The “FORTAPE: Research on efficient integrated systems for the manufacturing of complex parts based on unidirectional tapes for the automotive

and aeronautical” project has just started, led by CTAG. The project is to last three years and has a budget of nearly 5 M€.

The “FORTAPE: Research on efficient integrated systems for the manufacturing of complex parts based on unidirectional tapes for the automotive and aeronautical” project has been launched, being led by CTAG and involving the participation of

9 other partners: CANOE (France),

ARKEMA (France), IRT Jules Verne (France), AIRBUS (Spain), GRUPO ANTOLIN (Spain), FORD Aachen (Germany), MATEX VARESE (Italy), Fraunhofer ICT (Germany) and OPTEL (Poland). The project is to last 36 months and has a budget of nearly 5M€.

The use of carbon and glass fibre unidirectional continuous tape reinforced composites are one of the most promising options to face new challenges demanded by the transport sector. However, at the moment, the manufacturing methods to obtain composite parts made of this hybrid

material are

not mature enough for a full industrial implementation. Main existing barriers are related to the high consumption of resources and lower rates of automation. FORTAPE aims to solve these drawbacks through the development of an efficient and optimized integrated system for the manufacturing of complex parts based on unidirectional fibre tapes for its application in the automotive and aeronautical industry, with

the minimum use of material and energy.

The

FORTAPE project will be co-funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Union, within

the FoF2-2014 topic (Manufacturing processes for complex structures and geometries with efficient use of material).