudder from Spirit Yachts’ incredible 111 and an engine bonnet for the Porsche 911/964s. The team will also be happy to discuss the latest innovations in bio-based epoxies. 

PRO-SET products are now used on all Ovington’s OK Dinghies mouldings and have been since 2022. According to Ovington MD, Chris Turner, the complete boat is made using PRO-SET epoxy because it allows them to have a consistently well-built product. Recently Wessex Resins announced that PRO-SET is sponsoring the upcoming International OK Dinghy 2023 World Championships, to be held at Lyme Regis Sailing Club 22-30 June 2023. The event – consisting of ten races – is expected to attract over 100 competitors from New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Demark, Holland, Sweden, France and Norway among other nations. PRO-SET is a title sponsor, alongside Ovington Boats. 

Previously, PRO-SET epoxy has been used by University of Manchester students to make a bespoke single-seater car to race at Silverstone in the Formula Student competition – the world’s largest student engineering design competition with entries from around the world, including USA, Australia, India, Canada and the Far East, as well as a wealth of European teams. 

It’s also been used to make epoxy infused engine bonnets for Porsche 911/964s as owners move to carbon infused parts to reduce weight, especially from the rear of vehicles. Reproduced in carbon fibre by James Newman from J-Tec Composites, the company uses PRO-SET INF 114 Resin with high temperature 249-HT Hardener to infuse the carbon fibre – the cured epoxy provides the high temperature resistance needed for the component. 

Also, a little-known fact about Wessex Resins and Adhesives is that it’s made over 50 bespoke chemical formulations (epoxy adhesives, coatings, etc.) for clients with very specific needs over the past 20 years and is more than happy to discuss composite infusion challenges. If you have a project where PRO-SET epoxy presents an appropriate materials choice and require focused technical expertise to assist your materials choice and composite process engineering then do make sure you find us. 

Meet Wessex Resins and Adhesives at JEC World 2023, in Hall 5, Booth F23. 

Commercially available in early 2024, the CBAM 25 will bring 3D printing to volume manufacturing, breaking the 3D printing speed barrier while using advanced materials for superior mechanical properties and tolerances. 

“The world is made out of things and with the CBAM 25 we are changing the way they are made,” says Robert Swartz, Founder and Chairman of the Board at Impossible Objects. “The CBAM 25 is the world’s fastest printer and we are entering a new era of 3D printing with nearly unlimited material options at the speed of true mass production. This is a Moore’s law moment for 3D printing and this is just the first step.”

The CBAM 25 high-performance composite materials enable engineers to design stronger, lighter and more durable parts. Most notably, the Carbon Fiber PEEK material set achieves very high chemical and temperature resistance, and mechanical properties superior to most engineering plastics. Carbon Fiber PEEK parts are a suitable alternative for aluminum, tooling, spares, repairs and end-use parts. Impossible Objects is currently producing and selling parts in untapped 3D markets such as electronic tooling and for a broad range of applications, including aerospace, defense, and transportation industries. It is also replacing CNC machining with greater geometric freedom. 

Impossible Objects’ CEO, Steve Hoover, emphasizes the importance of production speed with the new CBAM 25: “With a fifteen times speed improvement over existing 3D printers our new CBAM 25 completes the transition of 3D printing from its roots in prototyping to the heartland of manufacturing. It’s hard to actually imagine what fifteen times faster means. For a comparison, this is also the speed difference between the fastest human running the mile and a Formula race car in a straight away. That’s the same difference that our new CBAM 25 has versus prior technologies. We believe that this is a huge-step forward not only for our company, but also our industry, as it moves 3D printing into volume manufacturing.”

• Stiffness – to – weight ratio
• Strength – to – weight ratio
• Impact resistance – to – weight ratio

Addyx aims to change the paradigm for topological optimization of composites to make it more efficient in terms of mechanical performance, design and manufacturing.

Discover more videos on JEC Composites Web TV.

WSM-170 water soluble expanding mandrel
The WSM-170 Is the Addyx water-soluble expanding mandrel that opens new frontiers in the design and production of hollow, tubular composite components with complex geometry.

Made by Additive Manufacturing technology using a patented material with very low environmental footprint. Ideal for autoclave, OoA and RTM curing cycles, with an external counter-mould.

MAIN ADVANTAGES on the final composite component:

• Up to 40% reduction in manufacturing time.
• Up to 15% reduction in scrap rate.
• Up to 20% weight reduction.
• High quality surface finish on both external and internal side.
• Washing out the mandrel using tab water.

Meet Addyx at JEC World 2023, at the JEC Startup Booster Village, hall 6, booth H4.

Unlike tools that are centered on scientists and limited to the lab, BConnect gathers and distributes vital data to teams throughout the enterprise and around the world. This enables engineers, product designers, vendors, line operators, executive leadership and others to communicate with greater ease, speed and efficiency—bridging expertise gaps and language differences.

Brighton CEO Andy Reeher explains, “Nearly every product that’s made today has some kind of surface bonding requirements, whether that’s paint, glue, coatings or adhesives. For decades, companies have struggled to understand why certain materials fail, because what’s happening on these surfaces is invisible.” He continues, “Getting real-time surface readiness data and sharing it is a frontier where none have ventured before, and the implications are game-changing. If we can help our customers see what’s happening molecularly on those surface interfaces, they can get more predictability and assurance with their bonds, which will unleash innovation with new materials and make their existing products more durable and sustainable.”

Brighton Chief Science Officer Giles Dillingham, Ph.D., concurs: “The rate of innovation in manufacturing is exponential right now, with revolutionary new materials. Yet unseen environmental conditions and simple human choices continue to compromise surface integrity.” He continues, “Our BConnect system can now accomplish what traditional QA cannot—bringing more visibility and certainty to the manufacturing process.”

