Solvay, an advanced materials and specialty chemicals company, is expanding its thermoplastic composites capacity with a new production line at its US facility in Anaheim, California, underscoring its commitment to meeting strong demand growth from aerospace customers for this high-performance material and Solvay’s proprietary and unique technology.

With the commissioning of this new tape line and upgrades to existing lines, Solvay will have multiplied its qualified capacity by four since 2016. "The expansions aim to not only improve output, but also quality, consistency and industrial reliability," the Brussels-based company said in a press release.

“This significant expansion in a short time, coupled with our unrelenting attention to overall quality and productivity improvement, illustrates our engagement to serve our customers best. Their strong demand shows they value how our materials reduce manufacturing time and cost, helping to raise the build rate of aircraft,” said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, member of Solvay’s executive committee. “Solvay is in leading position to drive breakthroughs in materials innovation and accompany our customers in their growth requirements.”

In May this year, Solvay announced the creation of its first horizontal strategic platform to accelerate the development of thermoplastics composites as part of its strategy to leverage its unmatched portfolio and expertise in specialty polymers and carbon fibre composites. These lightweighting materials help lower emissions of planes and cars as they replace metal parts and facilitate their design and integration. (RKS)