EconCore celebrates new licensing agreements at JEC World 2020
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EconCore, world leader in lightweight thermoplastic honeycomb core technology, is celebrating the announcement of new licensees at JEC World 2020 from 3-5 March in Paris, France. One of the new licensees is developing lightweight solutions for automotive interiors while another one has developed a new take on the honeycomb technology with a high-performance flooring solution for building applications. Furthermore, new evolutions are taking place with regards to EconCore’s high performance thermoplastic honeycombs as well as the RPET honeycomb technology.
The patented ThermHex technology offers a cost-efficient, continuous, high-volume process for lightweight thermoplastic honeycomb cores that can be directly laminated into sandwich panels within an in-line production process. The technology fits for many applications including transport, automotive, packaging and construction.
EconCore has recently announced that it has signed license agreements with two new companies. The Japanese automotive tier one supplier Kotobukiya Fronte currently uses the honeycomb technology for automotive interiors. By producing rigid panels, integrated with in-line lamination of nonwoven and carpet surface layers, it enables a more efficient production process of finished automotive interior elements, featuring enhanced acoustic performance due to the cellular thermoplastic honeycomb structure. The lightweight honeycomb panels can also be converted into relatively complex-shaped parts with a short compression molding process cycle.
The other license agreement is with a global advanced technical textiles company, Low & Bonar, who uses the honeycomb technology in a new and innovative way. The newly developed and commercialized product is an underlay for hard surface flooring. It is created by sandwiching the thermoplastic honeycomb core with a non-woven material. This gives the product a high compressive strength, as well as excellent acoustic absorption and insulation properties, explicitly desired by the building industry. Furthermore, due to the unique adaptations in the EconCore’s production process, the underlay product is deliverable on rolls, enabling easy storage and most of all, a swift installation at the residential and industrial building site.
Dr. Jochen Pflug, CEO of EconCore said: “Over the last decade the market has recognized the versality of EconCore’s technology and it’s applicability within automotive, transportation and high-performance packaging applications. It is exciting to see that new licensees can further extend the portfolio of commercial opportunities across different market segments, developing different high-volume applications for our honeycomb technology that haven’t been done before. The technology opens the way for product developments that are cost effective, strong and at the same time lightweight and can be made on a continuous production line. We look forward to showcasing our technology at JEC World 2020 and talking to prospective companies, who can take advantage of this technology for their own product development across a whole range of different industrial sectors.”
EconCore has licenses across the globe, operating within different applications. Their new research and development is oriented towards high performance thermoplastic (HPT) as well as recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) honeycombs which have applications in automotive, infrastructure as well as commercial and public transportation, including aerospace, to name just a few.
