JEC announces winners of Innovation Awards

France-based composite organization the JEC Group has unveiled the names of the 13 winners of the 2017 JEC Innovation Awards, which reward the best composite breakthroughs based on their technical interest, market potential, partnerships, financial and environmental impact and originality.

A high number of submissions to the annual swards came from the automotive industry. Process improvement was also one of the most represented themes, highlighting the importance of cycle time reduction.

With 13 categories ranging from raw materials to process, to applications in various fields such as aeronautics, automotive, construction, marine and better living, the winning projects are intended to offer a complete overview of the composite value chain, and the many future opportunities that are still to be taken in the field of composites.

The JEC Innovation Awards ceremony will highlight 13 innovators on stage, and will take place on Wednesday, March 15 at 5 p.m. at JEC World, in Paris Nord Villepinte in France.

The 13 winners, and categories, of the 2017 JEC Innovation Awards:

Aeronautics – IHI Corporation (Japan): Innovative composite fan system for aero-engines.

Automotive, Structural – Forward Engineering GmbH (Germany): T-RTM.

Automotive, Exterior – LG Hausys (South Korea): One-piece roof rack.

Construction – ACCIONA Construcción SA (Spain): Innovative composite panels, an alternative to steel and concrete for high-speed railway tunnel construction.

Process – IRT M2P (France): Fast RTM.

Manufacturing – Voith Composites GmbH & Co. KG (Germany): Voith Roving Applicator.

Sustainability – Faurecia (France): NAFILite microcellular foamed material.

Marine – VABO Composites (The Netherlands): “Plug-and-play” composite ship door.

3D Printing – +LAB – Politecnico di Milano University (Italy): Smart manufacturing of continuous-fibre composites: Atropos.

Software – e-Xstream (Luxembourg): Digimat AM.

Sports – Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. (IPF) (Germany): Recurve bow riser.

Raw Materials – Covestro Deutschland AG (Germany): Desmocomp – a novel solution for composites.

Better Living – Brødrene AA (Norway): Vision of the Fjords, Ship of the Year 2016 in Norway.