Editorial: Market Trends, Collaboration and Award Winners in the Composites Industry Highlighted at JEC World 2023

Composites based on technical fabrics and resins continue to offer benefits over traditional materials such as aluminium, concrete, steel and wood, and they are being adopted increasingly in a number of markets and applications. As much as 94% of the volume of composites produced in 2022 was based on glass fibres and just 0.6% were based on carbon fibres. By value, however, carbon fibres represented 19% of the total, and glass fibres represented 76%. Furthermore, the volume of usage of carbon fibres in 2022 was double the usage in 2010.

The winners of the JEC Composites Innovation Awards 2023 were announced in March 2023--ahead of JEC World 2023 in April 2023. Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology has won the Aerospace - Parts Award for its development of an automated hybrid seating structure, and Cetim has won the Aerospace - Process Award for its work on the development of a system for making aircraft wing flaps. Porsche has won the Automotive & Road Transportation - Design Part Award for its development of what is said to be the world's first carbon fibre composite roll cage to be road-legal and in series production, and Audi has won the Automotive & Road Transportation - Process Award for its development of a composite battery protection plate for the new Audi Q8 e-tron electric vehicle.

Nanotures has won the Building & Civil Engineering Award for its construction of a retractable composite roof for the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, and Toyota Industries Corporation has won the Circularity & Recycling Award for establishing a comprehensive supply chain for the production of carbon fibre spun yarns which are compatible with conventional textile machinery and composite conversion systems.

The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University has won the Digital, Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Data Award for its development of an in-process manufacturing inspection system (IAMIS) for automated fibre placement (AFP) systems, and IsoTruss has won the Equipment, Machinery & Heavy Industries Award for its development of the IsoTruss Carbon Fiber Tower. Chantiers de l'Atlantique has won the Maritime Transportation & Shipbuilding Award for its development of a 34 metre high carbon fibre demonstrator mast, and Huntsman Advanced Materials has won the Renewable Energies Award for its development of non-flammable, low odour and primer-free structural acrylate adhesives. Meanwhile, Swancor Holding has won the Sports, Leisure & Recreation Award for its development of a carbon fibre composite bicycle which is designed to facilitate the closed loop recycling of its carbon fibres and resins.