MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay is partnering with Italian UAM company Novotech and will provide access to its range of
thermoset, thermoplastic composites and adhesive materials as well as dedicated technical support to develop the structure of their hybrid Seagull water landing aircraft second prototype due to fly late 2021, said the company.
Novotech selected Solvay’s aerospace qualified and NCAMP registered MTM® 45-1 and CYCOM 5320-1 resin systems. These two products have an aerospace pedigree system with a large publicly available dataset, process flexibility and product forms required to enable rapid adoption and time to market.
“Solvay is proud to support Novotech with our qualified aerospace technologies as they make inroads in the urban air mobility field, developing novel aircraft that will contribute to a sustainable future for mobility” said Gerald Perrin, program director for Solvay's composite materials unit.
“The Seagull is the first two seater aircraft featuring carbon fiber composite components manufactured via Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) rather than via manual processes. The introduction of such advanced automated production processes represents a first step towards the development of scalable products for a viable UAM environment” said Leonardo Lecce, CEO of Novotech.
The composite intensive Seagull is a hybrid aircraft, boasting an automatic folding wing system, capable of both landing and taking off from lakes and sea thanks to its trimaran hull configuration, thus enabling a low cost air-maritime mobility system.
Novotech is already working on its next program: a fully electric eVTOL (electric vertical take off and landing) aircraft and Solvay will be a key partner in the selection of enabling composite and adhesive materials. This next aircraft will be able to carry four passengers, have a cruise speed of 150 to 180 km/hr and a range of 200 to 400 km.
Solvay is to supply Italian aircraft maker Novotech with thermoset, thermoplastic composites, and adhesive materials. The deal would also include the creation of a technical support team assisting Novotech’s manufacturing of its hybrid landing aircraft series, named Seagull. Financial details were not provided.
"The Seagull is the first two-seater aircraft featuring carbon fibre composite components manufactured via Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) rather than via manual processes," said Leonardo Lecce, CEO of Novotech. Seagull’s manufacturing includes many composite materials, which allows for an automatic folding wing system capable of landing and taking off from lakes and sea, according to Solvay.
Solvay is to supply Novotech with its resin systems branded MTM 45-1 and CYCOM 5320-1; both products have been certified by the US’ National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP). The Belgium chemicals manufacturer added that the deal with Novotech would allow it to gain market share in the urban air mobility (UAM) sector. It added that it would also be supplying composite and adhesive materials for Novotech’s project to develop a fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
As MRC informed earlier, in August, 2020, through the acquisition of the Solvay polyamide (PA) business, BASF enhanced its R&D capabilities in Asia Pacific with new technologies, technical expertise, and upgraded material and part testing services. BASF is planning to integrate the R&D centers from Solvay into its R&D existing facilities in Shanghai, China, and Seoul, Korea. The enhanced capabilities will boost BASF’s position as a solution provider to develop advanced material solutions for key industries.
We remind that BASF-YPC, a 50-50 joint venture of BASF and Sinopec, undertook a planned shutdown at its naphtha cracker on 30 April 2020. The company initially planned to start turnaround at the cracker on April 5, 2020. The plant remained under maintenance unitl 18 June, 2020. Located in Jiangsu, China, the cracker has an ethylene capacity of 750,000 mt/year and propylene capacity of 400,000 mt/year.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.
Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 23,000 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life.
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