Solvay (Brussels / Belgium; www.solvay.com) has joined hands with 3A Composites (Sins / Switzerland; www.3acomposites.com) to manufacture speciality foam materials designed to reduce weight in transportation applications, including in cabins, ducting and trolleys. The collaboration will bring together 3A Composites’ industrial process development knowhow as well as its high-volume films fabrication with Solvay’s high- and ultra-performing range of polymers.

Initially, the partnership will focus on Solvay’s “Radel” polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) foam as well as sandwich materials, used for instance on the Airbus A350 and in the Solar Impulse plane. At a later stage, the companies plan to expand their work to products Solvay is currently developing. “Part makers will benefit from greater flexibility in their designs and from uniting strength and insulation performance at the highest level of fire resistance," Armin Klesing, global business development manager Aerospace & Composites at Solvay Specialty Polymers, said.

Bringing together the two companies’ manufacturing and workshop capabilities, the partnership secures global logistics and regional support, Solvay and 3A Composites said. The latter – a subsidiary of Schweiter Technologies (Horgen / Switzerland; www.schweiter.ch) – has seen a flurry of activity of late, including purchases in the Netherlands (see Plasteurope.com of 04.02.2015) and Poland (see Plasteurope.com of 12.02.2015). When announcing the partnership, 3A Composites said it expects to bring on stream additional foam extrusion capacity in the US in 2016. The company operates a plant in Colfax, North Carolina.