Solvay Opens new Composite Innovation Centres

Solvay has opened two innovation centres dedicated to thermoplastic composites in the United States and Europe, strengthening its research and development in high-performance materials for the aerospace, automotive and oil & gas markets.

The Product Development Center in Alpharetta, Georgia, in the United States will be dedicated to the development of next-generation thermoplastic composites while the new centre in Brussels, Belgium will focus on customer collaboration providing virtual engineering technology, allowing for the simulation of advanced parts and systems as well as the minute analysis of the characteristics of materials; the rapid prototyping of complex small to mid-sized parts; as well as the advanced mechanical testing and validation of the materials.

Solvay’s new R&I centres in the U.S. and Europe and our recent capacity expansions, complete our infrastructure to support the industrialization of our thermoplastic materials technology. The centres provide state-of-the-art assets and capabilities to accompany our customers in the design, prototyping and testing of parts and allowing for a dramatic acceleration of the time to market of our materials Augusto Di Donfrancesco, member of Solvay’s Executive Committee

Solvay’s composite products help towards lightweight planes and cars, reducing their fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions and allow greater design freedom, thereby reducing the number of parts overall or improving aerodynamics. In oil and gas, they replace metal pipes prone to corrosion.