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The growing demand for energy savings is leading to the development of efficient means of transport with minimum impact on the environment, reducing their consumption, using renewable energy sources and reducing their weight. At the same time, the aim is to provide increasingly safe and comfortable means of transport with the highest standards of quality, design and performance, all at competitive prices.
In the European Union, manufacturers are obliged to achieve a 27% reduction in CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the 2015 Circular Economy Strategy for Plastics implies that vehicle manufacturers are obliged to reuse 85% of the materials that make up their vehicles, with the remaining 10% going to energy generation and only 5% may go to landfill.
At GAIKER, we work on weight reduction, offering solutions in structural and non-structural components, as well as in aesthetic parts and in multi-material systems, developing processes that combine the moulding or joining of composites with plastic and metals.
Autonomous vehicles and electric mobility require more functionalities and integrated solutions. At GAIKER, we offer this type of solutions by developing conductive and piezoresistive materials, tactile functionality for the elimination of buttons, integration of electronics, sensors, antennas, wiring and combinations of several of these functions, such as shielding or impact resistance with good fire performance (as is the case of battery covers and casings, for example). We also work on finishes by formulating and applying functional coatings.
We are advancing in the automation of composite processes to increase efficiency, as well as in recyclable composites, such as thermoplastic composites or in the use of thermoplastic liquid resins and the new recyclable epoxy resins.
We offer comprehensive solutions for the circular economy of plastic waste and its incorporation as a quality raw material in plastic parts. In this respect, we are researching mechanical and chemical recycling, as well as the recovery of the resulting materials by means of compounding technology in new plastic pellets that incorporate percentages of recycled material. We also develop bioeconomy solutions adapted to the automotive sector, incorporating materials from renewable natural sources.
The project is aimed at developing a flexible manufacturing technology based on the use of thermoset prepegs for personalised short and long production runs which require high productivity. Process and product simulation and modelling tools are used in the manufacturing process, along with monitoring and communication tools between the stages involved in order to ensure overall quality.
The main aim is to respond to the urgent need to set up a traceability and process control system for compounding recycled thermoplastic material to ensure a quality equivalent to the current original raw materials from fossil sources. The aim is also to define an additional suitable method and instrumentation to assist in the treatment and formulation of recovered plastic materials (extrusion compounding process), in order to ensure the highest possible quality.
GAIKER is developing new polypropylene (PP) compounds from recycled polypropylene sources for use in the production process of the automotive component manufacturing company. This development includes both characterising the products currently in use and developing duplicates based on analysing the base raw material, as well as the additives, reinforcements and fillers to be added, where necessary, in order to improve the current product.
In this project, GAIKER carried out research into obtaining epoxy-based flame retardant formulations, which are recyclable, and can be processed suing SMC technology, which comply with the reaction to fire requirements for electric vehicles (more demanding than those demanded of conventional vehicles) and have good sound insulation properties.
Subsidised by the Basque Government
The need for lightweighting and the incorporation of integrated functionalities into the components of new generations of vehicles makes the use of recycled and recyclable composites increasingly attractive. As a result, plastics are considered to be indispensable materials in modern car design.
The C2CC project is carrying out research into cleavable composite materials based on new basalt-derived mineral fibres associated with innovative biomass-derived thermosetting resins. These composite materials were chemically ‘decomposed’ to recover thermoplastic resins and fibres. The C2CC project demonstrates the technical viability of this concept on real automotive components and the fulfilment of the expectations of the automotive industry and production facilities.
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This project received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, as part of the European Commission's Horizon 2020 research and development programme under contract number 1805. |
Thermoplastic composites are an excellent alternative to thermoset composites and sheet metal. However, implementing them in the market requires overcoming certain limitations associated with processing them. To this end, the ZE-KOMP project was set up to work on developing optimised, reliable manufacturing processes, improving the sustainability of these processes from an environmental and cost point of view, and on manufacturing rates.
Subsidised by the Basque Government
No results found.
Sustainable Composites & Functional Polymers Market Manager
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