We’re telling you all!

The waste comes from different industries, mainly using carbon fiber composites, such as aeronautics or wind power. Composites can be recovered at various stages of their life (scraps, 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, woven whether they are expired, at the end of their life, or simply in the form of production scraps. We are currently exploring new sources of waste coming from the dismantling of aircraft parts.

Yes, the material is recyclable.

Yes, thanks to the adapted resin. Fairmat materials are very durable.

The Fairmat process can obtain different performance ranges depending on the reinforcements’ orientation and arrangement. Typically, for exposure in a single direction of space, the material exhibits a flexural modulus of 77 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 weight of the material 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 can have several thicknesses. The smallest 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.

The Fairmat virtuous recycling technology makes it possible to maintain a good cohesion between the fiber and the matrix of the recycled composite while maintaining a significant fiber length. All the contrary to what do traditional recycling processes such as solvolysis, or pyrolysis. They destroy completely the original material to recreate an equivalent to the virgin material. It makes it possible to have a very significant and positive environmental impact, with an estimated savings of -41 kg of CO2e per kg of recycled material.

Molding parameters will depend on the resin used. We favor resins that can be molded cold, but some resins or properties are obtained by increasing the temperature. In the classic Fairmat process, we use no more than 9kg of CO2e per kg recycled for our entire process.

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 a new resin to fit our new composite for a particular industry.
• We need to guarantee a high performance of our material according to various properties (strength, bending, lightness, etc.).

Therefore, we can obtain such characteristics through the programs supported by artificial intelligence and machine science that will give an output without variation and with superior results. Due to confidentiality, we will not go into details here.

Our automated cutting process allows standardizing our compounds. We do not shred. We use a smart and low-energy process that helps maintain the integrity and the effectiveness of the fiber length. We keep the original resin and carbon fiber together in these compounds.

The Fairmat process has four main steps, each of which involves robotization tools and machine learning programs allowing an automated and intelligent work, therefore making the technological solution more efficient and, above all, guaranteeing the exact same result expected as an 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.