Reducing the environmental impact of composites
REFORM (Resource-Efficient Factory Of Recyclable Manufacturing composite components) is a 4 year project funded by the European 7th
Framework Factory of the Future Program to develop the next generation of production technologies.
The project focuses on developing resource-efficient and clean
technologies for the manufacture of composite components.
Fibre-reinforced composites (FRP) are becoming very popular as they
allow component weight to be reduced without compromising on strength.
In many applications, such weight reduction leads to energy savings
during the service life of the product. However, when calculating the environmental footprint of a component, the entire life-cycle must be viewed, including
material extraction, manufacturing, end-of-life disposal and
recyclability.
REFORM will focus on the manufacturing cycle
used when making FRP components. Methods for forming, machining
(cutting and trimming), assembly and recycling will be considered. The
project will allow fully green, economically viable composites
production techniques to be integrated into the eco-factory of the
future