DuPont Intensifies Research on Thermoplastic Composites
By co-locating its research activities at Aachen University, DuPont becomes a “premium partner” with the Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production.
DuPont Performance Materials (DPM), Wilmington, Del., will co-locate its thermoplastic composites research activities on the RWTH Aachen University campus in Aachen, Germany, extending its existing partnership with the Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production (AZL) to a “Premium Partnership.”
DuPont is a founding partner of AZL, formed in 2012 to meet the increasing demand for mass production of lightweight, highly stable, chemically resistant components, mainly for transportation-related applications. This move will give DPM better access to the work of AZL research partners such as Aachen's world-renowned Plastics Processing Institute (IKV), and will also foster further collaboration with other companies based on-site.
“Co-locating our activities in Aachen is a first ever in Europe for DPM and represents a paradigm shift in how we do research and new business development,” noted DuPont business development manager Ernst Poppe. Co-location is an emerging collaboration model of increasing strategic importance, according to the partners. It brings together academic and industry research in a dedicated space to stimulate bigger and broader breakthroughs from a commercial, technological, and human perspective that go beyond what can be achieved through traditional bilateral projects.
The AZL lightweight competence network, along with its Aachen Campus partner institutes active in various fields of lightweight production technology, total over 750 scientists and 1100 graduate students. The AZL Partner Network consists of 60 industrial partners representing the entire lightweight production value chain—from material suppliers, molders, and manufacturing equipment suppliers to OEMs. As a service provider partnering with companies in the field of lightweight production technology, AZL offers industrial services in engineering, consultancy, and project management.
Conference Addresses Thermoplastic Composites in Automotive
Plastics Technology and its Gardner Business Media sister publications CompositesWorld and Automotive Design and Production have now finalized their agenda for the 2016 Thermoplastic Composites for Automotive technical conference (#TCCAuto16) to be held on June 15-16 in Novi, Mich., co-located with the amerimold conference. Our TCC2014 event attracted attendees from a broad range of companies including automotive and agricultural equipment OEMs, Tier 1 and 2 suppliers, material suppliers, molders, technology companies and research organizations.
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