PHILADELPHIA — January 16, 2024 — Braskem in partnership with WEAV3D Inc., an advanced manufacturing and materials startup, today announced that their innovative automotive door component prototype was selected as one of three finalists in the Automotive and Road Transportation – Process category of the JEC Composites Innovation Awards 2024.
The combination of WEAV3D composite lattice reinforcement with Braskem PP enables lighter and less expensive thermoplastic solutions than conventional organosheet, unlocking new opportunities for the cost-effective replacement of sheet metal structures with thermoplastics throughout the vehicle.
“We continue to be very excited to offer our clients innovations and partnerships around high-performance polypropylene materials utilizing the WEAV3D lattice technology after launching this project in 2023. We are honored to be recognized as a finalist for the JEC World Innovation Awards. As the automotive industry continues to roll out new electric vehicle designs, it requires automakers to re-think the vehicle design with cutting-edge performance materials and consider more sustainable end-of-life solutions. The initial conversion process focus has been on thermoforming to leverage large parts production; however, the WEAV3D technology can also be applied to injection molding of more complex parts. With significant improvements in lightweighting, reduced costs, and higher material efficiency, combining Braskem’s PP portfolio with WEAV3D composite lattices provides a ‘win-win’ in terms of enhanced material performance and a more sustainable environmental impact, including the integration of natural fiber options,” said Amanda Zani, Technology Platform manager, Braskem.
Benefits of using WEAV3D’s Rebar for Plastics® and Braskem Polypropylene vs. conventional composite organosheet:
- LIGHTWEIGHT – Reduces sheet blank weight by ~50 percent and final part weight by ~23 percent;
- COST EFFECTIVE – Reduces costs by ~50 percent; and
- EFFICIENT – Increases sheet yield from 25 to 45 percent by weight, resulting in a 62-percent reduction in trim waste
“WEAV3D and Braskem are demonstrating the significant potential of the WEAV3D lattice material with this automotive door prototype and we are thrilled to be selected a finalist by the Innovation Awards jury,” said Chris Oberste, president of WEAV3D. “Thanks to the simulation workflow developed in collaboration with Altair Engineering, we were able to optimize the lattice structure for cost and performance, while still using the original organosheet tooling and forming process equipment at the Clemson Composites Center at Clemson University.”
Winners of the JEC Composites Award 2024 will be announced during an online award ceremony on February 8, 2024, between 13:30 and 15:30 CET, accessible at www.jec-world.events. The Braskem-WEAV3D prototype part will also be on display in the JEC Innovation Planets section of JEC World, held in Paris, France from March 5-7, 2024. Visit WEAV3D’s booth 6P32e in the American Pavilion to learn more about the prototype part.
Posted: January 16, 2024
Source: BRASKEM North America
