Faurecia’s Flaxpreg wins JEC Europe 2015 Innovation Award

Faurecia Flaxpreg, a green and light very long flax fibre reinforced composite sandwich, has been awarded the JEC Europe 2015 Innovation Award in the semi-products category.

Flaxpreg can be applied by automakers as a multi-position trunk load floor or a structural floor in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. The use of unidirectional long non–woven flax fibres as reinforcement is the key innovation allowing a drastic weight reduction.

The Flaxpreg project, developed by Faurecia with PSA Peugeot-Citröen, Lineo and the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France), started in 2011 and aims to design structural trim parts, following three key objectives: a drastic weight reduction, the use of renewable resources and a process in line with automotive cycle times and material costs constraints meeting the requirements of automotive mass production.

Thanks to its very low density, Flaxpreg offers excellent mechanical properties allowing for a 35 percent weight reduction compared to traditional petro-based glass mat, polyurethane sandwich solutions.