Composites

2020-05-14

Highlighting excellence at the JEC Composites Innovation Awards ceremony

JEC Group revealed the winners of the JEC Composites Innovation Awards 2020 during an online ceremony held Wednesday, May 13. This virtual awards ceremony was a first in the history of the competition and was followed by more than 600 viewers. Thirteen winners were announced in 11 categories representing the different composite user industries as well as two additional special categories.

An exciting time for the composites industry 

The JEC Composites Innovation Awards were launched in 1996 and have highlighted the achievements of 1,900 companies in the past 24 years. One hundred ninety-eight companies and  475 partners have been recognized for their innovation in the field of composites. The JEC Composites Innovation Awardsfocus on the following criteria when selecting winners in the composites industry: involvement in the value chain, technical sophistication, and commercial potential.

After  pre-selecting  33  finalists,  the  jury  selected  one  winner  per  category  (Additive  Manufacturing,  Aeronautics,  Automotive,  Construction  Infrastructures  &  Civil  Engineering,  Design  &  Furniture,  Maritime Transportation & Shipbuilding, Process, Railway Vehicles & Infrastructure, Recycling, Space, Sports & Healthcare). These represent some of the most advanced innovations developed by talented professionals, which  were recognized during this ceremony.

“The JEC Composites Innovation Awards do more than simply confer awards. They are intended to be a  source  of  inspiration  for  the  industry  and  a  driver  of  excellence  for  all  winners.  This  is  a  highly  anticipated, not-to-be-missed event every year for the composites industry,” explained Franck Glowacz, Innovation Content Leader at JEC Group.

And the winners are...

Thirteen companies, from large well-known groups to small, talented teams, were recognized for their innovations!

  • In the “Additive Manufacturing” category, the Spanish company Eurecat was recognized for its innovative CFIP Technology, a new post-processing technology that uses continuous fibers to strengthen a variety of parts, no matter the material or manufacturing technology.
  • For the “Aeronautics” category, the French team of   theInstitut de Soudure Groupe & Arkemareceived  an  award  for  their  “Innovative  Solutions  for  Welding  of  TP  Composites,”  a  newly  developed  and  patented  solution  used  for  very  high  performance  welding  for  thermoplastic  composites.
  • For the “Automotive” industry, the German manufacturer Volkswagenwas recognized for its “Lightweight FRP Center Tunnel (LehoMit-Hybrid),” an innovative and profitable thermoplastic structural hybrid car body component that is suitable for high-volume production, which can be introduced prior to cathodic dip coating with the corresponding assembly technology.
  • In the “Construction, Infrastructures & Civil Engineering” category, the Swiss team at Carbo-Link received accolades for their CL RESTRAP technology consisting of thin cured CFRP prepreg tapes continuously wound in a loop to form a flexible carbon strap. These have an unlimited lifespan and are used to reinforce concrete girders of all sizes, in any infrastructure.
  • For  the  “  Design  &  Furniture”  sector,  the  Finnish  company  Mecelec  Composites  was recognized for its “Mass-produced Flax Fiber Roofs,” the first application of flax fiber BMC for mass production.
  • The Finnish company Norsepower Oy Ltd. also received an award, this time in the “Maritime Transportation  &  Shipbuilding”  category.  Their  Norsepower  Rotor  Sail  Lightweight  Solution  helps  freight  and  passenger  vessels  to  reduce  fuel  costs  by  5  to  30  %  by  improving  vessels’  propulsion systems through the use of wind for additional propulsive power.
  • In the “Process” category, the Austrian company Engel Austria was awarded for its “Line for Tailored  Thermoplastic  Composite  Blanks,”  an  innovative  line  consisting  of  a  pick-and-place stacking cell and a heating and cooling consolidation unit capable of producing a customized thermoplastic blank within a cycle time of one to three minutes.
  • For  the  “Railway  Vehicles  &  Infrastructures”  sector,  the  spotlight  was  shone  on  the  British  company Far-UK Ltd for its “Project BRAINSTORM,” a new design of incredibly lightweight   rail vehicle frames that are woven from carbon fiber composites into a series of tubes for lower investment and manufacturing costs as well as carbon emissions.
  • For the field of “Recycling,” the Thai company Cobra International was awarded for its “Closed Loop  Recycling  of  Epoxy  Composites,”  a  sustainable  solution  for  closed  loop  recycling  of  infused epoxy mold tools and thermoset epoxy RTM watersports fins for starboard and MFC.
  • In  the  “Space”  category,  the  Korean  company  Hankuk  Carbonreceived  accolades  for  its  “Lightweight  &  Liner-less  Carbon  Subscale  Cryotank”  that  can  reduce  the  weight  of  a  space  launcher  by  30%  by  replacing  the  current  fuel  tank  with  an  uncoated  carbon  composite  cryotank.
  • In  the  “Sports  &  Healthcare”  industry,  Asics Corporation  from  Japan  was  recognized  for  its  “Future  of  Sprints:  Spike-Less  CFRTP  Sprinting  Shoe,”  a  breakthrough  shaping  methodology  using pre-formed, randomly-oriented ultra-thin CFRTP tapes.
  • The “JEC Composites Magazine” Special Award was bestowed on Cookson Precious Metalsfor its “3D-Printed Bushings for Glass Fiber Production.”
  • Finally, the general public voted to award the French company Stratiforme Industriesfor its “DESTINY  Thermoplastic  Resin  Train  Front  End,”  which  aims  to  launch  a  new  range  of  components   for   commercial   aircraft   interior   fittings   and   rail   applications   based   on   thermoplastic composites.

The very best of the entire international composites community was truly on display at this ceremony, demonstrating  that  these  awards  have  continued  to  remain  on  the  cutting  edge  of  innovation  and  creative capacity even in these unusual times.

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