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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Founded in 2011 and located in Heinsberg Germany, C-M-P GmbH specialises in the development and manufacturing of customised prepregs and textiles made of carbon and other high-performance fibres.

With the addition of c-m-p, both companies can further strengthen their market position in the composites industry, as well as developing future composite materials. The acquired entity had been a 50:50 partnership between the original founders of c-m-p GmbH and DowAksa B.V. Through this acquisition, MCAM acquires 100% of the shares of c-m-p.

Within Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials (MCAM), the acquisition enhances our ability to produce prepreg solutions for customers in Europe, a further step in our mission of metal to plastic conversion which began more than 80 years ago Michael Koch, CEO Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials

The acquisition which is expected to be finalised in early March 2020 gives Mitsubishi Chemical the capability of producing prepreg materials in Europe, in addition to Mitsubishi Chemical’s capabilities in Asia and USA.

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The 50/50 joint venture between DowAksa will combine the company’s feedstock capacity, carbon fibre conversion and downstream intermediates production capabilities with Ford’s design, engineering and high-volume manufacturing. The goal is to produce materials that make cost-effective carbon fibre composite parts that are much lighter than steel but meet automotive strength requirements.

,Mike Whitens, director, Vehicle Enterprise Sciences, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering said;

This joint development agreement reinforces Ford’s commitment to our partnership with DowAksa, and our drive to bring carbon fibre components to the broader market. The goal of our work here fits within the company’s Blueprint for Sustainability, where future Ford vehicles will be lighter with optimised performance that would help consumers further improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.

Car makers have been slow to start using carbon fibre composites due to the absence of both high-volume manufacturing methods and affordable material formats. This partnership is one of number going on around the work to try and solve these problems and make using these lightweight materials more viable.

The agreement allows the companies to collaboratively generate new, lower-cost automotive grades of carbon fibre that can be applied to aligned and random fibre formats while maintaining compatibility with both thermoset and thermoplastic matrices. The agreement also includes a pathway for potential extension of development collaboration into a commercial manufacturing partnership.

As announced in January, the companies will also be part of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), announced by President Obama as part of the larger National Network for Manufacturing Innovation supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. The JDA will facilitate the companies’ efforts in conjunction with IACMI to overcome the high cost and limited availability of carbon fibre in automotive applications.

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DowAksa will work with Deakin’s carbon fibre research centre, Carbon Nexus, under a new agreement for collaborative research and development projects plus professional development and exchange opportunities to advance materials and manufacturing process technologies.

Professor den Hollander said the partnership between Deakin and DowAksa would initially include collaborative carbon fibre research projects focused on catalysing local demand for DowAksa carbon fibre, with eventual opportunities for adoption by industries globally.

Once the new Institute begins operations, the University hopes it will provide an extended platform for collaborative engagement and networking with business and academic leaders in the American market.

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The two companies will be part of the recently announced institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, an organisation created by the U.S. government and part of a larger nationwide network of manufacturing innovation supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The mission of the institute along with Ford and DowAksa is to overcome the high costs and limited availability of carbon fibre, while developing a viable, high volume manufacturing process. The opportunity to be a part of the newly formed manufacturing innovation will hopefully accelerate the timeline to introduce carbon fibre composites into high volume applications.

Ford’s expertise in high-volume manufacturing, design and engineering complements DowAksa’s strength in producing materials that make up carbon composites to create parts much lighter than steel components but with no loss of strength. The company recently launched a new version of the GT supercar, which makes extensive use of lightweight materials, including carbon fibre and aluminium.

Douglas Parks, DowAksa board member and a primary participant in the founding of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation said;

DowAksa’s technology and manufacturing expertise will help effectively overcome barriers to entry for the use of carbon fibre composites in high-volume automotive applications. The new institute provides a collaborative platform to accelerate our progress.

Ford and DowAksa are also working together to reduce the energy needed to produce carbon fibre components, cut the cost of raw materials and develop recycling processes.

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This agreement is another important milestone in the parties’ cooperation, emphasising the intentions outlined in the MOU which was signed at the 2013 World Economic Forum and in the terms of investments agreement signed at the Composites without Borders Conference in November of last year.

