CHOMARAT, in partnership with groupe BENETEAU, shortlisted for a JEC Innovation Award forthe industrial use of hemp reinforcements in boating
The Chomarat Group, specializing in reinforcements for composites, is a finalist in the JEC Innovation Awards, as a partner of Groupe Beneteau, in the Maritime Transport and Naval Construction category. Chomarat, in collaboration with Groupe Beneteau, has developed a hemp/glass complex used on an industrial scale for the closed-mold production of composite parts in the boating industry.
Integrating natural fiber reinforcements in serial production
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| TER²A mat glass/hemp | Boating part |
Integrating natural fibers into composite parts is one of the paths followed to reduce the environmental impact in the boating industry. Chomarat was chosen by Groupe Beneteau for its historical know-how in the development of technical reinforcements for composite materials. Chomarat has developed a complex combining hemp and glass, called TER²A MAT. The choice was made to use hemp fibers because of their low environmental impact, the regional culture of the fiber (French production) and its availability on the market.
“The challenge for the development team was to optimize the stitching of the complex to provide a reinforcement with controlled deformation and regular surface homogeneity. These parameters were essential to adapt to the infusion process used by Groupe Beneteau,” says Vincent Cholvy, Head of the Glass Composites Activity at Chomarat.
The solution developed by Chomarat allows a compromise between the industrial constraints of the production process and the technical expectations of Groupe Beneteau, all within the framework of sustainable development.
Groupe Beneteau manufactures more than 30,000 small composite parts per year to equip its boat decks.
“The objective is to replace 15 tons of glass mat per year with hemp,” says Damien Barré, composite process innovation manager at Groupe Beneteau.
Reducing the environmental impact of composites
The environmental impact of composite parts, and in particular their end of life, is a challenge. The project with Groupe Beneteau illustrates Chomarat’s ambitions to develop alternative solutions in a vision of sustainable development.
Since 2021, Chomarat has been accelerating its eco-design strategy by integrating biosourced materials (such as natural fibers) or recycled materials into its products.
“The recycling of fiberglass from our waste is being assessed; the next step is to introduce recycled fiberglass from end-of-life composite parts into our manufacturing processes. This is the real challenge for the coming years,” explains Philippe Sanial, R&D director at Chomarat
If you want to learn more about the use of more sustainable composites in the nautical industry, join the conference presented jointly by Groupe Beneteau, Chomarat and Arkema at JEC WORLD 2023
Thursday, April 27, 2023 – Agora 5