CTCP - ThermoPlastic composites Application Center

CTCP – Circular Thermoplastic Composite Production

Summary

The CTCP (Circular Thermoplastic Composite Production) project seamlessly fits with the National Transition Agenda for a Circular Economy for ThermoPlastic Composites (TPC) materials. Two main topics are addressed:

Prevention
Thanks to the use of fibres, considerable savings can be made on the consumption of materials, which can also lead to cost savings and CO₂savings during the production phase and the use phase.
More renewable plastics
An important contribution to the circularity can be made by using recycled and bio-plastics. Which can then also be easily recycled and are in most cases biodegradable.

Although a lot of applied knowledge has already been gained with bio composites, the envisaged processing technologies in this project are completely new for these materials. This project therefore focuses on the circularity of the TPC materials in combination with the latest large-scale TPC production techniques.

Each fibre-thermoplastic combination has its specific properties with regard to manufacturability, processability and properties in the use phase. Participating companies want to further increase the circularity of their materials and therefore need further research. The central research question is:

To what extend can circular thermoplastic composites be developed that can be processed in large series with the latest TPC processes?

The CTCP project aims at research into:

Produceability of semi-finished products (commingled fabrics, tape, inserts)
Processability into products and recyclability of circular TPCs
Determining material performance, including: mechanical properties, life cycle analysis (LCA) and weather resistance of circular TPCs

Project partners

NHL Stenden Lectoraat Duurzame Kunststoffen, Comptape, Plastica Thermoforming, VEPA, Q-Nonwovens, BNP Brinkmann, AC ter Kuile, CompositesNL

Duration

2 years, Start in October 2019

Funding

RAAK-MKB subsidy, financed by Regieorgaan SIA, part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)

For more information about this project, please click here.

CTCP project in the NEWS