JEC Composites presents 2023 Innovation Award finalists

JEC World 2023 the world’s leading international composites trade show taking place April 25-27 in Paris, France, has announced the official lineup of finalists for this year’s Innovation Awards.

Each year, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrate successful projects and cooperation between players of the composites industry. Over the last 25 years, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards program has involved more than 1,900 companies worldwide. Open to any company or R&D center with a strong collaborative innovation or concept to present, more than 214 companies and 527 partners have been rewarded over the years for the excellence of their composites innovations and fruitful collaboration. These composites champions are awarded based on multiple criteria such as partner involvement in the value chain, complexity or commercial potential of the project.

More than just a ceremony, these awards are an opportunity to bring possibly undisclosed projects in the limelight as well as a source of inspiration and stimulation to an expert audience always eager to reach out towards new horizons.

See last year’s Innovation Award finalists and winners.

After pre-selection of the 30 finalists, one winner will be selected in each of the 11 categories: Aerospace – Parts; Aerospace – Process; Automotive and Road Transportation – Design Part;  Automotive and Road Transportation – Process; Building and Civil Engineering; Circularity and Recycling; Digital, AI and Data; Equipment, Machinery and Heavy Industries; Maritime Transportation and Shipbuilding; Renewable Energies; and Sports, Leisure and Recreation.

The international jury representing the entire composites value chain includes:

• Dr. Deniz Korkmaz, CTO, Kordsa Teknik Tekstil AS
• Pr. Véronique Michaud, head of the Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
• Dr. Alan Banks, UK Innovations manager, Ford Motor Co.
• Pr. Christophe Binetruy, professor of mechanical engineering, Centrale Nantes
• Mr. Dale Brosius, CCO, IACMI – The Composites Institute
• Dr. Enzo Cosentino, technical authority and composite expert, Airbus
• Mr. Guy Larnac, materials, structures and industrialization technical coordinator, Ariane Group
• Dr. Karl-Heinz Fueller, manager future outside and materials, Mercedes-Benz
• Pr. Kiyoshi Uzawa, director/professor, Innovative Composite Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology
• Pr. Sung Kyu Ha, professor, Hanyang University
• Mr. Michel Cognet, chairman of the board, JEC

The awards ceremony will take place in Paris on March 2, 2023.

Hybrid seating structure

Hybrid aircraft seating structure designed and demonstrated under sustainability criteria, based on an easy-to-recycle lightweight composite material and produced with efficient automated processes.

• Fraunhofer ICT (Germany)
  • Partner(s): Alpex Technology GmbH (Tyrol, Austria) and Amade-UdG, Spain (Leitat, Spain)

Integrally stiffened TP primary structure

Development of a high-rate molding process using aerospace-qualified thermoplastic materials for parts with complex geometries enabling the replacement of heavier metallic components with composites.

• Nikkiso (Japan)
  • Partner(s): A&P Technology (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) and Solvay Japan (Japan)

Lunar lander with carbon monocoque structure

Development of a lightweight structure by committing completely to the pursuit of specific strength and stiffness. Encouragement of the airframe structure as close to a one-piece composite structure as possible.

• Toray Carbon Magic Co. Ltd. (Shiga, Japan)
  • Partner(s): ispace inc. (Tokyo, Japan)

 

Manufacture a Krueger wing flap in thermoplastic

Innovative Krueger flap produced in-situ with an automated thermoplastic consolidation process.

• CETIM (Senlis Cedex, France)
• Partner(s): Loiretech (Bouguenais, France), AFPT GmbH (Doerth, Germany) and Sonaca SA (Gosselies, Belgium)

Self-cure of CFRP for aerospace applications

Self-cure — joule heating of CFRP to cure temperature — significantly increasing the energy efficiency of the curing process, reducing cure time and increasing the quality of cured components.

• The AMRC with Boeing (Wallis Way, Catcliffe, U.K.)
  • Partner(s) : Embraer RT Europe (Portugal)

Hydrostatic membrane press technology for composites

The metal membrane press concept allows for the production of high-temperature thermoplastic composites using a flexible metal tooling side to achieve high laminate quality and production rates.

• CTC GmbH (Stade, Germany)
  • Partner(s): Airbus (Hamburg, Germany), Siempelkamp Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH (Krefeld, Germany)

2022 Toyota Tundra composite seatback design

Taking an all-steel assembly that contained 60 stamped and welded parts and integrating it into four composite parts reducing weight by 20% while passing all relevant crash test requirements.

• L&L Products (Romeo, Mich., U.S.)
  • Partner(s): BASF Corp. (Wyandotte, Mich., U.S.) - Toyota (Plano, Texas, U.S.)