BConnect is a subscription-based offering that includes highly sensitive mobile and inline sensors that collect surface readiness data and wirelessly upload it to the BConnect cloud-based SaaS platform. Completely customized for each company and its users, these Surface Intelligence networks give teams a common language and data set to innovate, troubleshoot and optimize processes while reducing costly waste and recalls. All data collected via BConnect is private and proprietary to each company.

Companies that subscribe to BConnect can also opt in to the SIQ Community, an emerging industry collective committed to advancing knowledge and driving innovation in the surface science space—collaborating on topics like increasing sustainability, speed and safety in global manufacturing.

FFI CEO Mark Hutchinson said: “FFI is pleased to support the growth of Nabrawind. FFI values Nabrawind as a critical ally in the development of renewable energy and the green transition. Reducing the cost of renewable energy production is a key driver of green hydrogen adoption. The innovative products developed by the talented team at Nabrawind are just one of the ways to do this, both for FFI and across the market. We see great opportunities to help each other be successful in the future.”

Nabrawind added value portfolio
Nabrawind commercializes five innovative products of great added value for wind energy: the modular blade, Nabrajoint; the self-erecting tower, Nabralift; the tripod foundation, Nabrabase;  the crane-less blade installation system, Bladerunner; and a new system to install the whole wind turbine at 15 m/s, Skylift.

Nabrawind has already overcome the R&D and prototyping phase for its product portfolio. The successful market entrance of these products implies a significant growth in its business volume and the need of new investments in order to meet the increasing demand.

For this reason, the General Manager of Nabrawind, Eneko Sanz, highlights that “after the technical, production capacity and entry into the market challenges, our next steps are market consolidation and financial capacity for facing the expected growth. Our partnership with FFI reinforces us in both strategic lines, with very similar culture values and vision about the ecological transition”. Finally, Sanz highlighted the “remarkable work undertaken by Nabrawind’s partners not only during this process but also the constant support over so many years”. Nabrawind’s current partners are Barinaga & Alberdi, Sodena, InnoEnergy and Basarro.

Nabrawind growth
In this regard, Nabrawind’s strategic plan includes both organic growth in all the company areas and inorganic growth by key alliances or joint ventures with other stakeholders all over the world, from IPPs, OEMs and relevant suppliers or industrial partners.

This is the path that Nabrawind already set in its previous stages, from which was born Navassy, a joint venture formed with the specialized partners Comansa and Tetrace. Navassy was set up a couple of years agofor the on-site installation of the Nabralift self-erecting tower that Nabrawind commercializes worldwide. In this sense, Navassy recently validated the new self-erecting system in the tallest wind turbine in Africa, with wind gusts up to 15 m/s, in a new wind farm of its early adopter Innovent.

For this important deal, Nabrawind was advised by ARPA Abogados Consultores and KPMG.

The respective advantages are combined to drastically reduce production time and costs. With the aid of the metallic coating, the thermal conductivity and service life of the injection mold is to be significantly increased. With the aid of this new mold technology, the existing approach (aluminum cavity) will be supplemented by a further alternative to enable future injection molded components to be tested quickly and cost-effectively.

The new project is funded by the Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM) of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.

Dans le domaine du développement et de la fabrication de matériaux et structures composites, des efforts sont déployés pour maintenir la tendance favorable des années précédentes, bien que le secteur ait été affecté par le ralentissement économique mondial causé par la pandémie de coronavirus. En République tchèque, dix grandes sociétés et cinquante autres sociétés de taille moyenne et petite s´occupent de la fabrication de composites, actuellement dans le volume d´environ 26 kt par an, dont environ 80 % sont destinés à l´exportation, soit sous la forme de pièces finies, soit comme éléments des unités structurales plus importantes, à la fois vers les pays de l´UE et d´autres territoires.  

Dans le secteur des liants, des types innovants de résines polyester, vinylester et époxyde continuent à être utilisés par 94 %, avec la part de technologies manuelles et ouvertes diminuant au profit de méthodes de traitement fermées, plus respectueuses de l´environnement, y compris l´utilisation de la mécanisation et de la robotisation. De nouveaux matériaux à base de fibres de carbone et de nano-renforts continuent à être appliqués de plus en plus.

Les tendances actuelles dans le développement des composites en République tchèque, en plus des technologies fermées, visent également à réduire l´inflammabilité des matériaux de base ainsi que des sandwichs et des structures, notamment dans les industries des transports et de la construction, ce qui correspond à des réglementations toujours plus rigoureuses en matière de sécurité, d´environnement et de protection contre l´incendie.

Les sociétés manufacturières coopèrent étroitement avec la base de recherches scientifiques, tant dans la recherche fondamentale (Institut de chimie macromoléculaire de l´Académie des sciences de la République tchèque) que dans la recherche appliquée étudiée notamment aux universités techniques, que ça soit à la Faculté de génie mécanique de l´Université technique tchèque à Prague, à la Faculté des sciences appliquées de l´Université de Bohême occidentale, Université technique de Liberec, Institut de technologie chimique de Prague et à d´autres lieux de travail de développement.

L’agence CzechTrade aide les entreprises tchèques à se développer sur les marchés étrangers. C’est pourquoi elle a inclus la participation tchèque à JEC WORLD 2023 parmi ses activités soutenues. La proposition a été initiée par l’Association pour le soutien technique et la promotion des composites polymères et l’Association des fabricants de composites.

