Specialty chemicals and advanced materials producer Solvay announced the opening of two composite innovation centers in the U.S. and Europe that will focus on innovations in thermoplastic composites for the aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas markets, a company press release announced Wednesday.

The Product Development Center in Alpharetta, GA, will focus on the development advanced thermoplastic composite materials, while The Customer Engagement Center in Brussels, Belgium will further market adoption of thermoplastic composites with virtual engineering, rapid prototyping, advanced mechanical testing, and material characterization capabilities. 

“Solvay’s new R&I centers in the U.S. and Europe and our recent capacity expansions, complete our infrastructure to support the industrialization of our thermoplastic materials technology,” Augusto Di Donfrancesco, a member of the company’s Executive Committee, said in a statement. “The centers provide state-of-the-art assets and capabilities to accompany our customers in the design, prototyping, and testing of parts and allowing for a dramatic acceleration of the tip to market of our materials.”

In April, Solvay introduced a new thermoplastic composites platform that it said will boost material development efforts. The Belgium-based firm said the advanced materials can replace heavier metals and assist in fuel consumption and CO2 reductions in automotive and aerospace applications, and serve as alternatives to corrosion-prone metal pipes in oil and gas operations. 

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