ThermoPlastic composites Research Center (TPRC)

Are you interested in training on thermoplastic composites in our state-of-the-art lab? At the TPRC there are many training opportunities to increase your knowledge on thermoplastic composites. We offer the following courses: 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 This entry-level course involves the typical features of thermoplastic composites. Processing techniques such as press forming, laser-assisted fiber placement, welding, mechanical testing, and NDT will be explained. 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 The classroom sessions and practical lab exercises will discuss the press forming process of thermoplastic composites on an advanced level. It is well-suited for engineers who are considering future application of composite forming processes. 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 In this course you will learn about different joining techniques for thermoplastic composites, with a focus on welding methods. One of the topics that will be addressed is the adhesion of thermoplastic composites to dissimilar materials. 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 The TPRC offers customized training that is focused on the topics that you are interested in. The course can involve workshops of a generic nature or about specific materials, processes, or properties. We include interactive workshops to merge practical work in our lab with theoretical knowledge. Feel free to contact us: 👉https://lnkd.in/emMSi53C #training #learning #opportunities #composites

TPRC’s research roadmap focuses on generating essential knowledge about thermoplastic composites and their manufacturing processes. Our research roadmap covers a broad range of themes, including: • Advanced forming and overmolding technologies; • Cost-effective manufacturing of large aerospace structures; • Sustainable processes for thermoplastic composites; • Performance of thermoplastic composites. Our research directions are defined in close collaboration with our esteemed partners. In addition to the roadmap, the TPRC performs exclusive research for members and non-members. These projects range from short-term engineering work and training that is tailored to your wishes, to longer research projects. Are you excited to meet us and discuss TPRC’s research roadmap? Meet us at the 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐄 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 on 24-26 September or at 𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐂 2024 in Bremen on 9-10 October. 👉 https://lnkd.in/erb85aRY #technologies #aerospace #sustainability #performance 

The TPRC is looking for new Research Engineers to join our enthusiastic team! 🔬🔍🛠️ Are you ready to take on the challenges in the thermoplastic composites technology field? As a Research Engineer, you will work on the latest generation of composites and combine research with application development, closely related to the industry. Next to that, our expert consortium smoothly enables opportunities to work with large stakeholders in the #aerospace and #automotive industries. If your ambitious mind is curious about this vacancy, we would love to set up a meeting with you! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eyh_g3g4 #careers #vacancy #research #engineer #development

Does your project require extensive knowledge on thermoplastic composites? 💡 Every day at the TPRC, we are dedicated to gaining a more fundamental understanding of thermoplastic composites and their processing techniques. With our cutting-edge expertise and modern lab facilities we aim for the creation of more lightweight, strong, and sustainable parts for aircrafts and automotive structures. The TPRC offers consultancy that can involve both large- and smaller-scale, application-oriented research projects to members as well as non-members. Together we can tailor the project to meet all your requirements. Contact us to discuss your project! 👉 https://lnkd.in/ebNc9hjK #consultancy #composites #project #knowledge

Are you interested in gaining more knowledge about the fundamental research we perform at the TPRC? Dive into our four-episode TPRC Talks series! 🎥 This in-depth series was recorded live from our lab in Enschede. The episodes involve discussions about a broad range of composite processing technologies, such as stamp forming, injection overmolding, welding, and more. Experts from the field and TPRC’s valued partners joined us as guest speakers in the studio to talk about the state-of-the art technologies and future developments. Would you like to see the TPRC talks? 👉 https://lnkd.in/e5_wnWh7 #welding #research #overmolding #technologies #joining #composites

One of the many innovative topics that TPRC is working on is 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐀𝐅𝐏), an additive manufacturing technique for composite parts. For the NXTGEN Hightech project, for instance, we focus on rapid characterization of the tape material for high precision AFP. The aim is to create a clear overview of the dominant properties that influence the stability of the manufacturing process, such as geometry variations, surface topology, laser reflection and absorption, and thermal conductivity. The rapid material characterization is useful for the ongoing development of process simulation tools and inline monitoring and controlling solutions. Curious about TPRC’s research topics? 👉https://lnkd.in/e7CyuxiW #research #innovation #manufacturing #composites

Are you interested in meeting to discuss our ideas about thermoplastic composite technologies and applications or other related topics? You can find us at the following events or feel free to contact us directly. 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐄 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 24 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 📅 September 24th-26th, 2024 📍 Belfast, Northern Ireland Read more: 👉https://lnkd.in/ePYEtBXY 𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐂 2024 📅 October 9th-10th, 2024 📍 Bremen, Germany Read more: 👉https://lnkd.in/esMiUXj9 #event #research #materials #composites

New research publication! 📃 “𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏-𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒄𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓-𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒔” Lars Niens, Senior Research Engineer at TPRC, has performed research on the in-plane permeability and air evacuation time of fiber-placed thermoplastic composite preforms. The recent publication presents a simulation tool that can predict which intertape channel dimensions lead to effective in-plane air evacuation. The results from the models indicated that in-plane air evacuation through engineered intertape channel network with automated fiber placement (#AFP) is quick, and it takes only a few minutes to evacuate 99% of the air from large preforms like fuselage panels. Read more:  👉 https://lnkd.in/ep8d9wTv This research was published in cooperation with Jagadeesh Narayana Swamy, Wouter Grouve, Sebastiaan Wijskamp and Remko Akkerman. #fiber #placement #VBO #aerospace #thermoplastic #composites

Thinking about pursuing a PhD? Check out this exciting opportunity! 👇

𝑺𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒚𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 Meet Sabrine Bentalib, our colleague with strong affinity for details. Starting a PhD gave Sabrine the opportunity to dive deeper into one subject and become an expert in it - something she was gladly imagining at the start. Now she is working on significant research for the aerospace and automotive industry, as part of NWO (Dutch Research Council)'s Enlighten programme. Thermoplastic composites, or fiber-reinforced polymers, are already used to create lightweight and strong parts in aerospace and automotive structures. However, the material needs to be advanced in order to make larger constructions with it, saving more weight and CO2 emissions. Developing such large-scale thermoplastic composite structures that are both reliable and efficient is the primary aim in the Enlighten programme. Within this initiative works a multidisciplinary team of 13 researchers, one of which is Sabrine. “𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵. 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦”. Predicting how different polymers would react to certain processing conditions – that’s the ultimate goal for Sabrine’s research. The task requires attention and curiosity to the finest of details. “𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.” Mechanical engineering on a micro level, is how she explains her job. "𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘺𝘦”. Halfway through her PhD, Sabrine is currently writing her first paper. It will cover the results of her dedicated work on the crystallization kinetics of polymers. Stay tuned! Read Sabrine’s full story: 👉 https://lnkd.in/ec3Qqkwy #TPRCminds #employee #story #PhD #aerospace #Enlighten