Sociétés Tchèques présentent à JEC World 2023

5M s.r.o. est l’un des plus grands producteurs européens de profilés composites et de panneaux sandwich basé au cœur de l’Europe à Kunovice, en République Tchèque. Au cours de plus de 30 ans d’histoire de 5M s.r.o., ils sont devenus un partenaire solide pour presque tous les clients qui se concentrent sur la production de trains, trams, bus, avions mais aussi pour les satellites et la production aérospatiale très spéciale. 5M produit actuellement sur 17 000 m² de surface nette de salles de production, laboratoires spéciaux avec 10 lignes de pultrusion, fours thermiques, autoclaves et d´autres équipements, avec un chiffre d’affaires annuel supérieur à 25 millions d’euros. 
Rencontrez cette société à JEC World 2023, Hall 6, stand P6.
Plus d’information: www.5m.cz

CompoTech PLUS, spol. s r.o. est une entreprise d’ingénierie des composites fournissant des services de conception, d’analyse et de fabrication. Leur technologie CFRP d’enroulement filamentaire, robotisée et développée en interne, autorise un placement véritablement axial des fibres. Ils travaillent avec des partenaires de tous les secteurs pour fournir des pièces composites innovantes et des solutions technologiques adaptées. Ils sont spécialisés dans l’automatisation industrielle et les machines-outils pour améliorer l’efficacité, la productivité et la rentabilité des systèmes ; ils proposent des solutions complètes, à partir du développement jusqu´à la fabrication. 
Rencontrez cette société à JEC World 2023, Hall 6, stand G71.
Plus d’information: www.compotech.com

GF Machinery s.r.o. est engagée dans le développement et la fabrication de machines pour le traitement des fibres et tissus techniques :  Machines et lignes de transformation de fibres techniques (à base de fibre de verre et/ou de basalte)  Coupeuse en ligne/hors ligne, lignes de roving (système de contrôle de tension, cantres, séchoirs), lignes d’impression de logo sur treillis en fibre de verre, équipements de finition : lignes de formatage et refendage, lignes de traitement chimique, Machines et lignes de production sur mesure pour l’industrie automobile, Lignes de production pour les garnitures de pavillon automobile (ligne de coupe des fils en fibre de verre à ajouter aux garnitures pavillon), lignes d’enduction des feuilles pour l’habillage intérieur de voitures (par la méthode de fusion à chaud), presses électriques (jusqu’à 200kN), postes de travail, Machines et lignes de transformation sur mesure de fibres techniques utilisées dans le domaine de la santé/hygiène, Lignes de laminage, lignes de refendage
Rencontrez cette société à JEC World 2023, Hall 5, stand E90.
Plus d’information: http://www.gfm.cz

HAVEL Composites s.r.o. est un grossiste en matériaux composites et accessoires pour
usages professionnels et industriels. La société offre : résines époxy et polyester, durcisseurs, peroxydes, pigments, produits chimiques de base et diluants, vernis, mastic, enduits gélifiés (gelcoats), fibres de verre, d’aramide, de carbone et d´autres, matériaux préimprégnés, des tissus, des rubans, des bas, séparateurs, charges, microbilles, fibres broyées ou coupées, matériaux sandwich, outils, fourniture de technologies, service de conseil et formation professionnelle, tuyaux, bois ronds, panneaux et autres profilés, bateaux, pagaies, avirons, bâtons.
Rencontrez cette société à JEC World 2023, Hall 5, stand E90.
Plus d’information: www.havel-composites.com

Radalytica a.s. a été la première société au monde à introduire la tomographie assistée par ordinateur (TAO) 3D robotisée mobile en exploitation commerciale. Ce système d’imagerie robotique unique, appelé RadalyX, apporte une innovation importante au contrôle de qualité non destructif en 2D et 3D. En combinant des technologies d’imagerie de pointe telles que les détecteurs d’imagerie par rayons X à comptage de photons, la rétrodiffusion de rayons X et les contrôles par ultrasons induits par laser avec une paire de robots à six axes, RadalyX crée une plateforme robuste qui offre de nouvelles possibilités d’imagerie. RadalyX est un appareil de tomographie assistée par ordinateur portable à double robot qui peut inspecter des zones d’intérêt dans de grandes structures et des avions.
Rencontrez cette société à JEC World 2023, Hall , stand E90.
Plus d’information: www.radalytica.com

Unique Textiles s.r.o. est une société purement tchèque qui fabrique des tissus techniques et des renforts en fibre de verre utilisés dans les matériaux composites. La société a été fondée en 1998 et possède 25 ans d’expérience dans la production de tissus en fibre de verre. Leurs produits actuels comprennent une gamme complète de tissus en fibre de verre, de tissus stratifils et une large gamme de matériaux combinés. Ils sont également spécialisés dans le tissage de filaments de verre, de stratifils et de rubans et tissus hybrides avec des structures de fibres spécifiques. En tant qu’entreprise orientée vers le client, ils travaillent en étroite collaboration avec les clients sur leurs besoins pour la production de modèles et de largeurs non standard de tissus de verre, y compris rubans et combinaisons diverses.
Rencontrez cette société à JEC World 2023, Hall 6, stand P6.
Plus d’information: www.unique.cz

VÚTS, a.s. se concentre sur la recherche, le développement et la fabrication de machines et d’équipements pour l’industrie manufacturière. Les activités de VÚTS sont basées sur l’offre d’une gamme complète de services, de la recherche et du développement à la mise en œuvre d’une unité technologique complète, en passant par le développement de la conception. Dans le domaine des composites, ils offrent une solution complète pour les projets à partir de la conception jusqu´à la technologie de production et au prototypage, en passant par l’analyse. Ils conçoivent et analysent les structures composites, fournissent une analyse structurelle des laminés, proposent des solutions pour l’optimisation des laminés et fournissent des essais non destructifs, etc.
Rencontrez cette société à JEC World 2023, Hall 5, stand E90.
Plus d’information: www.vuts.cz

About CzechTrade:
The CzechTrade Agency is a national pro-export organisation established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The main objective of the agency is to develop international trade and cooperation between Czech and foreign entities.  Foreign offices of the Czech Trade agency provide services in 64 countries on five continents. These assist foreign entities in exploring business opportunities, identifying business partners, and finding qualified suppliers specifically from the Czech Republic.

In the area of development and production of composite materials and constructions, the favourable trend of the previous years continues, though the sector has been adversely affected by the global economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In the Czech Republic, ten large companies and fifty other small and medium-sized companies are engaged in the production of composites, currently in the volume of approximately 26 kt per year, of which approximately 80% is intended for export either as finished parts or as part of larger construction units for EU countries and other territories.

