Detailed description (English): Means of transport in Europe are responsible for about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. One of the measures for combating environmental pollution is reducing the weight of vehicles. This not only helps reduce fuel consumption, but also improves vehicle performance, reduces the load on the suspension and braking systems and opens the door to introducing electric vehicles, where vehicle range is still a critical point.
AIMPLAS is coordinating the RECOTRANS project, whose main objective is to develop and design technologies and solutions that reduce the weight of vehicles without increasing their cost. Multi-material thermoplastic components are therefore now being developed. They not only help make the parts lighter, but also allow for more complex designs. Microwave curing is also used in the manufacturing process to reduce manufacturing times and energy consumption, and metal-polymer hybrid welding is used to reduce the consumption of raw materials and improve the standardization and automation of the production process.
The result of this innovative system will be three demo samples from the automotive, truck and rail sectors: specifically, the door of a car, the rear suspension of a truck cab and the interior panel of a train coach. Progress made in the project’s 30th month shows that, following the manufacture of the first prototypes, a significant cost and energy consumption reduction was achieved compared to conventional composites. It also provides a a feasible scenario for recycling and the processing of recycled thermoplastic composites.
Target group(s): Automotive industry
Objectives: to develop and design technologies and solutions that reduce the weight of vehicles without increasing their cost.
The developments carried out in this project will be applied to other sectors as well.
Partner: Coordinated by AIMPLAS, a total of 13 partners from seven countries take part in it.