Fidamc took part in the 22nd European Conference on Composite Materials (ECCM22), held in Oslo, a leading international event that brings together researchers, companies and professionals from the composites sector to share the latest advances in innovation, manufacturing, sustainability and the circular economy.
During this year’s event, Fidamc made a significant technical contribution, adding to the event’s scientific programme with with three presentations focusing on advanced composite manufacturing technologies, material recovery and new sustainable approaches for the aerospace industry.
In addition to taking part in the technical sessions, the Fidamc team used the conference as a platform to meet key players in the composites ecosystem, holding meetings with leading companies in the sector with the aim of exploring new opportunities for collaboration, sharing knowledge and continuing to drive technological innovation.
Advanced manufacturing of thermoplastic structures using stamping and AFP
During the “Automated Placement Technologies”session, held on Monday 22 June, Mar Zuazo Ruiz gave a presentation entitled: . Mar Zuazo Ruiz presented the paper: “Stamping and AFP for Next-Gen High-Rate Flaperon Manufacturing”.
Mar presented the results of the Flaperón project, developed for Airbus Defence and Space, which focused on the design and manufacture of an aeronautical flaperon using continuous-fibre thermoplastic composites (CFRTP). The solution implemented combines stamping processes for the manufacture of the internal ribs and automated lamination (AFP) using in-situ consolidation for the skins. Thanks to this manufacturing strategy, a total of 11 ribs were successfully integrated into the lower skin in a single step, thereby minimising secondary joints. The entire structure was manufactured using out-of-autoclave technologies.
This contribution demonstrates Fidamc’s ability to develop and optimise advanced manufacturing processes for high-performance aeronautical components, reducing production times and improving the efficiency of the industrial process.
Advances in recycling and the circular economy for composites
In the session “Recycling, Remanufacturing, and Circular Economy”, held on Tuesday 23 June, Mónica Peñas Caballero presented a paper entitled “Valorization of prepreg scrap through calendaring-based recycling”.
Mónica presented the most significant results obtained from the European projects FASTER H2 (with Airbus) and MC4, as well as the work resulting from the collaboration between Fidamc and IMDEA Materiales. In her presentation, she demonstrated how calendaring enables progress towards a continuous, scalable industrial methodology for recycling uncured carbon fibre prepreg scraps, promoting zero-waste solutions and the circular economy for the aerospace sector.
This research reflects Fidamc’s commitment to developing technologies that enable more sustainable management of composite materials, promoting new production models based on the reuse and recovery of resources.
New vitrimer materials for more sustainable manufacturing
Also as part of the “Sustainable Manufacturing”, Eunice Cunha presented the paper: “Sustainable Vitrimer CFRPs: Manufacturing Pathways and Reprocessing Capabilities”.
Eunice presented the results obtained as part of the TOSCA project, relating to the development and optimisation of automated manufacturing processes using AFP for new vitrimer materials in prepreg tow form. This contribution highlights Fidamc’s capabilities in adapting and optimising advanced composite manufacturing processes for innovative materials, combining process control with the physicochemical and mechanical characterisation of manufactured flat panels to validate both the material and the process.
Participation in ECCM22 reinforces Fidamc’s role as a leading technology centre in the development of innovative solutions for the composites industry, linking applied research, industrial capabilities and international collaboration to tackle the sector’s future challenges.
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