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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Boeing, TenCate, Fokker Technologies and The University of Twente have announced the opening of the Thermoplastic Composite Research Centre, a new laboratory and visitors centre on the University’s Innovation Campus in Enschede, Netherlands

Researchers, suppliers and manufacturers will work together at the centre on research and development of thermoplastic composites.

A collaboration agreement was signed three years ago on 12 June 2009, which resulted in the creation of the TPRC. The Centre since then has produced a number of results. Fifteen people work for the organisation and it is engaged in eight research projects. The Province of Overijssel, the Twente Region, EFRO and the central government provided a subsidy of over four million euros in 2010, with industry partners contributing the same amount. In early 2012, five other companies joined the TPRC: Instron, DTC, Pinette Emidecau Industries, Italmatic and AniForm.

An important reason for establishing the TPRC is the increasing use of thermoplastic composites in the aviation industry. A major advantage of thermoplastic composites is their short production time. It is essential, however, to have a thorough understanding of how the material behaves during the production process. The TPRC is building leading knowledge in this field by conducting research and making its expertise available to members in the form of guidelines, data and software tools. In addition to the aviation industry, the TPRC also sees many opportunities in other sectors such as the the automotive industry, sports world and the health care sector.

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