World’s first carbon roll cage for production cars

Extreme lightweight carbon roll cage, to be road legally fitted into a production car, enabled by engineering a unique geometry.

• Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (Germany)
  • Partners(s): Action Composites GmbH (Austria), Kube GmbH Ingenieurbüro (Germany) and Lab for Lightweight Design, IKTD, University of Stuttgart (Germany)

DRIFT technology

Wire-shaped inserts for load-oriented fiber reinforcement of injection-molded thermoplastic components.

• Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG, Bamberg (Germany)
  • Partner(s): 1 A Autenrieth Kunststofftechnik GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft (Germany) Fraunhofer IGCV (Germany), Kube GmbH Ingenieurbüro (Germany) and Wafios AG (Germany)

Koridan – active core molding 

Active core molding process for the self-forming of CFRP to its final shape.

• Alia Mentis srl (Italy)
  • Partner(s): Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Italy), Ferrari Spa (Italy), Filippi Boats srl (Italy), Geven Spa (Italy), MFC Hawaii (United States) Sabelt Spa (Italy), Scuderia Alphatauri Spa (Italy) and SUM srl (Italy)

BEV battery protection plate in composite design

Largest, innovative, sustainable BEV underride guard in thermoplastic sandwich lightweight design with highly efficient one-shot manufacturability for the new Audi Q8 e-tron.

• Audi AG (Germany)
  • Partner(s): Polytec Group (Netherlands)

Graphene from waste tire for lightweight vehicles

Nanografen produces graphene from waste tires in pilot scale used as a co-reinforcement in compounding process for cost-effective and lightweight automotive composites without changing the mold.

• Nanografen (Türkiye)
  • Partner(s): Farplas Otomotiv A. S. (Türkiye), Oyak Renault (Türkiye) and Ravago Petrokimya Üretim A.Ş. (Türkiye)

 

CFRP cable-net glass façade

An innovative and novel CFRP cable-net structure for glass façades providing maximum transparency with no visible supporting structure, enabling a clear design language for building envelopes.

• Carbo-Link AG (Switzerland)
  • Partner(s): seele (Germany)

Sheephouse wood bat mitigation structure

Provide a safe structure, ensuring the protection of a rare species of the bat using off-site modular construction, minimizing embodied carbon, and maximizing safety using our FRP and concrete units.

• Asset International Structures (United Kingdom)
  • Partner(s): Cowi UK (United Kingdom)

Composite roof for the stadium of Real Madrid

Three elements are mechanically joined to reach beams with a span of 75 meters. The manufacturing process was infusion with double VAP membrane, avoiding the use of holes in the core and excess polymer.

• Nanotures (Spain)
  • Partner(s): Composyst (Germany), Diab (Spain), Fibertex (Denmark), Gavazzi (Italy), MAP Yachting (France), MEL (Spain), Saertex GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Sicomin (France), SKY (Hungary) and Zoltek (Hungary)

Circular welding process for thermoset composites

A super-fast, reusable welding process that creates high-performance joints between fast-curing epoxy composites involving a co-bonded thermoplastic interlayer that enables the design for circularity.

• University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (Switzerland)
  • Partners(s): Huntsman Advanced Materials Switzerland GmbH (Switzerland)

100% recycled CF-spun yarn and applied products

One-hundred percent recycled CF-spun yarn compatible to pultrusion process. Establishment of comprehensive CF circulation system from recycling to product application.

• Toyota Industries Corp. (Japan)
  • Partner(s): Kurimoto, Ltd. (Japan), Nagoya University (Japan), Nakashima Propeller Co., Ltd. (Japan), Toyota Central R&D Labs. Inc. (Japan), Toyota Motor Corp. (Japan) and Uster Technologies AG (Switzerland)

True bio-based thermoset resin

Development of a new, low-viscosity thermosetting resin based on lignin. Designed to work with established processes, i.e., VARI. It reduces the carbon footprint of composites significantly.

• Evonik Operations GmbH (Germany)
  • Partner(s): Kemijski Institut (Slovenia)

 

Auto-teaching algorithm for thermography

Thermography is a fast way to robotically inspect a composite part. The innovation lies in an auto-teaching algorithm that automatically defines the optimal path(s) for inspection.

• Twin Robotics (France)

AI-powered, cloud-based, real-time process control

sensXPERT is an end-to-end, integrated equipment as a service solution for the plastics manufacturing industry solving challenges around consistent process stability while ensuring cost efficiency.

