News & Events
Bcomp Ltd wins JEC Future of Composites in Transportation 2018 - Innovation Awards Sustainability together with Persico Automotive
40% lighter automotive interior parts with powerRibs® natural fibre reinforcement in unique 1-step process
 
Lightweighting is essential for a mobility sector adapting to both regulatory pressure and customer demands. With Bcomp’s proprietary powerRibs® natural fibre reinforcement technology, automotive interior parts can be made up to 40% lighter with maintained stiffness. To make the technology available to large-scale automotive, Bcomp partnered with the tooling expert Persico Automotive. The result is a highly efficient one-step process that not only cuts weight, but also cuts costs, and reduces waste and eco footprint.
 
The innovation consists of a processing technology that enables the use of high-performance powerRibs®  natural fibre reinforcements on an industrial scale. It is a highly efficient process that includes one-step back-injection, compression molds powerRibs® natural flax fiber reinforcement rib structure together with a base non-woven material of choice (typically NFPP fleeces), as well as including decorative layers on the A-side, and attachment points as well as punching in the same step. With the innovative employment of a soft silicone on the B-side on the compression molding tool, the full stiffening potential of the powerRibs® preform is reached and maintained.
 
powerRibs® are Bcomp’s unique reinforcement technology where 100% natural flax fibres are shaped into a grid that maximizes not only the mechanical, but also the geometric, properties of the fibres. Thus, the powerRibs® can outperform any standard engineering material for specific applications. They have up to 5 times higher vibration damping than carbon fibres and a safer crash behavior without sharp shattering.
 
The collaboration brings the process to full industrialization readiness. Thanks to this innovation, it is shown how the highly engineered preform can be seamlessly integrated in large-scale, highly efficient, top notch production lines, to produce plug and play lightweight and strong interiors for tomorrow's automobiles while at the same time decreasing the eco footprint.