Design and manufacturing of high performing fibre reinforced polymer composite components

TechnologyCyprusTOCY20210329001
Offers
Summary: 
A cypriot SME offers an innovative product/service to the problem of strength-weight ratio in material applications that industry (aerospace, sports, marine, automotive etc.) faces. The company is looking for small and large integrators of systems that currently use or need high performing fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite components to commercially exploit the internally developed innovative technology via commercial agreements with technical support (engineering design and analysis).
Description: 
The cypriot company was founded in 2013 by two experienced mechanical engineers and a senior economist aiming to create an innovative company in the field of advanced polymer composite materials that will put Cyprus on the world map of innovative composite materials. The company focuses on the design and manufacturing of advanced composite materials, by identifying the problems and needs of customers in a variety of industries such as aviation, defence, sports, automotive, shipping etc. and by providing them with a variety of material services and product solutions in the field of materials. The company has access, either within its premises or through external partners, to a variety of specialized technical equipment and processes, which enables it to deliver both intermediate materials and end-products. The company's innovative proprietary technological process can improve textiles such as carbon, glass, aramid, hybrid, and other fabrics. The technology consists of 3 phases: 1) Nanomaterial creation 2) Nanomaterial insertion to fabrics 3) Nanomaterial Consolidation with fabrics The resulting fabric product in a multilayer FRP structure presents the following properties compared to conventional FRPs: • up to 300% stronger in terms of Mode II fracture toughness, • up to 70% stronger in terms of Mode I fracture toughness, • up to 20% in terms of tensile strength and • up to 80% in terms of impact and compression after impact The technological process modifies and improves current industrial fabrics in the form of textile (dry fabric or prepreg) roll such as carbon, glass, aramid, hybrid, and other fabrics. The small or large integrator benefits from a light and strong fibre reinforced polymer (FRPs) composite material which is used in the components of the desired system application: 1) Ultra high strength, 2) Increased weight savings for particular structural components due to less material use in order to acquire similar level of strength with the conventional FRPs 3) Lower composite manufacturing cost, 4) Fuel consumption reduction (for use in transportation applications) 5) Lower CO2 emissions (for use in transportation applications) 6) Increased material performance (for use in sports applications) The company is looking for potential partners from industry (of any size) who are in need of / currently use high performing fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite components in order to develop prototypes of fibre reinforced polymer composite components for them, in this way improving their final product. Potential fields of activity of industry partners are: Telecommunications, Transportation, Automotive, Space, Aviation, Defence. This can be done in the framework of a commercial agreement with technical assistance provided by the Cyprus company.
Type (e.g. company, R&D institution…), field of industry and Role of Partner Sought: 
The company is looking for industry partners (SMEs / MNEs such as small and large integrators of systems that currently use or are in need of high performing fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite components. Potential fields of activity of potential partners: Telecommunications, Transportation, Automotive, Space, Aviation, Defence, etc. or other) Potential partners would cooperate with the Cyprus company to exploit the innovation via commercial agreements with technical support in order to develop fibre reinforced polymer composite prototypes / components.
Stage of Development: 
Already on the market
Comments Regarding Stage of Development: 
The innovative material technology has been currently manufactured in house with industrial scale machines and demonstrated in industrial methods of composite materials manufacturing. Upon industrial manufacturing of the technology and enhancement of carbon textiles, the enhanced carbon textiles have been tested in a certified industrial laboratory through a comparison with standard CFRP specimens. Noteworthy, the industrial laboratory is using same standards as the ones used at AIRBUS for multilayer CFRPs. The technology has also been demonstrated through structural applications. Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Considering the industrial demonstration and the qualification of the product through extensive testing, the technology product is currently at a TRL 8 (EU scale: 0 to 9). Increased capacity of the production line will help achieving TRL 9.
IPR Status: 
Secret Know-how,Patent(s) applied for but not yet granted,Granted patent or patent application essential,Trade Marks
Comments Regarding IPR Status: 
• IP protection: • Patent application (November 2016) • Current status: Patent Granted (In some States) / Pending (In some States) • Trademark Registration: Classes 22 & 24 / Europe & USA
External code: 
TOCY20210329001