REFORM | Resource-Efficient Factory Of Recyclable Manufacturing composite Components

The overall goal of REFORM is to reduce the environmental footprint of composites use. Composites are in-demand as they can produce large weight-savings without compromising on product quality. However, methods of machining and assembly have been taken from traditional manufacturing processes and have not been optimised for composite production. The goals of REFORM are to reduce manufacturing scrap, waste and pollution and to develop methods to improve the recylability and reuse of composite components.

Specifically, REFORM will

• Reduce scrap in the lay-up process through the use of laser templates or virtual / augmented reality
• Reduce energy consumption during curing by using low thermal mass tooling and fixturing - Reduce waste in Abrasive Water-jet machining (AWJM) through process optimisation and water recovery
• Reduce the number of parts by allowing large components to be built through the use of intelligent, lightweight fixturing
• Develop methods of recycling CFRP using new low-temperature, low-pressure processes

REFORM (Resource-Efficient Factory Of Recyclable Manufacturing composite components) is a 4 year project funded by the European Union’s 7th Framework Factory of the Future Programme to develop the next generation of production technologies.

We will develop clean and resource-efficient technologies for the manufacture and disposal of composite material, looking at each individual production stage. Composites are popular as they allow component weight to be reduced without affecting part strength. In many applications, weight reductions leads to energy savings during the service-life of the product - there is an oft-quoted statistic that every kilogram of weight saved in the manufacture of a plane reduces emissions by 1 tonne of CO? per year. When calculating the environmental footprint of a component, it is important to investigate the entire life-cycle, including material extraction,manufacture, end-of-life disposal and whether or not the composite material can be recycled. This ensures that gains made in one area do not cause waste and inefficiency elsewhere.