• NETZSCH Process Intelligence GmbH (Germany)
  • Partners(s): Carbon Revolution Ltd. (Australia), German Aerospace Center and the CosiMo Project (Germany), NETZSCH Group (Germany) and Schwarz Plastic Solutions GmbH (Germany)

In-process AFP manufacturing inspection system

In-process AFP manufacturing inspection system (IAMIS) for automated fiber placement (AFP) head to detect manufacturing defects and a user-friendly augmented reality visualization module.

• NIAR/WSU (United States)

Composite high-speed railway car body

Development of a hybrid composite car body structure for a high-speed train made of CFRP composite and aluminum with a 25% weight reduction. The demonstrator is a whole car body of an intermediate coach of Talgo 350 at TRL 6/7 1:1 scale.

• Talgo (Spain)
  • Partners(s): Aernnova (Spain), Fidamc (Spain) and Tecnalia (Spain) 

Isotruss carbon fiber tower

Isotruss carbon fiber towers are up to twelve times stronger than steel for a given weight, or as little as one-twelfth the weight for a given load, depending on the design, site and specifications.

• IsoTruss Inc. (United States)
  • Partners(s): My Learning Alliance (United States), U.S. Bureau of Land Management Wyoming (United States), United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA- NIFA, United States) and Utah State University (United States)

Lightweight booms for agricultural sprayers

A modular concept of sprayer boom with intelligent use of composites and manufacturing processes, to provide a scalable, cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solution for agriculture.

• BK Components S.A. (Argentina)
  • Partners(s): BCK ID srl (Argentina), Caiman srl (Argentina) and Kohlenia srl (Argentina)

Automated, mold-less composite wing sail for yacht

Rondal, Curve Works and Artemis Technologies present a fully customizable, automated, composite solid wing sail assembled from load bearing carbon fiber skin panels manufactured on adaptive tooling.

• Rondal (Netherlands)
  • Partners(s): Artemis Technologies (United Kingdom) and Curve Works (Netherlands)

Solid sail mast

Industrialization of the fabrication of a very large mast to fit to price and delay of the marine industry market.

• Chantiers De L’Atlantique (France)
  • Partners(s): Avel Robotic (France), Burea Veritas (France), CDK (France), Hexcel (France), Lorima (France), Meca (France), Multiplast (France) and SMM (France) 

Serial use of hemp for small parts in boating

Development and integration of a glass-hemp complex in the industrial production of composite parts in closed mold process for boatbuilding applications.

• Group Beneteau (France)
  • Partners(s): Chomarat (France)

New acrylic adhesives for a better world

New non-flammable, low-odor and primer-free structural acrylate adhesives with a favorable health and safety profile, providing exceptional bonding performance on multiple substrates.

• Huntsman Advanced Materials (Switzerland)
  • Partners(s): Antala (Spain), Biesterfeld Oezel Kimy. Tic. A.S. (Turkey), Bodo Moeller Chemie GmbH (Germany), Emanuele Mascherpa S.p.A (Italy), Samaro (France) and Viba NL (Netherlands)

Opticore design platform for blade lightweighting

OptiCore is a software enabling more efficient core kits for wind blades, considering mechanical properties, geometrical fit, blade weight, resin uptake, manufacturing cost, health and permeability.

• Gurit UK Ltd (Switzerland)

Corpower WEC – clean electricity from ocean waves

Industrial-scale wave energy converter enabled by an innovative mobile filament winding factory for composite hull manufacturing at scale.

• Corpower Ocean AB (Sweden)
  • Partners(s): Corpower Ocean Portugal Lda (Portugal)

Recyclable thermoset CFRP composite bike

Thermoset CFRP bicycle was made from recyclable EzCiclo prepreg. Composite parts can be recycled by CleaVER liquid to reclaim resin and fiber enabling closed-loop recycling of thermoset composite.

• Swancor Holding Co., Ltd (Taiwan)
  • Partners(s): Gigantex Composite Technologies Co., Ltd. (Taiwan) 

Integrated loop technology bicycle frame

A bicycle frame produced by an automated fiber winding process, incorporating continuous fiber tube joining development integrated loop technology (ILT).

• Compo Tech Plus Spol, s r.o. (Czech Republic)
  • Partners(s): Czech Technical University in Prague (Czech Republic)

Modular suitcase made from rCFRP

Application of rCFRP and natural flax fibers with Roctool TP technology. Recycle and reusing from Expliseat. Modular design makes it possible to recycle the composite parts from the products.

• PITAKA (China)
  • Partners(s): a-Motion Advanced Materials & Technology Co. Ltd. (China), Expliseat (France) and Roctool (France)