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Solvay sets up two new innovation centres

24 Oct '19

2 min read

Pic: Solvay

Solvay has set up two new innovation centres, one each in the US and Europe, for thermoplastic composites. The centres highlight the company’s research and innovation (R and I) capabilities and engagement with customers, in high performance materials for aerospace, automotive and oil and gas markets. Solvay’s advanced materials replace heavier metals.

The opening of both centres follows Solvay’s creation in April of its thermoplastic composites platform to speed up the development of these materials. The centres are complementary and will build on Solvay’s vertically integrated portfolio of specialty polymers and carbon fibre composites.

“Solvay’s new R and I centres in the US and Europe and our recent capacity expansions, complete our infrastructure to support the industrialisation of our thermoplastic materials technology. The centres provide state-of-the-art assets and capabilities to accompany our customers in the design, prototyping and testing of parts and allowing for a dramatic acceleration of the time to market of our materials,” said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, member of Solvay’s Executive Committee.

The Product Development Centre in Alpharetta, Georgia, in the United States is dedicated to the rapid innovation and development of next-generation thermoplastic composites. Home to the North American headquarters of both Specialty Polymers and Composite Materials, Solvay in Alpharetta can leverage its own end-to-end polymer and carbon fibre expertise that goes from the design of polymers and the development of composites, to additive manufacturing.

The Customer Engagement Centre Brussels, in Belgium, focuses on collaborating with customers to accelerate the market adoption of thermoplastic composites. The centre provides virtual engineering, allowing for simulation of advanced parts and systems as well as the minute analysis of the characteristics of materials, the rapid prototyping of complex small to mid-sized parts, as well as the advanced mechanical testing and validation of the materials.

Solvay’s advanced materials replace heavier metals, contributing to a lower total cost of ownership. In transport, they help to lightweight planes and cars, reducing their fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions and allow greater design freedom, thereby reducing the number of parts overall or improving aerodynamics. In oil and gas, they replace metal pipes prone to corrosion.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

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