In the field of binders, innovative types of polyester, vinylester and epoxy resins continue to be used in 94% of cases, and the share of manual and open technologies is decreasing towards more environmentally friendly closed processing methods, including the use of mechanization and robotization. The use of new carbon fibre-based materials and nano-reinforcements is increasing.

Current trends in the development of composites in the Czech Republic, in addition to closed technologies, are focused on reducing the flammability of both basic materials and sandwiches and structures, especially for the transport industry and construction, in accordance with the stricter safety, environmental and fire regulations.

Manufacturing companies cooperate with the scientific research both in the field of basic (Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences) and in applied research especially at universities, e.g., CVUT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Prague, University of West Bohemia Faculty of Applied Sciences, Technical University of Liberec, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague and other development workplaces.  

The CzechTrade Agency assists Czech companies in their expansion to foreign markets and therefore has included Czech participation in JEC World 2023 among its supported activities. The proposal was initiated by the Association for Technical Support and Promotion of Polymer Composites and the Association of Composites Manufacturers.

Czech companies exhibiting at JEC World 2023

5M s.r.o. is one of the biggest European producers of composite profiles and sandwich panels based in the heart of Europe in Kunovice, Czech Republic. During more than 30 years of its history, it has become a strong partner for almost every customer which is focused on production of trains, trams, buses, and airplanes but also of satellites and very special aerospace production. 5M is currently producing on 17 000 sq. m of net area of production halls, special laboratories with 10 pultrusion lines, heat ovens, autoclave and other equipment with annual turnover over 25 million Euro.  
Meet the company at JEC World 2023, Hall 6, booth P6.
More information: www.5m.cz

Compo Tech PLUS, spol. s r.o. is a creative composite engineering company providing design, analysis, and manufacturing services. Its CFRP production uses in-house, automated, robot-assisted fibre laying and winding technology with true, zero-degree, axial fibre placement. They work with customers across all sectors to provide innovative composite parts and technology solutions.  However, the company is specialised in solutions for industrial automation and machine tool applications offering a complete solution to design, develop, test, and optimise composite structures to replace metal components resulting in increased efficiency, productivity, and lifetime cost.  
Meet the company at JEC World 2023, Hall 6, booth G71.
More information: www.compotech.com

GF Machinery, s.r.o. is focussed on development and production of machinery and equipment for the processing of technical fibres and fabrics:  TECHNICAL FIBER (glass and/or basalt fiber) and fabric processing machines and lines Online/Offline Chopper, Roving lines (Braking tension system, Creels, Driers), Printing lines for logo printing onto glass mesh, Finishing equipment: Slitting & Formatting lines, Chemical Treatment lines, costomized production lines and equipment for automotive industry, Headliners production lines (Fiberglass chopping line for adding of chopped yarn to car roofs-headliners production), Coating lines for car interior foils processing (by “hotmelt” method), Electric presses (up to 200kN), Working Stations, customized fabric processing, processing production lines and equipment for medical/hygienic industry, Laminating lines, Slitting Lines.
Meet the company at JEC World 2023, Hall 5, booth E90.
More information: http://www.gfm.cz

HAVEL COMPOSITES s.r.o. is composite materials and attachment producer and wholesaler for professional and industrial use.  The company offers: epoxy and polyester resins, hardeners, peroxides, pigments, basic chemicals and thinners, polishes, putties, gelcoats, glass, aramid, carbon and other fibres, prepregs, fabrics, tapes, stockings, mats, separators, fillers, microballs, milled or cutted fibres, sandwich materials, honeycombs marks, such as Coremat, Airex, Rohacell… delivery of technologies, counselling service and professional schooling, pipes, round timber, boards and other profiles from glass or carbon fibers, boats, paddles, oars, running sticks.  
Meet the company at JEC World 2023, Hall 5, booth E90.
More information: www.havel-composites.com

Radalytica a.s. was the first in the world to introduce mobile robotic 3D computed tomography (CT) into commercial operation. This unique robotic imaging system, referred to as RadalyX brings important innovation to 2D and 3D non-destructive quality control. Combining cutting-edge imaging technologies such as photon-counting X-ray imaging detectors, X-ray backscattering, and laser-induced ultrasound-testing with a pair of six-axis robots, RadalyX creates a robust platform that provides new imaging possibilities. RadalyX is a dual-cobot portable computed tomography machine that can inspect regions of interest in large structures and airplanes.  
Meet the company at JEC World 2023, Hall , booth E90.
More information: www.radalytica.com

UNIQUE TEXTILES s.r.o. is a purely Czech company engaged in the manufacture of technical fabrics and fibreglass reinforcements that are used in composite materials. The company was established in 1998 and has 25 years of experience in the glass fibre fabrics production. Their current products include a full range of fibreglass fabrics, woven roving fabrics and a wide range of combined materials. They also specialise in weaving glass filament, roving and hybrid tapes and fabrics with specific fibre structures. As a customer-oriented company, they work closely with their customers on their requirements for the production of non-standard designs and widths of glass fabrics, including tapes and various combinations.  
Meet the company at JEC World 2023, Hall 6, booth P6.
More information: www.unique.cz

VUTS, a.s. focuses on research, development and manufacture of machinery and equipment for the manufacturing industry. They are also involved in automation, development, design and manufacture of special purpose machines. The activities of VÚTS are based on offering a full range of services, from research and development, through design development to the implementation of a complete technological unit. In the field of composites, they offer a comprehensive solution for projects from design, through analysis to production technology and prototyping. They design and analyse composite structures, provide structural analysis of laminates, offer solutions in laminate optimization (layers, reinforcement, matrix) and provide non-destructive testing etc.  
Meet the company at JEC World 2023, Hall 5, booth E90.
More information: www.vuts.cz

About CzechTrade:
The CzechTrade Agency is a national pro-export organisation established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The main objective of the agency is to develop international trade and cooperation between Czech and foreign entities.  Foreign offices of the Czech Trade agency provide services in 64 countries on five continents. These assist foreign entities in exploring business opportunities, identifying business partners, and finding qualified suppliers specifically from the Czech Republic.

