Braskem, a leading producer of polyolefins and biopolymers in the Americas, and WEAV3D, a startup in advanced materials and manufacturing, announced that their new door assembly prototype has been selected as one of the top three finalists in the Automotive and Road Transportation - Processes category of the 2024 JEC Composites Innovation Awards.
The prototype uses WEAV3D composite lattice reinforcements and Braskem PP to create a thermoplastic solution that is lighter and less expensive than traditional organosheets, opening up new possibilities for replacing sheet metal structures with thermoplastics in vehicles.
WEAV3D® worked with Braskem, Clemson University, and Altair Engineering to design and prototype an innovative automotive beltline reinforced door assembly.
We are proud to be a finalist in the JEC World Innovation Awards and to offer our customers innovative solutions and partnerships based on high-performance polypropylene materials with the launch of our WEAV3D lattice technology in 2023," said Amanda Zani, Technology Platform Manager at Braskem.
The automotive industry needs to adopt new performance materials and sustainable end-of-life options when developing new EV designs.WEAV3D technology can be used for both thermoforming and injection molding of parts, depending on the level of complexity. By combining Braskem's PP portfolio with the WEAV3D composite lattice, we achieve a 'win-win' situation of improved material performance and reduced environmental impact, with the potential to incorporate natural fibers."
Advantages of using WEAV3D's plastic and brass polypropylene reinforcement compared to traditional composite organic sheets:
Lightweight - Reduces sheet weight by approximately 50% and final part weight by approximately 23%.
Cost-effective - approx. 50% cost reduction
Efficient - Increase sheet yield from 25% to 45%, resulting in 62% reduction in trimming scrap
Chris Oberste, President of WEAV3D, said, "WEAV3D and Braskem have demonstrated the great potential of WEAV3D dot-matrix materials with this automotive door prototype, and we are delighted to have been selected as a finalist by the Innovation Awards jury."
"With the help of Altair Engineering, we developed a simulation workflow that allowed us to optimize the cost and performance of the lattice structure using the same organosheet tools and molding process equipment at Clemson University's Clemson Composites Center."
