STAMFORD, Conn. — March 12, 2019 — Hexcel has joined forces with a Lyon-based startup, Lavoisier Composites. This company has developed CARBONIUM®, a new generation of material sourced entirely from carbon composite by-products generated by the French aerospace sector.
Hexcel supplies high-performance composite materials for the latest generation of aircraft such as the Airbus A350 XWB (53 percent composite structure). This has greatly contributed to the reduction of the aircraft’s weight, thereby reducing its fuel consumption and carbon footprint. Composites are a significant first step toward tackling environmental and economic challenges, and eco-sourcing of the industry by-products also plays a key role.
Carbonium, which was developed with a process based on three patents pending, reduces overall environmental impact by 40 to 50 percent, compared to equivalent products derived from virgin materials. Based on the “climate change” factor, the life cycle assessment carried out with Hexcel revealed that the up-cycling of by-products from the aerospace composites industry leads to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 13kg per kg of Carbonium used.
In its first year of operation, Lavoisier Composites has already enjoyed commercial success, including the launch of two top-of-the-range watch models by Swiss luxury watchmaker ULYSSE NARDIN using this new material.
From aircraft fuselages to watchmaking, the composites manufacturing cycle presents opportunities for reducing our impact on the environment.
Visit:
Hexcel – JEC Booth No. J41 Hall 5
Hexcel Corp. is a leading advanced composites company. It develops, manufactures and markets lightweight, high-performance structural materials including carbon fibers, specialty reinforcements, prepregs and other fiber-reinforced matrix materials, honeycomb, adhesives, engineered core and composite structures for use in commercial aerospace, space and defense and industrial applications.
Lavoisier Composites – JEC Startup Booster Village No. C55 Hall 5
Lavoisier Composites is a young Lyon-based start-up specialized in the development and the manufacture of composite materials and components with low environmental impact.
Posted March 12, 2019
Source: Hexcel Corporation
