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Fairmat has conducted a simplified LCA. While this is not a certified one, a simplified LCA gives estimates of a product’s environmental footprint. Based on the results of the simplified LCA, Fairmat laminates have a lower environmental load than virgin CFRP. Fairmat Laminates offer a lighter and lower-impact solution than thermal recycled carbon fibre and glass fibre.

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to assess the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life. LCAs can be used comparatively to assess different product or service design options, or to identify environmental hotspots in the lifecycle. Fairmat has conducted a simplified LCA to allow us to evaluate our process more quickly in the first instance.

The waste comes from various industries that use carbon fiber composites, such as aeronautics or wind power. Composites can be recovered at various stages of their life (scrap, end-of-life products).

Fairmat is developing a recycling solution for carbon fiber and polymer matrix composites. We accept CFRP in the form of prepreg, pultruded, or woven – whether they are expired, at the end of their life, or simply in the form of production scrap. We managed to explore new sources of waste coming from the dismantling of aircraft parts.

Yes, the material is recyclable.

The Fairmat process can achieve a variety of performance ratings depending on the orientation and arrangement of the reinforcement. Typically, for exposure in a single direction of space, the material exhibits a flexural modulus of 81 GPa, higher than aluminum. At this stage of development, Fairmat’s technology makes it possible to retain at least 55% of the performance of a new carbon composite. We are currently working to achieve a value of 75%. For more information, refer to the product datasheet.

It is the European Union Regulation (EC) governing the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) that Fairmat products comply with. Our material contains no more than 0.1% by mass of substances of very high concern (SVHC) listed in Annex XIV.

The material’s weight will depend on its thickness. However, its low density (1.38) makes it lighter than other materials, such as aluminum, at equivalent thickness. For more information, refer to the material datasheet.

The Fairmat material is available in several thicknesses. The minimum thickness available is 1 mm, and the maximum thickness is 20 mm. It is possible to supply thicker parts on small parts.

It mainly has the form of rectangular plates (laminated). And it can also take the form of a complex shape through a molding process.

Molding parameters will depend on the resin used. We favor resins that can be molded cold, but some properties are dependent on an increase in temperature.

Depending on the application and the expected properties/characteristics, it is possible to use different matrices, thermoset or thermoplastic. For example, an epoxy resin will provide good mechanical properties and good resistance to moisture and chemicals.

We offer a recycled composite material, and this implies several things:

– We need to add a small amount of new resin to fit our new composite for a particular industry.
– We need to guarantee the high performance of our material according to various properties (strength, flexibility, lightness, etc.).

Artificial Intelligence and machine science allow us to obtain the required characteristics and achieve an output without variation and with superior results. For reasons of commercial sensitivity, we don’t divulge the details of our proprietary process or product formulations.

The Fairmat process has four main steps, each of which involves robotics and machine learning programs that allow for an automated, intelligent process that is more efficient and, above all, guarantees a precise output:

• Creation of compounds from composite waste.
• Coating with a small portion of resin that will form the new matrix.
• Molding according to the format selected
• Hardening.