TPRC brings composites expertise to NxtGen HighTech program

The ThermoPlastic composites Research Center (TPRC, Enschede, Netherlands) announces the official start of the NxtGen HighTech program. With final approval from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, and the support of the National Growth Fund, more than 330 partners from the business sector and knowledge institutions will collaborate on new high-tech machines and production technologies to accelerate their adoption in the market, investing approximately €1 billion until 2030, with €450 million provided by the National Growth Fund.

NxtGen HighTech will offer solutions in six key application areas, including robotics in agriculture and horticulture, health, sustainable energy, laser satcom, semiconductors and composite materials. One of the project’s goals for composites is to develop a digital production platform for flexible production and recycling of lightweight thermoplastic composites, enabling “on-demand manufacturing” with a significantly shorter time-to-market.

As part of this project, TPRC will conduct independent research on the advancement of the production technology for automated fiber placement (AFP), welding and thermoplastic composites recycling. TPRC will be hosting the next NXTGEN composites meeting in July in its new building.

Learn more about the project here.