News Release

REFORM, opening up the way for low environmental impact products

Business Announcement

Elhuyar Fundazioa

Tecnalia is participating in the REFORM project, which is seeking to contribute towards the EU's eco-label criteria for composite components.

The Community eco-label is a voluntary scheme that aims to reduce the negative impact of consumption and production on the environment, health, climate and natural resources.

It promotes products with a low environmental impact and is based on full, life-cycle analysis, from production through to disposal for various products.

Four key areas are being developed for this purpose:

  • To improve the efficiency of composite ply. The laying of laser-assisted tape and augmented reality systems that can reduce scrap and waste by increasingly guaranteeing precision.

  • To reduce the need for made-to-measure tools. The Reform members will be developing modular fixturing, which can be reconfigured for a range of large parts while maintaining thermal stability and a tight vacuum surface.

  • Cutting and trimming of composite parts using abrasive water jet machining and adaptable milling. Innovative solutions are developed. They are more efficient than the traditional techniques of machining and optimization for composite materials.

  • Development of new disposal and recycling techniques. The researchers will be examining ways of dismantling the composite parts and recovering fibres in order to develop eco-label criteria; the aim is to provide composites with a minimum environmental impact seal.

It is a 4-year project funded by the FP7 to develop the next generation of production technologies. The following 13 companies and research centres are participating in it: The University of Sheffield, TEKS, Mach4Lab, Acciona, Swerea-Sicomp, Tecnalia, Nova, ModuleWorks, Azimut-Benetti, Fraunhofer, DVST, FormTech Composites, DIAD Group.

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For further information, please check out the project's website: http://reform.eu.com/.


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