“Composites Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes“
Polymeris sera aussi présent avec ses adhérents DMM, SOPARA, TF Etudes, Metravib et PMA sur leur stand collectif régional Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Hall 5 – stand E70), sous la bannière « Composites Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ». L’action est portée par Techtera, en partenariat avec Axelera, Polymeris et CIMES.

Les propriétés de ces nouveaux grades restent inchangées par rapport aux résines déjà existantes: propriétés de mise en œuvre, paramètres de fabrication et performance des composites. La différence étant un impact environnemental réduit des pièces réalisées et des composites toujours plus durables grâce à cette nouvelle résine.  

Elium^® est une solution unique de fabrication des composites permettant d’utiliser les mêmes outils et méthodes de fabrication que les pièces utilisant des résines liquides standards avec l’avantage de les rendre recyclables.

Les pièces composites en Elium^®, ainsi que ses déchets issus de la production, sont recyclables par dépolymerisation ou recyclage mécanique.

PEKK Kepstan^®, un K fait toute la différence

Le matériau de très haute performance Kepstan^® PEKK offre une combinaison unique de propriétés sur une très large gamme de température. Ce Polymère présente des avantages exceptionnels pour la mise en oeuvre et élargit les possibilités d’application offertes par la famille des polyarylether cetone. Le matériau Kepstan^® PEKK est largement utilisé dans le domaine de l’aéronautique, en partenariat avec Hexcel.

Les composites Arkema UDX^®, ce sont aussi des semi-produits !

Durant le JEC vous découvrirez également les UDX^® PPA et UDX^® PA11, rubans unidirectionnels à fibres de carbone imprégnées de résines thermoplastiques bio-sourcées et recyclables.

L’UDX^® PPA est un produit de très haute performance particulièrement adapté à la fabrication des réservoirs de stockage d’hydrogène gazeux sous haute pression, grâce notamment aux propriétés du Rilsan^® Matrix qui compose la matrice de ce composite.
Le Rilsan^® Matrix est un polypthalamide présentant un compromis unique de propriétés:

• haute température de transition vitreuse (150°C), permettant de résister au fort auto-échauffement du réservoir lors d’un remplissage rapide,
• bas point de fusion (260°C) permettant une température de procédé raisonnable pour la mise en œuvre du ruban composite et ainsi une fabrication aisée du réservoir.

Très résistant à froid grâce aux propriétés de sa matrice en polyamide 11, l’UDX^® PA11 offre une solution unique pour le stockage d’hydrogène liquide aux températures cryogéniques. La grande élasticité et la nervosité du polyamide 11 associées à la légèreté et la raideur des fibres de carbone font de l’UDX^® PA11 un produit également très apprécié dans le domaine des sports et loisirs. Le caractère totalement bio-sourcé et recyclable du polyamide 11 ainsi que son mode de production basé sur une agriculture durable et éco-responsable font de l’UDX^® PA11 un produit absolument unique qui emporte l’adhésion des clients.

Des additifs pour des composites plus résistants
Que vous ayez besoin d’améliorer la ténacité, la résistance, le durcissement, l’adhérence ou simplement d’initier la polymérisation de votre matrice, Arkema a une solution dans leur portefeuille.

• Renforcez la ténacité de votre système:

Le modifiant choc core-shell Clearstrength^® XT MBS permet une grande polyvalence de formulation pour les principaux types de matrices du marché. La version masterbatch des résines Sartomer^® Advanced Resins de ce core-shell offre une prédispersion uniforme prête à l’emploi. Les oligomères (méth)acrylates d’uréthane liquide Sartomer^® peuvent également être introduits dans la matrice pour affiner les propriétés mécaniques.

Les poudres polyamides ultra fines Orgasol^® sont particulièrement adaptées aux matrices époxy et sont particulièrement efficaces grâce à leur forme sphérique combinée à une distribution granulométrique fine.

Les copolymères à blocs acryliques nanostructurés Nanostrength^® agissent au cœur de la matière. Ils permettent d’améliorer la résistance aux chocs de la matrice sans perte de module et de tenue en température et aux UV, ainsi que la résistance à la fissuration. Ils s’appliquent aussi bien aux matrices composites base époxy ou vinylester, qu’aux adhésifs structuraux.
Les nanotubes de carbone Graphistrength^® améliorent considérablement la résistance mécanique des composites. Ils empêchent également l’accumulation des charges électriques dans les pièces produites.

• Contrôlez la rhéologie de votre composite:

Les copolymères (méth)acryliques Plastistrength^® permettent de contrôler la viscosité des résines (méth)acryliques et époxy à faible dosage.

• Réduisez les COV de votre matrice avec leurs réticulants de spécialité:

Les monomères biosourcés Sartomer^®, dont le contenu biologique est supérieur à 25 %, sont des réticulants de choix pour les matrices (méth)acryliques et époxy. Ces diluants réactifs réduisent les COV, améliorent les propriétés mécaniques et favorisent la conversion tout en contrôlant la viscosité de l’ensemble du système.

• Initier efficacement la polymérisation:

Les peroxydes organiques Luperox^® et Retic^® répondent à vos défis de polymérisation avec des grades adaptés à la polymérisation à température ambiante ou à température élevée. Ils sont parfaitement adaptés aux résines thermodurcissables.
Les photo-initiateurs Sartomer^® sont très utiles pour les systèmes hybrides impliquant une étape de polymérisation par UV ou LED.

