LIST Sustainable Composite Materials Industry Day Draws 160+ Participants

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) has reported that it hosted its first-ever Sustainable Composite Materials and Manufacturing (SCMM) Industry Day on Thursday 30 November at its Hautcharage site.

Industry leaders and experts attended this event, which marked a milestone in composite materials innovation and also for the SCMM Innovation Centre, which opened its doors just one year ago.

The SCMM Industry Day aimed to showcase recent advancements in composite materials and their applications across various industries. The event brought together an international group of participants, including representatives from the SCMM Observing Committee such as Airbus, Thales Alenia and Toyota.

More than 160 international participants attended, including global industry leaders who shared their insights through keynote speeches. Speakers included Gunnar Merz, CEO of Composites United, emphasising the significance of European collaboration for the composites industry, David Hatrick, VP of Strategic Marketing and Innovation at Huntsman Advanced Materials, who explored the shift to net-zero transportation and Armand Ajdari, CTO of ARKEMA, showcasing sustainable composite materials solutions for structural applications.

Visitors were able to discover four live demonstrations. Attendees experienced the latest breakthroughs in natural fibre-reinforced polymers, exploring the new generation of composite materials for structural applications. The event showcased the production of ultra-light composite parts using 3-D filament winding, along with welding composite parts. Moreover, a live demonstration, in collaboration with Gradel, a manufacturer specialising in innovative lightweight structures for the space, aeronautics and mobility markets, highlighted practical applications. Gradel is also one of the pioneering members of the SCMM Innovation Centre.

 The event also provided a platform for LIST’s Materials department, which hosts the SCMM Innovation Centre, to showcase nineteen demonstrators, that spanned from synthesising materials to system integration and testing. This emphasised Centre’s and the department’s competence across the materials value chain and a comprehensive approach from material creation to integrated market-ready demonstrators.

One of the event’s highlights was the signing of a SCMM membership contract with ARKEMA, a global leader in specialty material manufacturing. According to LIST, this collaboration signifies an important step forward in advancing sustainable composite materials and manufacturing technologies. Furthermore, it adds ARKEMA to the list of SCMM members, alongside Gradel and Euro-Composites.

Damien Lenoble, Director of the Materials Department at LIST, said: “The success of LIST's inaugural SCMM Industry Day owes much to the dedicated engagement of our staff. I wish to thank them first and foremost. Today was a concrete demonstration that a small country can drive a large initiative with strategic benefits for Europe in its endeavour to reach a net zero-carbon society by 2050. Accelerating the transition of relevant research outcomes towards the market applications is the cornerstone of such a global ambition.”

Quote Dirk Fransaer, CEO of LIST, added: “I’m proud to have been part of this inaugural SCMM Industry Day which not only demonstrated the rapid progress and impact of the SCMM Innovation Centre but also highlighted LIST’s commitment to fostering industry-wide innovation and collaboration in Luxembourg and beyond.”