Solvay is expanding its thermoplastic composites capacity with a new production line at its U.S. facility in Anaheim, California.
The company says the move underscores its commitment to meeting strong demand growth from aerospace customers for this high performance material and Solvay’s proprietary and unique technology.
In May Solvay announced the creation of its first horizontal strategic platform to accelerate the development of thermoplastics composites as part of its strategy to leverage its unmatched portfolio and expertise in specialty polymers and carbon fibre composites.
These lightweighting materials help lower emissions of planes and cars as they replace metal parts and facilitate their design and integration.
Other applications include pipes in the oil and gas industry as they are a strong and cost-effective alternative to existing steel solutions.
Augusto Di Donfrancesco, Member of Solvay’s Executive Committee, said: “This significant expansion in a short time, coupled with our unrelenting attention to overall quality and productivity improvement, illustrates our engagement to serve our customers best.”
“Their strong demand shows they value how our materials reduce manufacturing time and cost, helping to raise the build rate of aircraft.”
Since 2016 Solvay has multiplied its qualified capacity by four with the commissioning of this new tape line and upgrades to existing lines. The expansions aim to not only improve output, but also quality, consistency and industrial reliability.