The completion of the SSAM facility makes the Al Ain manufacturer now the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)’s first supplier of aerospace-grade pre-impregnated carbon fibres and the fourth globally. The completion of the facility also marks a new chapter in Abu Dhabi’s drive towards a sustainable homegrown manufacturing sector.

The 8,500 square meter SSAM facility is currently being equipped with the latest technology and machinery prior to the testing and qualifying of processes designed to supply carbon fibre prepreg materials for primary structure applications in Boeing’s 777X programme.

The constant enhancement and expansion of Abu Dhabi’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities reflect our commitment towards product and service excellence for our partners, customers and the global market. We look forward to strengthening our global partnerships as we aim to further grow Abu Dhabi’s participation within the global aerospace supply chain.

Badr Al-Olama, Chairman of Strata and Head of Aerospace at Mubadala

The company say that key positions have already been filled and that Khalid Al Nuaimi, a Strata engineer, will head the Strata Solvay project and manage communications between the two companies, as well as execute the business plan, budget and purchasing of equipment for the facility.

Strata work with leading aircraft manufacturers, including Airbus, Boeing, Leonardo, and Pilatus. Based at Nibras Al Ain Aerospace Park, Strata supports the development of a leading aerospace hub in Abu Dhabi as part of the emirate’s economic diversification initiatives.

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Composite materials are important to advancements in these industries because they combine the strength of fibres with the resilience of plastics. Commonly used in the aerospace sector, composites are now becoming more widely used in areas like construction (to make whole bridges, for example) and for lighter, larger and stronger wind turbines. The projects are in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) and their partner companies and universities in the US.

The projects being funded are led by innovative UK composites producers, working in partnership with universities and leading research and technology organisations such as TWI and HVM Catapult Centres such as the National Composites Centre and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

Simon Edmonds, Innovate UK’s, Deputy Executive Chair and Chief Business Officer

The projects are funded in the UK by the Fund for International Collaboration (FIC), which is designed to support the UK to form new and strengthen existing, bilateral partnerships for research and innovation with leading nations with a reputation for excellence. US funding has been provided by the US Department of Energy, State governments and private industry.

The seven projects, including their respective UK and USA partners, are in brief:

• CADFEC: Fibre Engineered Composites, for car components: Aston Martin and Expert Tooling and Automation, based in Coventry. U.S. partners include DowAksa, Dow Chemical, and Purdue University
• TACOMA: X-ray scanning for high-speed inspection of Automotive composite parts: TWI, Cambridge. U.S. partners include American Chemistry Council and Michigan State University
• HIPPAC: Advanced composites for stronger, lighter wind-turbine blades: Fibreforce Composites, Runcorn; Brunel University. U.S. partners include National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, GE Energy, and Montefibre
• FibreSteer: Fibre shaping for stronger aerospace components: iComat (a University of Bristol spin-out company), National Composites Centre (part of HVM Catapult) and Airbus. U.S. partners include Airbus Americas and University of Dayton Research Institute
• FibreLoop: Re-cycling carbon fibre production waste into new high-value components: NetComposites, Chesterfield; Far-UK, Nottingham and the Advanced Materials Research Centre (part of HVM Catapult). U.S. partners include Vartega, BASF, Michelman, and Michigan State University
• ENACT: Polymer layering for ‘overmoulding’, allowing more sophisticated design for complex parts: Surface Generation, Rutland, and Nottingham University. U.S. partner is Michigan State University
• TexTape: Trying to substantially reduce the costs of carbon fibre thermoplastics: Composites Evolution, Chesterfield, and National Composites. US partner is Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

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The partnership will see ORNL scientists and several faculty members within the Tickle College of Engineering at UT develop lighter vehicle components made from composite materials and to electrify vehicles.

This hub, along with other research institutions here, is an integral part of Volkswagen’s global research and development efforts and can also directly contribute to vehicles in North America

Wolfgang Demmelbauer-Ebner, executive vice president and chief engineering officer for Volkswagen’s North American

The work is being led by UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Uday Vaidya. His team in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering are focusing on several research and development activities to support prototyping, develop a sheet moulding compound, and evaluate materials and their properties for use in Volkswagen vehicle components.

Researchers from the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are focusing on research that has been pioneered by their counterparts at ORNL—the wireless charging of parked electric vehicles as well as dynamic charging, in which roadways are embedded with a system that charges electric vehicles as they move. A second project involves packaging wide bandgap power electronics in order to increase power density and efficiency hopefully reducing battery size and vehicle weight.

From the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Peebles Professor Dayakar Penumadu is providing his expertise in materials characterisation for lightweight composites.

The partnership between UT, ORNL, and Volkswagen strengthens Tennessee’s position as a significant source of innovation and talent for the Volkswagen North American manufacturing base, especially at the flagship Chattanooga facility

UT System Interim President Randy Boyd

Volkswagen is also a member of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), which is supported by the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. A team of IACMI undergraduate and graduate students and researchers led by Vaidya created a novel composite liftgate for the Volkswagen Atlas that reduces weight by 35 per cent, with lower investment costs and an improved environmental footprint compared to a conventional part. Researchers from ORNL, Purdue University, and Michigan State University were integral collaborators on the effort.

The new innovation hub in Knoxville will join Volkswagen’s larger global innovation ecosystem. This includes innovation centres in Belmont, USA; Wolfsburg, Germany; and Beijing, China, along with innovation hubs in Barcelona, Spain; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Tokyo, Japan.

