Archives for September 2024

The ECOLAJE project delves into the advantages of additive manufacturing to make moulds for the thermoforming of ESD materials and investigates recycling strategies for ESD trays made from these moulds.

GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, is participating in the ECOLAJE project, whose main objective is to optimise the thermoforming of ESD packaging, using moulds made by additive manufacturing in combination with various recycling strategies, as well as the use of post-industrial and/or post-consumer material.

In a project to make containers or packaging using the thermoforming technique, but gaining in speed and flexibility, it is very useful to make the moulds by means of additive manufacturing. This technology enables the integration of additional features in the moulds, such as cooling channels and surface textures, which improves the quality of the parts produced and reduces their production cycle times.

The ECOLAJE project seeks to dive into the benefits of using additive manufacturing to make moulds for the thermoforming of ESD materials, so that they can be used in the manufacture of trays to transport electronic products so that they do not undergo any electrostatic discharge during handling and transport, thus avoiding damage to electronic circuits. Similarly, it aims to promote the circular economy by researching, on the one hand, different strategies for recycling ESD packaging and, on the other hand, the manufacture of these trays from recycled and post-consumer materials.

This research is carried out in different phases, starting with a full study of FDM materials and the most suitable materials are selected to produce the moulds. Subsequently, the requirements of the parts to be thermoformed are determined in order to define a procedure for the verification and study of their deterioration. In the following phases, research is carried out into the design and development of moulds for thermoforming by additive manufacturing and their validation, as well as how to improve the sustainability of this process, considering different recycling strategies for ESD trays and analysing the functional deterioration of thermoformed parts, especially the loss of the ESD property (loss of surface resistivity).

GAIKER is mainly involved in the latter activities, leading the "Recyclability strategies for ESD materials in thermoformed parts” work package, in which the research of different recycling strategies is proposed and the variation in the ESD properties of the manufactured packaging is studied in each case. The aim is to evaluate the best strategy to optimise recycling cycles while maintaining functional properties (anti-static).

This project, financed by the Basque Government as part of its grant programme for collaborative research in strategic areas, ELKARTEK 2023, involves IKOR Technology Centre, S.L. (project leader) and the School of Engineering of the University of Navarra, TECNUN, in addition to GAIKER, expert in the development, processing and characterisation of plastic compounds and in recycling and the circular economy.

The project is subsidised by the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment of the Basque Government (ELKARTEK 2023 Programme).

The kick-off meeting of ECORES WIND, an ambitious European initiative aiming to contribute to the development of sustainable and environmentally conscious practices in the wind energy industry by providing a viable alternative to conventional resin systems, took place on 18^th and 19^th September 2024, at the Basque Technology Park (Euskadiko Parke Teknologikoa) in Zamudio near Bilbao. The initiative is led by GAIKER, member of Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, which is a private non-profit organisation with 39 years of experience dedicated to research and offering innovative tech solutions to companies in several sectors.

In addition to leading the project, GAIKER will work on characterizing the new materials to be developed, as well as the manufacturing processes. The Centre will also be in charge of scaling up the recycling processes defined by the partners developing the new resins.

ECORES WIND Overview, Consortium and Collaboration

ECORES WIND, a Horizon Europe-funded Research and Innovation Action, aims to revolutionize the wind energy sector by developing novel circular resinsystems tailored for composite structures in wind energy applications. The initiative will run for 42 months, focusing on enhancing the circularity of wind turbine components, particularly wind blades, to minimise their environmental footprint throughout their lifecycle.

ECORES WIND addresses environmental challenges associated with conventional resin systems in the conditions of a fast-evolving European wind power industry by developing alternatives that promote recyclability, extended lifespan, and efficient decommissioning processes. ECORES WIND seeks to introduce innovative circular resins combined with advanced disassembly strategies, enabling cost-effective decommissioning and material reutilisation.

The project is led by GAIKER with a consortium of 13 partners from across Europe, including leading research institutions, universities, and industry stakeholders. The diverse expertise of the partners will ensure a comprehensive approach to tackling the project’s objectives.

The Challenge Ahead: The urge for the wind power generation to go circular

ECORES WIND is set to make significant strides in the wind energy sector by advancing the development of sustainable materials and processes. Wind energy plays a critical role in enabling the European Union to decarbonise and develop a clean, resource efficient, and carbon-neutral future. Its current infrastructure used for clean electrical energy generation is, paradoxically, a source of contamination. While Europe is the main market for wind power generation and the global leader in offshore wind, the industry is expected to grow by 6.5% on average by 2030. The increase of the wind power capacity, which grew by more than 70% from 2019 to 2023. From 2024 to 2028, global wind power capacity is expected to continue growing rapidly. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has increased its growth forecast for 2024-2030 by 10%.

Wind farms also have a finite operational lifetime. For the oldest wind farms this is typically in the area of 15 – 25 years. As the European wind turbine fleet ages, a solution for EoL is paramount. Many of Europe’s onshore wind farms are approaching the end of their planned operational lifetime.

The strategies to address the replacement or repowering of wind farms are complex with legislative frameworks for repowering not yet in place. Most rotor blades are constructed from composite materials, including glass and carbon fibres, plastics, and resins which have a typical lifespan of 25 years and critically present challenges for recycling.

Specific objectives of ECORES WIND

Key Objectives and Innovations of ECORES WIND include the development of circular resin systems that enhance the recyclability and sustainability of wind turbine blades and incorporation of advanced disassembly strategies to ensure that wind turbine blades can be decommissioned, and their materials reused efficiently. The setup of the project is developed in close cooperation with RTOs, universities, SMEs and other relevant stakeholders to integrate the supply chain. This collaboration is essential to ensure the proposed solution is industry ready. Furthermore, the initiative encompasses an ecological impact evaluation of aimed solutions: ecological advantages of the developed resin systems will be evaluated and compared to state-of-the-art materials, aiming to establish benchmarks for improved sustainability in the wind energy sector.

For more information about the ECORES WIND project, please visit www.ecoreswind.eu

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101148066.

GAIKER, member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), will once again attend Spain’s leading annual event of the cosmetics industry, Cosmetorium, which will take place on 23rd and 24th October at the Palau de Congressos in Barcelona.

On this occasion, the expert in the in vitro evaluation of the safety and efficacy of cosmetics will be exhibiting its range of R&D&I services in the field of dermo-cosmetics at Stand 310, which will be shared with Dr. Goya Análisis and Anmar Clinical Services.

Organised by the Spanish Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SEQC) and Step Exhibitions, this eighth edition of COSMETORIUM will include a large number of national and international exhibitors and hundreds of cosmetics professionals who will provide new ideas, knowledge and endless business and networking possibilities. 

Come and visit us at Stand 310!

>> More information: https://www.cosmetorium.es/es/