The European Lightweight Clusters Alliance (ELCA) is the largest Pan-European network that gathers the most important European hubs working on lightweight materials and related manufacturing technologies. The main purpose of the alliance is to strengthen European leadership in the field of lightweighting innovation including all disciplines involved, both materials (polymers, metals, ceramics, composites) and other related areas (design, modelling, manufacturing, etc.). Through ELCA, collaborations between the different partners, participants and members involved are facilitated while their development is coordinated and aligned at European level. One of the flagship initiatives resulting from that collaboration is the AMULET project for H2020.
Building upon the benefits that lightweighting has proved to bring in the mobility sector, one of the project’s main aims was to increase the penetration of lightweighting technologies and materials in less traditional ones, such as energy and building. Mobility sectors, such as automotive, aerospace & aeronautics, benefit as well from the project by consolidating innovative solutions that keep improving performance and sustainability. To do that, AMULET proposed three types of activities:
1) development of innovative solutions until TRL7 by SMEs through an open call process,
2) technical support for facilitating the prototyping phase, and
3) business coaching for paving the way towards a market readiness stage.
Cutting across these three activities, the AMULET project also embarked into the task of elaborating a strategic plan that outlines the vision, goals, and key milestones for developing and adopting lightweighting technologies in the coming years.
For this plan to take place, the AMULET technology roadmap for lightweight materials was led by Bax with contributions from all project partners and key stakeholders from the automotive, aerospace, energy, and building sectors. Through a series of collaborative workshops and comprehensive research, tailored insights on key drivers, challenges and innovations for polymer-based composites, light metal alloys, and ceramic matrix composites were collected and evaluated for all the targeted sectoral value chains. The roadmap offers actionable strategies to prioritise material advancements that align with Europe’s climate targets and industrial needs:
Automotive: Focused on thermoplastic and biobased materials including embedded sensors to enhance recyclability and sustainability in vehicle manufacturing, respectively.
Aerospace: Highlighted high-strength alloys and nanocomposites to improve fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and meet safety and environmental standards.
Energy: Explored thermoplastic polymer-based composites for wind turbine technology and biodegradable materials to tackle recycling challenges and drive cost-effective energy solutions.
Building: Advocated for energy-efficient, recyclable materials to meet regulatory compliance while reducing environmental impact and improving construction efficiency.
The roadmap offers a valuable vision on where innovations should focus on the coming years in order to strengthen European lightweight innovation while creating a positive economic and sustainable impact. The ELCA network is committed to support this process, by coordinating efforts, raising awareness, and boosting promotion & visibility.
More information can be found here: https://amulet-h2020.eu/amulet-final-event/