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We are very pleased to collaborate with Airbus to apply our 3D design and manufacturing know-how to their next-generation aircraft. We believe Albany provides unique design and production capabilities to Airbus, and this agreement marks an exciting and important next step in our relationship. Olivier Jarrault, Albany International President and CEO

Albany’s 3D composite technology, used extensively today in the CFM Leap Engine, will be adapted to the unique requirements of Airbus’s next-generation airframe and production system. Albany believes its innovative resin-infused dry 3D fibre preform technology will deliver a cost-effective, out-of-autoclave wing substructure solution to Airbus that achieves superior damage tolerance and resistance to out-of-plane loads, and is more scalable to their desired production rates for next-generation single-aisle aircraft.

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These materials, which address the need to reduce costs, CO2 emissions, and improve the production process and fuel efficiency of next-generation commercial aircraft, will be based on SGL Carbon’s large-tow IM carbon fibre and Solvay’s primary structure resin systems.

The agreement encompasses both thermoset and thermoplastic composite technologies. It builds on Solvay’s experience in supplying composite materials to the aerospace industry and SGL Carbon’s expertise in high-volume carbon fibre manufacturing.

By combining SGL’s carbon fibre expertise in our newly developed, unique 50K IM fibre with Solvay’s resin formulation, both partners are aiming to develop an advanced aerospace material system. Dr. Michael Majerus, spokesman of the management board of SGL Carbon

Composite materials for aerospace applications represent a multi-billion-dollar market that is expected to grow strongly in the coming decade. Solvay and SGL Carbon are uniquely positioned to develop solutions to address the needs of this market.

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The company is investing heavily in thermoplastic composites technology development and has joined the research centre based in the Netherlands as a tier 1 member, which grants Solvay access to the centre’s research and the ability to steer on fundamental development activities, which are complementary to Solvay’s internal research such as forming and over-moulding, cost-effective manufacture of large structures, material performance and sustainability.

The ThermoPlastic composites Research Center (TPRC) is a consortium of industrial and academic members active in the thermoplastic composites industry. We believe in thermoplastic composites as the material for lightweight manufacturing in large volumes. Our primary aim is to enable more widespread use of thermoplastic composites by eliminating technological barriers.

Solvay’s research and innovation experts will work hand in hand with the TPRC on selected projects where we see joint benefits. Solvay and the TPRC are both committed to increasing the adoption of TPC by the aerospace and automotive industries and our membership will strengthen our ability to contribute to industry developments Dr Jim Pratte, Senior Research Fellow for Solvay Composite Materials Global Business Unit

Solvay recently opened a Product Development Center in Alpharetta USA and Customer Engagement Center in Brussels which will work closely with the TPRC as we start engaging in joint collaboration projects.

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Kordsa sees the partnership as an opportunity to quickly scale up the business to new composite technologies. Combining the AMRC’s manufacturing techniques with their own composite materials, Kordsa aims to be among the major players in the UK aviation and automotive network by developing new advanced composite technologies.

Kordsa has been a market leader in tyre reinforcement since the company was founded in 1973. In 2016, the company established the Composite Technologies Centre of Excellence (CTCE) in Istanbul in partnership with Sabancı University as part of an initiative to push the boundaries of advanced composite material technologies.

The CTCE site at Technopark Istanbul is 3,500 m2 and has capabilities for material and mechanical characterisation tests, additive manufacturing, polymer processing and advanced composite manufacturing methods using several methods including autoclave and automated fibre placement as well. It is the only production and test centre in Turkey which meets the international aerospace requirements. Established to produce the technology of the future, the CTCE serves as an innovation hub.

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The deal will see the combination of Montefibre’s large tow precursor and 4M Carbon’s production technology, which they say will create the world’s lowest-cost industrial-grade carbon fibre.

4M’s patented technology is claimed to reduce the initial investment of a carbon fibre manufacturing line by up to fifty per cent and ongoing operating cost savings by greater than thirty per cent, which will enable rapid growth of low-cost carbon fibre capacity. Montefibre’s ultra-large tow technology, with the full support of the Spanish government, significantly reduces carbon fibre precursor cost by exponentially increasing volume throughput.

This joint venture will make an important contribution to the competitiveness of American industry and its global leadership in composites. Alfonso Cirera, President of Montefibre Carbon

4M said they will continue to implement its strategy of acquiring synergistic downstream carbon fibre conversion companies to build enterprise and shareholder value. Montefibre will continue to increase its carbon fibre precursor production capacity with the support of the Spanish government.

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The automotive industry is looking for lightweight solutions and the one-piece carbon composite technology is becoming a popular choice for global carmakers. Single piece carbon fibre composite wheels can offer up to 50% weight savings relative to conventional aluminium wheels and offer a sleek, attractive surface finish.

The collaboration with Carbon Revolution is targeted at providing various global OEM carbon wheel programs with the best solutions available and includes active support from Henkel via dual production capacities in the EU and locally in Australia. Konrad Brimo Hayek, Senior Business Development Manager for Automotive Components at Henkel

Carbon Revolution’s composite wheels are used on some of the world’s most prestigious sports cars. The significant reductions in unsprung rotational mass translates into immediate vehicle handling benefits, from better steering feel and traction to improved accelerating and braking response thanks to the composite wheels’ lower inertia. In terms of sustainability, technology can also enhance fuel or electrical power efficiency and help automotive manufacturers reduce the CO₂ emission balance of their fleets.

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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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