Des adhésifs intelligents

Bostik dévoilera ses solutions adhésives pour les pièces composites, notamment ses MMA structurels (gamme SAF&FIT), ses adhésifs instantanés (Born2Bond™) et ses mastics d’étanchéité (SMP et gamme étendue). Durant le JEC, vous découvrirez également leur nouvelle gamme Pliogrip™ (2k-polyuréthane et 2k-époxy) avec un focus sur leurs adhésifs polyuréthane plus sûrs à faible teneur en monomère Pliogrip™ 3540 (pas de formation obligatoire – règlement REACH 74).

Lumière sur leurs solutions pour l’impression 3D
Aujourd’hui, Arkema représente un portefeuille complet de matériaux de haute performance pour la fabrication additive. Ils proposent des solutions combinant le meilleur des deux domaines: l’impression 3D et les composites.

Le partenariat entre Continuous Composites et Arkema, vise à combiner la technologie brevetée d’impression 3D en fibre continue (CF3D^®) de Continuous Composites avec des solutions de résine photodurcissable N3xtDimension^®. Ce partenariat a lancé l’année dernière des matériaux entièrement formulés PolyMat™ haute Tg pour l’impression de fibres de carbone et de verre en continu pour produire des structures plus légères, à haute performance thermique et de la résine CeraMat™ Carbon pour la création de pièces précurseurs en fibre de carbone renforcée par du graphite pour les applications à ultra haute température.

Arkema présente son offre polymère pour la fabrication additive avec notamment les poudres polyamide 11 Rilsan^®, matériau de haute performance, 100% bio-sourcé et recyclable via le programme Virtucycle^®.

Avec son polymère haute performance Kepstan^® PEKK , Arkema s’est associé à 9T Labs (Zurich), une start-up spécialisée dans l’impression 3D de composites thermoplastiques. 9T Labs a développé une technologie automatisant la fabrication de composites par fabrication additive (AM), ainsi que des algorithmes logiciels avancés.

Piezotech^®, polymères électroactifs pour des applications high-tech
Arkema est leader dans la production d’une gamme de polymères électroactifs : Piezotech^®. Ces matériaux offrent des possibilités infinies en permettant la conversion du mouvement ou de l’énergie thermique en électricité et vice versa avec les avantages intrinsèques des polymères : facilité de mise en œuvre, flexibilité, légèreté et faible coût.

Ces polymères ont un potentiel remarquable pour la surveillance de la santé structurelle des composites tels que les réservoirs d’hydrogène, les pales d’éoliennes, etc. Ils sont utilisés dans la détection acoustique pour identifier les fissures, les impacts ou dans les capteurs ultrasoniques pour générer des ondes et détecter ensuite les différences de propagation, permettant ainsi une analyse fine de la structure.

Par rapport aux céramiques piézoélectriques standard, les capteurs basés sur Piezotech^® peuvent être montés sur des surfaces courbes car ils sont flexibles. De plus, grâce à leur nature polymère, ils peuvent être intégrés au cœur de réservoirs composites et peuvent être imprimés sur de grandes surfaces. L’absence de métaux lourds toxiques et non recyclables, leur légèreté et leur faible consommation d’énergie en font des matériaux de choix pour les composites intelligents de demain.

Rencontrez Arkema à JEC World 2023, hall 5, stand V39.

The application has the ability to review beam bending calculations using a variety of boundary conditions and load configurations;
• SS Ends – Center Load
• SS Ends – 4-Point Bend
• SS Ends – Uniform Loading
• Clamped Ends – Center Load
• Clamped Ends – Uniform Load
• Cantilevered – End (tip) Load
• Cantilevered – Uniform Loading

Any composite material application with requirements for critical performance and safety must be verified through mainstream engineering and development approach, such as final laminate testing through ISO/ASTM test standards which should be used to complement this design tool.

Core materials, for sandwich laminate constructions, include facing details such as grooves, perforations, etc. for which resin absorption is taken into consideration to provide a more accurate result with respect to overall laminate weight.

METYCALC also helps speed production and reduce labor by showing how different material selections can change the process as well as reveals cost-effective solutions to optimize the number of layers needed to meet the design goals .

METYCALC is a powerful application that is free to use and is user-friendly. Metyx presents this to the industry as a value-added support tool which will facilitate evaluating a variety design solutions.

This application can be accessed via www.metyx.com/metycalc.

Meet Metyx at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth J6.

An original Type H in good condition is difficult to find today. But Caselani Srl has a solution for those attracted to the retro look of the classic van but needing the performance, comfort and reliability of a modern vehicle. The Italian company is modifying vehicles in the Citroën Jumper range into retro style ‘Type H’ vans using glass fiber reinforced polymer (GRP) composite body panels manufactured using AOC resins.

An appreciation of retro style
The Caselani Type H project is a collaboration between the company’s CEO Fabrizio Caselani and designer David Obendorfer, who share a passion for classic vehicles. Caselani has worked in the marine industry for many years as a supplier of composite materials and accessories for luxury yacht brands, and he collects vintage Citroën cars. Obendorfer, a yacht designer, has created a series of modern reinterpretations of iconic car models.

The idea for the ‘new’ van came about when Caselani planned to tour Europe with his family in an original Type H, but found that there was not enough space. He decided to create a camper van in Type H style based on an existing Citroën vehicle. While travelling around Europe he posted a video of his retro van online, which immediately went viral. Citroën were also very enthusiastic about the initiative and ordered 100 vans for a limited-edition series to celebrate the Type H’s 70th anniversary. 

Response to this anniversary edition greatly exceeded expectations and demand from customers grew. Caselani started retrofitting vans with the body kits in 2018, and the business subsequently expanded into manufacturing kits to sell to remodeling fanatics. 

Manufactured under license from Citroën, Caselani now ships custom-made vans and kits around the world. Variants with different deck lengths, roof heights and colors are available, for applications ranging from panel van, minibus, camper van and tow truck, to the ever-popular food truck. Caselani also offers conversions and kits for the Type H’s ‘little brother’ the HG, which went into production in 2019.

