Solvay and Dutch composite engineering company Airborne have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop automated processing solutions for composites.
The cooperation agreement was reached at the JEC 2019 World Expo held in Paris last week. The agreement will focus on the industrialization and large-scale use of composite materials.
"For the composites industry, the industrial production of custom prefabricated parts and high-volume molding technology is a major challenge," Solvay said in a statement on March 18.
In this new partnership, the two companies aim to combine digitalization, automation, and advanced materials and processes to "transition from industrial applications to high-performance, high-volume applications."
Solvay will provide its composite materials and processes for structural applications, while Airborne will provide its expertise in automating engineering processes and digital systems.
Rob Solburn, Director of Applied Engineering, Solvay Composites Global Business Unit, said: "Solvay sees great potential for working with Airborne-our company has unique synergies and is equally focused on developing industrial solutions to meet ongoing Increased productivity. "
Airborne technical director Marcus Kremers said this collaboration across the value chain will allow materials, processes and automation to go hand in hand.
He added: "If we follow such a holistic approach, a major breakthrough is possible."
Airborne has established a similar partnership with Saudi petrochemical company Sabic.
The Dutch company and Sabic highlighted their "breakthrough" digital composite production line at the JEC 2019 World Expo.
The two companies said they have successfully completed the pilot phase of a rapid, large-scale laminate manufacturing unit set up at the Airborne plant in the Netherlands.
The two companies are currently transitioning to full production and are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
The new production line uses digital technologies such as robots to produce 4 thermoplastic composite laminates per minute, which can produce up to 1.5 million pieces per year.
Sabic says the system can produce multiple sizes of laminates simultaneously and is equipped with adaptive process control, allowing settings to be modified "almost immediately."
Potential applications include housings and covers for consumer electronics, aircraft latches, automotive parts, and sporting goods.