SAMPE Summit 2023 Paris

Here is a short review of the event with exclusive verbatims:

Guy Larnac, President SAMPE Europe: “The composite materials industry is going through two main revolutions, one is on the digitilization and automation, where more processes are using AI to manage and to analyse data. This more or less changes the way we are developing processes and materials. We are using AI and quantum computing in order to design new materials. We have to be ready to face this revolution.

The second topic is sustainability. The objective is to see all we can do to reduce our environmental impact through composites manufacturing, composites development, to go to bio-based materials in order to avoid petroleum-based chemistry.”

“Our aim is to improve the SAMPE brand, the network and the value that SAMPE is adding, and to involve more young engineers in the science of new materials.”

Professor Kiyoshi Uzawa, Innovative Composite materials research & development Center (ICC), of Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
ICC was established in 2014, expanded in 2018. It employs 14 researchers and 5 technical staff, with a budget supported by Japan’s Ministry of Education.

The objectives and features of ICC are to contribute to the application expansion of composites, through focusing on application technology and encouraging cross-industrial collaboration among Industry-Academia-Government.

Open environment, and easy access platform, ICC covers all areas, from materials to manufacturing.

The presentation introduced various molding methods with in-situ polymerization thermoplastic epoxy resin. Innovative manufacturing methods were presented for composite tanks with novel monomer-blended thermoplastics and Redox reactive resins.

These innovative molding technologies include developing resins with new curing/polymerization properties, as well as adapting the reaction properties of the resin to the composite molding process, The overall optimisation of both has made this possible. The goal is to expand the application fields of composite materials. 

Javier LLorca, IMDEA Materials Institute, 3D printed composite bioabsorbable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
Located in Madrid, Spain, IMDEA is a research institute with 115 researchers from 26 countries. Its mission is the design and development of novel materials and advanced manufacturing processes for applications in transport, industry, energy and health.

Bone (tissue) fracture (damage) as a result of high-energy impact, tumor resection, infection or osteo-degenerative diseases is one critical health care issue.

The fracture is currently solved with biocompatible metallic fixation devices or (to a minor extent) porous scaffolds of Ti alloys or Co-Cr steels. They lead to problems due to:
– Stress shielding effect due to the elastic modulus mismatch
– Inappropriate bioactivity in the long term (metalosis)
– Need of a second surgery for implant removal

Worth ~€ 6.7 billion by 2023, the fracture fixation devices global market has declined in 2020 due to COVID-19, but is forecasted to grow at CAGR of 4.2%. Road traffic accidents and sports injuries are the main incidences for fracture fixation devices.

The challenge is to develop materials for temporary implants from bioresorbable and biocompatible metals or polymers and/or their composites with sufficient mechanical properties that can be progressively degraded and absorbed in the human body at a certain rate and promote bone tissue growth.

With a multidisciplinary approach, devices from bioresorbable and biocompatible materials should be manufactured using state-of-art additive manufacturing techniques.

3D printed medical devices market is expected to be worth € 4.5 billion by 2025. It is a high-growth market as first 3D printed Ti implants were only approved by FDA (US Regulatory Agency) in 2016 for craniofacial and kneecap surgeries. The need for patient specific devices is the major driving force (personalised medicine).

The objective is to develop a palette of metals and polymermetal composites as well as of simulation tools that can be used to design and manufacture by 3D printing patient customized, bioresorbable, multimaterial, scaffolds and fixation devices for orthopaedic applications with tailored mechanical properties, degradability and biocompatibility.

Different strategies have been developed to manufacture bioresorbable polymer-metal composites that can be processed by 3D printing or standard composite processing techniques with tailored mechanical properties, degradation rate and good cytocomptability.

These developments are aimed at manufacturing personalized, multi-material scaffolds from biodegradable materials in which the mechanical properties, degradation rate and cytocompatibility are optimised independently in each region of the scaffold.

Isabell Gradert – VP Central Research & Technology, Airbus
Marc Fette – CEO Composite Technology Center / CTC GmbH – An Airbus Company
The Future of Aerospace Technologies – Contributions of Composite Technologies

Decarbonization (0% emission per passenger kilometre) is now 50 % complete and should be achieved in 2050.

To address the remaining 50 %:
– 7 %: improve air traffic management (ATM) and aircraft operations
– 34 %: new engine and aircraft technologies
– 53 %: sustainable aviation fuels
– 6 %: market-based measures

Lightweight design with composites. Why lightweighting? Less mass = less energy = less emission.

Is there further potential for composites? Yes, as they allow functionality and integrated functions.

Composites for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), battery electric vehicles (BEV) & hybrid electric vehicles (HEV):
– Increased weight by battery system can be compensated by composites
– Battery housings made out of glass fibre composites and sandwich structures
– Realizing of functional and conductive structures

Composites for liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage systems:
– Increased weight by cryogenic tank system
– Weight can be compensated by using composite structures
– New aircraft architectures offer further options for composites

Composites also enable advanced communication, through antenna housings for internet reception via satellites, as well as through direct integration of antenna systems via conductors and functionalization of composite structures. Special sandwich structures allow the realization of frequency selective layer structures. Composites also allow the realization of fully integrated and digitalized cabin sidewalls.

SAVE THE DATE !
Attend Sampe Europe Conference 2023 in Madrid from 3 – 5 October 2023.