Hand crafted with composites
Caselani carries out all the work at its plant in Sospiro, Italy. The company manages all stages of the project, from design and prototyping to creation of molds, manufacture of the composite parts, and painting. Skilled employees guarantee high-quality, detailed work, enabling customers to customize their vehicle to their precise requirements.

In the conversion process some of the original parts are removed, others added, and some remodeled. A complete kit consists of about 20 different composite parts. These are glued onto the original bodywork using special polyurethanes glue mixtures. Then they are sealed to prevent the entry of air and/ or water. Other components, such as the front end, are completely replaced.

AOC has been a long-standing supplier to Caselani and collaborates closely with the company to optimize its processes and enable the manufacture of parts which meet its exacting quality standards. One challenge which AOC helped Caselani to overcome concerned body panels painted in dark brown and black. These need to have a high heat resistance so they can survive the hot summers in Southern Europe without deformation.

“We appreciate AOC’s great technical support and the high-quality resins supplied,” states Fabrizio Caselani. “AOC’s resins are providing ease of processing and predictable, high performance of the final parts.”

The composite body panels are mostly manufactured using hand lay-up processes using AOC’s Synolite™ 8388-I-1 and Atlac® E-Nova MA 6325 resins. Synolite™ 8388-I-1 is a versatile DCPD resin for hand lay-up and spray-up processes with low styrene emission. The low shrinkage of this resin allows the manufacture of components with excellent surface quality. Atlac® E-Nova MA 6325 is a low styrene unsaturated polyester resin, used in particular for the dark colors, providing excellent strength and dimensional stability at elevated temperatures.

Moving forward
Fabrizio Caselani sees a bright future ahead. The company is now converting approximately 400 vans per year, and there are several new models in the pipeline. AOC is offering its technical support and advice to help the company further increase manufacturing output, with AOC experts having many years of experience in developing resins specifically for the customer processes. With AOC’s support, Caselani can be confident that even more customers will be enjoying the experience of driving a Type H soon.

More information through https://en.typeh.eu/.

Meet AOC at JEC World 2023, hall 5, booth N40.

« La pultrusion et le pull-winding sont mieux adaptés à la production à grande échelle et qualité constante que les autres procédés qui induisent davantage d’étapes manuelles », explique Kim Sjödahl, Vice-président senior pour la Technologie et la R&D chez Exel Composites. « Exel Composites utilise ces techniques depuis plusieurs décennies pour fabriquer des matériaux composites en fibre de carbone ou de verre légers, robustes et durables, pour des applications telles que les transports, l’infrastructure de distribution d’énergie, les télécommunications et le BTP.

« Chez Exel, nous sommes fiers d’aider nos clients à résoudre les défis entourant les matériaux composites, et c’est pourquoi JEC World est un événement majeur pour nous, car il nous permet d’aller à leur rencontre. C’est une excellente opportunité pour engager un dialogue direct, afin de mieux comprendre les attentes et le contexte opérationnel des clients, et leur expliquer comment nous développons nos produits et développons des solutions en adéquation avec leurs attentes. »

Exel Composites organisera également une soirée cocktail sur son stand, le 26 avril à 17 h, et invite tous ses clients qui auront fait le déplacement à nous rejoindre pendant quelques heures autour de boissons et d’encas pour une discussion conviviale.

Rencontrez Exel Composites à JEC World 2023, hall 6, stand D55.

“The addition of Dyneema® accelerates our evolution into a specialty formulator of sustainable solutions, opening up new opportunities for future growth while building on the Dyneema® brand’s proud heritage of innovation, collaboration, and sustainability,” said Chris Pederson, president, Specialty Engineered Materials at Avient. “We’re now part of protecting more than one million first responders globally and are ready to support and collaborate on developing the best possible solutions together: for business, people, and the planet.”

At JEC 2023, Avient will also highlight its complete portfolio of advanced composite materials and engineered fiber solutions that offer high strength, weight reduction, and corrosion resistance for products across a broad range of industries and markets, including:

Thermoplastic Composites:
• Polystrand™ continuous-fiber-reinforced unidirectional tapes and multi-axial laminates
• Hammerhead™ marine composite panels
• Polystrand™ structural sandwich panels
• Complēt™ long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite formulations

Thermoset Composites:
• Gordon Composites™ continuous glass and carbon fiber bar stock, laminates, and composite springs
• Gordon Glass™ archery bow limbs
• Glasforms™ pultruded rods, tubes, and custom profiles

Engineered Fiber Solutions:
• Fiber-Line™ engineered high-performance fibers, including coated, twisted, and custom wound aramid, glass, carbon, HMPE, and LCP fibers
• Fiber-Line™ pultruded rods and custom extrusion-coated rods and fibers

JEC World is the leading global trade show for composite materials and their applications, taking place at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition park April 25-27, 2023. Avient is exhibiting in Hall 5, Booth E40.

This furnace rebuild also affirms Johns Manville’s commitment to continue serving the industry in Europe with regional production.

Also this month, Johns Manville will exhibit at JEC World in Paris, France. The international trade show is April 25-27, 2023. JM’s Fiberglass and Advanced Composites businesses will share a booth (Hall 6, Booth D84) with a sportsbar theme.

“It’s exciting to exhibit in Paris when at the same time one of our furnaces is launching a new campaign,” Vasuta said. “We look forward to sharing all of the good things happening at JM with our current and future customers.”

At JEC World, Johns Manville will showcase its full potential of StarRov® single-end rovings, MultiStar® multi-end rovings and ThermoFlow® and StarStran® chopped strands – all of which expand the capabilities of thermoplastic and thermoset composites. In addition, Johns Manville will showcase its innovative Neomera® PA-6 organosheet products, which feature exceptionally good mechanical properties thanks to their patented reactive sizing technology.

Meet Johns Manville at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth D84.

