JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013 - 82

sustainability
of the mechanical strength and optimize CO2 emissions in comparison to standard assembly
processes. The flax composite used for the blade comprises a polyester matrix reinforced with
TEX 400 flax roving developed by Safilin, along with 300g/m² UD and 600g/m² +/-45 biaxial
fabrics, thereby cutting the weight of the fibre used to make the blade in half. This means more
than 10% weight savings for the entire blade, which weighs in at 23 kg (9 kg for the polyurethane foam core, 10 kg of resin, and 4 kg of flax fibre versus 8 kg of glass fibre). The fatigue tests
have led to forecasts of a twenty-year lifespan for the ecodesigned blades. The overall end-of-life
assessment for this new type of blade confirms the economic advantage of using flax compared
to glass fibre: not only does flax produce zero final waste, but incinerating it also leads to energy
recovery and carbon saving.

Flaxpreg project

While the volume of flax and hemp composites
used in the automotive industry is pretty much
limited to thermoformed mats for interior trim
components like the trunk side trim, shelf and floor,
the ability of these renewable-sourced reinforcements
to compete is now confirmed. Flax and hemp have
good mechanical properties compared to other natural
fibres, but they stand out above all for their processability – especially flax, which allows the use of very
long fibres and leads to significantly attractive weight
reductions for composite applications.

The Flaxpreg project that PSA is developing in
partnership with Faurecia, Lineo, and the University
of Reims targets structural trim components, with a
threefold objective: 1) drastically reducing weight,
2) using renewable resources, and 3) achieving a
composite process with cycle times and material
costs that meet the requirements of automotive mass
production. Aiming for Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency standards (CAFE China & Europe 2020), the
project is studying a semi-structural sandwich made of
long-flax-fibre (80 cm)/thermoset-resin mats (which
replace Baypreg glass-fibre/polyurethane mats) in
combination with a cardboard honeycomb spacer.
To guarantee the best possible environmental performance, both polyamide thermoplastic and biosourced
thermoset resin solutions are being researched. The
medium-term target concerns applications to replace
metal, in combination with glass and/or carbon fibre,
particularly due to flax’s good damping properties.
Contacts:
PSA: frederic.rousseau@mpsa.com
Faurecia: arnaud.duval@faurecia.com
Linéo: francois.vanfleteren@lineo.eu – Stand M80

82 jec composites magazine / No79 March 2013

sustainability

automotive

Contact: Safilin, nmalaquin@safilin.fr – Stand M80

Green surfing with Notox

Notox is emerging as an international player in the surfing market. Its
objective is to offer environmentally-minded surfers products that are
in line with their values. Aiming as much for ultra-performance as for
minimizing the environmental impact of surfboard manufacturing, this
innovative company opts for alternative solutions that are both technological
and environment-friendly for the design and manufacture of its products.
Its inclination towards ecodesign has led Notox to develop a composite
technology based on the use of high-performance materials that are also
environment friendly: its greenOne® technology combines technical flax
reinforcements (twill-weave, UD and bi-axial)
and recycled EPS foam cores for vacuum
impregnation with 56% biosourced epoxy
resin. From the performance point of view,
these are ultra-light boards with astonishing
vibration damping properties (especially in
comparison with standard polyurethane/
polyester and EPS/epoxy technologies)
and optimized floatability and speed, as
confirmed by users since 2011. As for R&D,
Notox and Norafin are currently studying
the possibility of using flax non-wovens
in Notox’s new applications. Notox is also
working with BT3, a company in Grenoble,
to develop a structured monomaterial that is
100% cellulose (using flax). Notox’s global
approach included not just the aspect of material performance, but also ecodesign, so the company drew up an in-house
quality charter establishing its health and environmental commitments.
Manufacturing process in a controlled-atmosphere workshop (entirely redesigned to improve health and safety conditions for the operators), upgrading
and recycling of production waste, and dismantling of end-of-life products
are components of a novel initiative that was submitted to the French ecolabel platform “Expérimentation Nationale d’Affichage Environnemental”.
Substantiating the practical success of the Notox initiative, 350 greenOne®
boards were sold in 2012 (20% of which in the United Kingdom and Japan),
and a marketing target of 2400 units was established for up through 2015.
Notox is now working on the launch of a kiteboard (currently at the pre-production stage) that also uses flax composite performance characteristics.
Contact: Notox, pierre.pomiers@notox.fr – www.notox.fr
Norafin, Vincent.Lorentz@norafin.com – stand T66
http://www.notox.fr
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013

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