Mehmet Ali Berkman the Deputy Board Chairman of DowAksa commented on the new deal by saying;

It is very important to bring the strengths of DowAksa and NCC together to address the global challenges in the market of carbon fiber composites which are increasingly used in the energy, construction, automotive, and oil and gas industries. The Russian government emphasizes the importance of the composite industry by establishing NCC which also provides R&D and pilot manufacturing support to start-ups and others who are willing to make innovations in equipment related to the composite industry. DowAksa’s engineers together with their counterparts in NCC will develop revolutionary scientific applications of composite materials which will help to increase the efficiency, productivity and value-add of them. An additional benefit coming from these applications will be reduced emissions to help protect the environment.

The Nanotechnology Centre of Composites will leverage existing partner engineering assets to help develop leading positions in Russia, CIS and other countries for prominent sectors such as oil & gas, mineral extraction and offshore exploration. The first production line in the Center, equipped with a high-tech scientific laboratory and a one-of-a-kind multi-axial machine, has been launched to produce polymer composite materials used in construction, energy, and IT. The second production line is to be launched soon. The Center will showcase the latest technologies of polymer composites processing in Russia, supplying both the Russian domestic and global markets.

Holding Company Composite was founded in 2009 with the objective to develop a market for composites in Russia. The Holding unites companies producing high-modulus and high-strength carbon fibre and carbon fibre-based fabrics of ROSATOM, as well as manufacturing high-quality prepregs from domestic raw materials. The products are used in aerospace, wind energy, construction, transportation, shipbuilding, power industry, and medicine.

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When legal agreements are finalised in the next several months, DowAksa will become an equal participant of the Nanotechnology Centre of Composites. DowAksa is anticipating to take part in the second round of financing of NCC and invest in NCC Charter Capital the amount of approximately 134 Million Rubles (approximately $4.3 Million USD) which translates to a 33 1/3 percent share. This anticipated investment is included in the current DowAksa 10 year business plan and is funded by the initial investment by Shareholders. HCC and FIEP are also anticipating to take part in the second round of financing and are going to invest their portion of contribution simultaneously with DowAksa.

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Already today the Nanotechnology Centre of Composites is a foundation for start-ups in production of polymer composite materials for the growing industrial sectors including construction, energy and automotive. By now, only one line has been launched in the Nanotechnology Centre of Composites to produce polymer composite materials to be used in construction, energy, IT; the Сenter is also equipped with the high-tech scientific laboratory and one of its kind multi-axial machine. The 2nd production line is to be launched soon. The Centre will showcase latest technologies of polymer composites processing in Russia.

Douglas Parks, DowAksa Board Member and Dow Global Business Director for Lightweight Materials and Government Markets said;

When finalised, this agreement will provide DowAksa accelerated access to the growing Russian carbon fibre composite market with specific focus on Oil & Gas and Infrastructure applications, as well as significantly reduce DowAksa internal investment costs by providing unique access to world class engineering resources, pilot manufacturing equipment/capabilities, and novel product development. In exchange, DowAksa will provide access to global market channels, exposure to international partners, and the opportunity to provide services to an international audience. This is truly a ‘win-win’ scenario for all parties involved.

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The strategy presupposes potential investments in Prepreg-ACM and Nanotechnology Centre of Composite, two Russian companies with co-investment from Rusnano. The parties have agreed to explore opportunities in the areas of aerospace, infrastructure, energy, oil & gas, and transportation, and to explore supplying both the Russian domestic and global markets.

The agreement was signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, at the meeting preceding the signing ceremony, Dow and RUSNANO discussed potential cooperation between Dow and RM Nanotech, Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said;

The signing of the MOI on potential manufacturing of carbon fiber intermediates in Russia marks a significant step forward in Dow’s innovation and growth strategy, and strengthens our commitment to addressing the needs of growing emerging geographies such as Russia, collaborating with the strong local players and leveraging DowAksa capabilities, we will contribute Dow’s expertise in composites technology, formulation, and technical service as well as global market knowledge and channels.

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