AEC is a collaborative partner with innovative solutions to reduce weight, improve aircraft performance, and bring those innovations to market quickly and affordably. They have 1.5 million sq. ft. of manufacturing space at nine sites in four countries. AEC’s world-class talent, technology and focus on continuous improvement allows them to execute industry-leading on-time delivery and quality.

AEC will also be displaying other products designed and manufactured in AEC’s facilities in the U.S., Germany, France and Mexico — both their proprietary 3D woven composite technology and their other high tech composites.

About Albany Engineered Composites:
AEC is a key partner on airframe programs such as the F-35, CH-53K, JASSM / LRASM, 787 and other commercial and military platforms. They are the exclusive producer of 3D woven fan blades and fan cases for the CFM International LEAP aircraft engine, the most popular commercial aircraft engine currently in production. AEC is also at the forefront of developing solutions to make hypersonic flight and sustainable aviation programs successful and scalable.

Meet Albany Engineered Composites, at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth K28.

These composite materials offer high tensile, compressive or impact strength. In addition, they stand out, among other properties, for their lightweight nature, a characteristic that makes composites great allies for developing solutions in areas such as sustainable transportation or mobility and enables the transition towards greener vehicles.

In this scenario, the research center IDEKO, member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), a reference in research, design and development of manufacturing processes for composite materials, will have a prominent participation at JEC World 2023, the main European composites fair to be held from April 25 to 27 in Paris.

IDEKO will present its latest technological innovations in the field of composites, in its stand, located in AEMAC Spanish Association of Composite Materials pavilion (Hall 6, G86).
In particular, they will be sharing two pieces, one made of carbon fiber and one made of fiberglass.

• The first one, that can be seen at their stand, is a carbon fiber part for aeronautical Industry, made by ADMPⓇ technology and designed to optimize the manufacturing process.

• The second one is an innovation of IDEKO that will be showcased in the “Mobility Planet”, next to AEMAC Pavilion, and that seeks to improve the automated manufacturing processes of parts for the railway sector. This solution consists of fiberglass part that has been manufactured by a rapid process based on the UV-cured pre-impregnated fabrics.

These processes have great benefits for industry. As stated by “Thanks to the integration of this UV curing technology, the components are provided with higher quality and homogeneity and manufacturing costs and times are reduced around 30% and 60% respectively”, states Javier Vallejo, project manager of the research group manufacturing processes of IDEKO.

These new processes are complemented by high-precision robotic machining and assembly solutions and 3D vision systems for the monitoring, measuring and inspection of all types of components and tools.
Both parts have been manufactured using automated, sustainable and efficient processes, which improve the quality of materials, reduce the weight of vehicles and mitigate the impact of transport on the environment.

By incorporating artificial intelligence and digitized technologies, complex manual processes are eliminated and high costs related to design and materials are minimized.

Materials with enhanced performance and reduced weight
IDEKO has over a decade of experience dedicated to the research of these materials and has become a reference in the development of new automated manufacturing processes, including the manufacture of equipment, sensorization and monitoring, as well as in the synthesis and formulation of new resins.

The research center specializes in advanced processes based on multiaxial carbon fabrics, mainly in NCFs (Non-Crimped Fabrics), such as dry fabrics performing processes combined with liquid moulding.
These processes offer great advantages in cost savings and environmental impact, as they do not require refrigeration of material or autoclave. In addition, it facilitates the integration of complex structures from basic preforms, achieving weight reductions and improving mechanical performance for the industry.

To continue researching, innovating and developing solutions in this area, IDEKO has a laboratory in its facilities in Elgoibar, focused on the study and improvement of the manufacturing processes of composite parts. Likewise, at Itziar premises, has a high-capacity automatic lamination ADMP demonstration cell that opens up new technical possibilities and new business models by offering the opportunity to test these processes in large demonstrators for the aeronautical sector.

Meet IDEKO Research Center at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth G86.

Achieving this new level demonstrates the great potential of its graphene, a nanomaterial that helps develop products offering a wide range of functions. Graphene has been known for its mechanical and thermal resistance and electrical and thermal conductivity for 20 years. It also offers excellent anticorrosion and preservative properties.

Carbon Waters’ unique dispersed graphene production process is at the heart of its disruptive innovation. The process allows the company to provide industrialists with “ready to use” product lines. Four years of R&D and € 3 million of investment in the process have already produced two patents, with a third one on the way.

“We are currently working in three major development areas. Our first field of expertise is totally or partially replacing toxic products, particularly for paint manufacturers. Our second field of action: decarbonizing the industry and lightening structures for the naval, automobile, aeronautics, and space industries. Our third area of research: developing solutions for storing and transporting hydrogen, and extending the useful life of materials, such as those used in batteries.” Alban Chesneau, CEO of Carbon Waters.

The start-up will use the investment to advance from prototyping to the preindustrial process. The funds came from Aquiti Gestion and NACO (Nouvelle-Aquitaine Co-investissement), longtime shareholders, and the Tirésias Angels and Paris Business Angels investment funds, plus several other business angels. Carbon Waters also received financial support from Bpifrance.

The funding will initially finance a pilot factory, whose goal is to be the standard-bearer in ultra-low resource consumption in its processes. The new building, to measure approximately 1200 m², is expected to take shape over the next few months in metropolitan Bordeaux. The company is implementing a sizeable hiring plan to support its development, creating a dozen skilled jobs.

Carbon Waters currently produces 500 kilos of graphene dispersion. The performance of its additives has been validated by numerous firms representing multiple industrial sectors. The company aims to increase its production tenfold next year, with a goal of producing 50 to 100 tons of graphene dispersion by late 2025. Achieving this ramp-up will require a larger-capacity factory and a larger business team. Its new industrial horizon means another round of fundraising.

The company has two main markets in its sights: paints, which account for potentially € 2 billion, and polymers, which could exceed € 4 billion. Carbon Waters is sealing multiple technological, industrial, and commercial partnership deals with the leaders in these sectors in order to turbocharge market penetration in France and internationally.

Meet Carbon Waters at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth F73.