The company will be using a pilot line at its Rhône Alpes Research Center (CRRA), near Lyon, which will be dedicated to the manufacture of an alcohol-based solution in order to help out healthcare professionals now under considerable strain.

The solution will be supplied to the French health authorities and will be earmarked in particular for the mass restocking of public hospitals.

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Continuous Fiber 3D Printing technology or CF3D combines composite materials with a snap-curing 3D printing process to create a mouldless, out-of-autoclave manufacturing technology. The result is a scalable technology that is said to decreases lead times and reduces manual labour while removing the need for expensive capital equipment.

The partnership will enable Continuous Composites to use Arkema’s range of resins and laboratory testing facilities to further develop and certify CF3D with a range of advanced material solutions to be established and commercialised down the line.

As an industry leader in materials, our strategic partnership with Arkema opens the door for us to merge CF3D with their cutting-edge UV curable materials and apply Arkema’s long history in the composites field. This partnership will expedite the development and deployment of CF3D across a broad spectrum of industries and applications. Tyler Alvarado, CEO of Continuous Composites

Continuous Composites was established back in 2013 and is located in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The company was one of the first to be granted patents on printing with continuous fibres. Upon commercialisation, Continuous Composites’ product offering will comprise software, hardware, materials, and motion platforms to harness the power of composites without the constraints of traditional manufacturing. CF3D is the one solution for all applications and is going to democratise composites into virtually every industry.

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Along with CTAG the project also involves some of the big names in Europe, in all 9 partner companies have signed up and include big names like Arkema, Airbus, Ford and Fraunhofer.

The use of carbon and glass fibre unidirectional continuous tape reinforced composites are one of the most promising options to face new challenges demanded by the transport sector. However, at the moment, the manufacturing methods to obtain composite parts made of this hybrid material are not mature enough for a full industrial implementation.

Main existing barriers are related to the high consumption of resources and lower rates of automation. FORTAPE aims to solve these drawbacks through the development of an efficient and optimised integrated system for the manufacturing of complex parts based on unidirectional fibre tapes for its application in the automotive and aeronautical industry, with the minimum use of material and energy.

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When combined with Arkema Luperox peroxide initiators, Elium can be moulded into complex design forms for composite parts and perfectly blends with glass or carbon fibres. As a bonus, it is also compatible with conventional thermosetting resin transformation technologies which cuts down the costs of transformers.

Unlike unsaturated polyesters, Elium resins do not contain styrene. And because of their thermoplastic properties, they can be used to design composite parts that are easily thermoformed and recyclable with comparable mechanical performance to epoxy parts.

The company claim that the Elium technology reduces the cost of long staple thermoplastic composite parts. The resins are easy to use in conventional thermoset resin processes, it transforms at room temperature and it does not contain any fabricated products like organo-sheets.

In addition to the new Elium range, Arkema is developing a polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) called Kepstan to replace metal in extreme conditions (offshore, aviation), the Rilsan range, a high-performance powdered or granulated polyamide that is 100% bio-sourced and makes thermoset composites resistant to abrasion and shock at very high or low temperatures.

The post Arkema Launch new Range of Liquid Thermoplastic Resins appeared first on Composites Today.

The new combination of 3B’s optimised SE4740 glass reinforcement and TP resin system is fully compatible with existing equipment and manufacturing processes such as thermoplastic resin transfer moulding and vacuum assisted resin infusion with parts displaying mechanical properties similar to traditional thermoset composites.

The sizing for the new glass roving was developed in close collaboration with France-based partners Arkema, a world leader in the production of PMMA and Chomarat a foremost manufacturer of engineered fabrics. The resulting SE4740 roving provides excellent processability in both weaving and knitting procedures and outstanding compatibility with Arkema’s Altuglas acrylic resin system leading to excellent mechanical properties making it the recognised PMMA compatible roving available globally
Eric Debondue 3B Business Development Leader

3B Fibreglass believe Thermoplastic composites are well positioned against traditional materials in weight sensitive end-use applications in industries such as automotive, mass transit, aerospace and wind. The post-thermoformable nature and their consequent high recyclability make thermoplastic composites a cost efficient and an ideal solution for alternate sustainable and durable solutions.

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SOFICA is a subsidiary engaged in the manufacture and sales of carbon fibre in France, Toray had previously held a a 70% stake while Arkema the French business partner held the other 30%.

Along with the purchase of the remaining stake, Toray is renaming SOFICAR as Toray Carbon Fibres Europe S.A. in order to show its commitment to European customers as the Toray group company.

SOFICAR currently has a carbon fibre production capacity of 5,200 tons a year and global demand for polyacrylonitrile(PAN)-based carbon fibre in 2011 is estimated to reach almost 40,000 tons and it is expected to continue growing significantly at an annual rate exceeding 15%. In anticipation of expansion of the carbon fibre market, Toray Group is to accelerate application developments in the fields of aerospace, sporting goods and general industry and expand its carbon fibre composite materials business through strengthening the production network to be based on the current three sites in Japan, France and the U.S. plus Republic of Korea from 2013.

SOFICAR was established in 1982 as a joint venture with Elf Aquitaine (investment ratio: 35% by Toray and 65% by Elf Aquitaine). Since Toray increased its stake to 70% in 1988, SOFICAR has been expanding its business as the strategic base of Toray’s carbon fibre composite materials business in Europe.

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This acquisition is in line with Arkema’s growth strategy. The purchased assets represent sales of €850 million, with almost 1,750 employees at some twenty sites on four continents. Arkema will benefit in particular from new growth in Asia with Cray Valley sites in India and Malaysia, and a newly opened Sartomer site in Nansha, south of Guangzhou in China.

The acquisition of Total’s speciality resins will allow Arkema to boost its positions in its markets, making the Group one of the leading suppliers to the paint and coating industry with a global offering in terms of technologies and worldwide coverage

states Thierry Le Hénaff, Arkema Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

The Cray Valley and Cook Composites and Polymers resins (waterborne and solvent-based, powder, rheology additives) and the Sartomer high added value photocure resins (for fiber optics, graphic arts, electronics, etc.) enhance Arkema’s product portfolio for coatings applications, which includes waterborne polymer emulsions, Kynar PVDF resins, Coatex rheology additives, and Rilsan and Orgasol fine powders.

The Cray Valley and Cook Composites and Polymers resins will join the Emulsion Systems business unit as part of a new structure named Arkema Coating Resins, while the Sartomer activities (photocure resins) will make up a new business unit.

Both business units will be part of the Industrial Chemicals segment, with decision centers based in the United States.

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