CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/517026
JUNE 2015 34 CompositesWorld ยป Termoplastics remain perpetually fve years from maturity. Tis quote from an industry insider, recorded in a 1994 update on thermoplastic matrices in composites applications published in CW's predecessor, High-Performance Composites magazine, still rings true more than 20 years later. Tere is progress, however. Termoplastic composites are earning a growing share of structural applications, and their many benefts are a lot closer to maturity today in Europe than anywhere else. One reason is the Termoplastic Composites Research Center (TPRC, Enschede, Te Netherlands), a well-known thermoplastics consortium backed by Te Boeing Co. (Chicago, IL, US) and an impressive array of industrial suppliers, together with the University of Twente, Saxion University and Te Delft University of Technology, all based in Te Netherlands. "Tere is enormous demand for strong, durable, yet lightweight mate- rials to decrease energy consumption," says TPRC's general manager By Sara Black / Technical Editor Thermoplastic composites technology: A view from Europe For this Dutch consortium, bringing the manufacturability of thermoplastic materials to maturity is the goal in concert with OEMs, materials and equipment supplier members.