Project develops high-volume automotive composite technologies

Solvay has joined a consortium partnership with Bentley and Penso that has been awarded a multi-million pound grant by the UK government Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) for the Flexible Lightweight Architecture for Volume Applications (FLAVA) automotive project. FLAVA aims to develop the composite design, material and manufacturing technologies required to implement a modular, multi-material Body-In-White structure suited for large production volume.

The project, through the manufacture of composite intensive vehicle prototypes, will demonstrate the technical and commercial solutions required to meet emission legislation with design flexibility, structural integration, lightweighting, vehicle assembly and logistics simplification.

This will demonstrate the capability of a composite supply chain to offer manufacturing processes that meet Automotive OEM quality, serial production rate and total cost of ownership requirements in standard OEM production facilities.

Solvay is a multi-specialty chemical company, committed to developing chemistry that addresses key societal challenges. Solvay innovates and partners with customers in diverse global end markets. Its products and solutions are used in planes, cars, smart and medical devices, batteries, in mineral and oil extraction, among many other applications promoting sustainability. Its lightweighting materials enhance cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources and its performance chemicals improve air and water quality.