Spanish plastics technology centre Aimplas (Valencia; www.aimplas.es) and compatriot investment vehicle Redit Ventures (Valencia; www.reditventures.com) have launched a new technology company focused on developing long-fibre reinforced thermoplastic (LFT) composites.

The new company, Lofith Composites (www.lofithcomposites.com/indexEN.html), is expected to generate an annual income of EUR 5 mn and create 25 jobs for highly skilled workers in the first few years after launch, Aimplas and Redit Ventures said in a joint statement.

The LFTs are made of a thermoplastic polymer matrix reinforced with long and continuous fibre, with the aim of developing long-fibre reinforced thermoplastic pellets and unidirectional (UD) tapes. Aimplas said this makes it possible to obtain strong, lightweight parts that are more versatile than those made of traditional thermoset materials. They can also be functionalised by giving them properties such as conductivity, shielding, and fire resistance, making them suitable for demanding applications such as automotive and aeronautical.

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Components manufactured with these materials can be adapted to different manufacturing processes, such as injection, compression moulding, and automatic fibre placement. In addition, the thermoplastic polymers used are easily recyclable and can also be repaired because they can be melted in several processing cycles to provide more economical alternatives, the companies added.

Redit Ventures is sponsored by the eleven associate technology institutes partnered with Redit (Technology Institutes Network of the Valencian Community; www.redit.es/en/home). Aimplas is one of Redit’s partners.