Prodrive is collaborating with research engineers at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) on its Primary to Tertiary (P2T) philosophy, which is used for manufacturing recyclable composite components that can satisfy end-of-life requirements without any compromise in the performance of the original parts.
The company says it simplifies recycling and endows a composite material with the potential to fulfil three or more useful lifetimes.
AMRC
The team at AMRC has primarily focused on allowing for automation, making it possible to achieve medium to high volumes at substantially lower costs, looking at the recyclable nature of the materials used and increasing the technology’s attraction to other industries.
As P2T composites do not require heat or pressure during manufacture, there is no need for an autoclave, which reduces costs and enables the scaling up of production without major investment.
The process uses a reactive thermoplastic resin instead of a thermosetting type and a plastic monomer is reacted with a catalyst in the presence of the fibres to produce a cured laminate.
Hannah Tew, Partnership Lead at the AMRC Composite Centre, said: “The results from our initial press trials look promising and we’re very much looking forward to supporting Prodrive in automating the process going forward.”
The ongoing research between the AMRC and Prodrive Composites is set to expand over the coming year and is being closely monitored by numerous companies in various industries looking to improve their environmental impact with high performance, light-weight components.