Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas as well as a market leader and pioneer producer of biopolymers on an industrial scale, in partnership with WEAV3D, an advanced manufacturing and materials startup, has announced that their innovative automotive door component prototype was selected as one of three finalists in the automotive and road transportation – process category of the JEC Composites Innovation Awards 2024.

The combination of WEAV3D composite lattice reinforcement with Braskem PP enables lighter and less expensive thermoplastic solutions than conventional organosheet, unlocking new opportunities for the cost-effective replacement of sheet metal structures with thermoplastics throughout the vehicle, the company said in a press release.

“We continue to be very excited to offer our clients innovations and partnerships around high-performance polypropylene materials utilising the WEAV3D lattice technology after launching this project in 2023. We are honoured to be recognised as a finalist for the JEC World Innovation Awards. As the automotive industry continues to roll out new electric vehicle designs, it requires automakers to re-think the vehicle design with cutting-edge performance materials and consider more sustainable end-of-life solutions. The initial conversion process focus has been on thermoforming to leverage large parts production; however, the WEAV3D technology can also be applied to injection moulding of more complex parts. With significant improvements in lightweighting, reduced costs, and higher material efficiency, combining Braskem’s PP portfolio with WEAV3D composite lattices provides a ‘win-win’ in terms of enhanced material performance and a more sustainable environmental impact, including the integration of natural fibre options,” said Amanda Zani, technology platform manager, Braskem.

“WEAV3D and Braskem are demonstrating the significant potential of the WEAV3D lattice material with this automotive door prototype and we are thrilled to be selected a finalist by the Innovation Awards jury,” said Chris Oberste, president of WEAV3D. “Thanks to the simulation workflow developed in collaboration with Altair Engineering, we were able to optimise the lattice structure for cost and performance, while still using the original organosheet tooling and forming process equipment at the Clemson Composites Centre at Clemson University.”