A “fast-track” look at licensed technology for composites

29 March 2011

EADS’ patented Vacuum Assisted Process (VAP®) technology – which already is a licensing success story for composites production in such sectors as aerospace and wind energy – is now being applied to high-speed competitive sports with a bobsled that could be a contender in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

The bobsled, produced by Singer Carbontechnik, a small German company specialised in high-quality sports equipment, is displayed at this week’s JEC Composites show in Paris as a highlight of an exhibit stand shared by partners in the VAP alliance of companies.

The bobsled produced by VAP licensed partner Singer Carbontechnik attracted visitors to the JEC Composites joint exhibit stand organised by VAP alliance companies.

“This use of VAP is another example of the wide range of applications that are being explored by a growing number of licensed companies,” explained Wulf Hoeflich, who heads the EADS Technology Licensing initiative. “The alliance of companies using VAP is growing, with an expected doubling of its ranks to some 30 members by next year.”

VAP was developed by EADS’ Cassidian division and EADS Innovation Works, and it enables composite structures to be manufactured without traditional large, expensive autoclaves – with the finished product benefitting from very high surface quality.

As demonstrated by the bobsled, VAP enables the manufacture of composite structures to be optimised for specific requirements – such as high strength and the ability to withstand torsional loads.

Martin Salzburger, the Manager of Intellectual Property and Technology Licensing at Cassidian Air Systems, said the bobsled is expected to be entered in championship competitions, and also is being considered for use in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. One candidate city for the Olympic event is Munich, whose bid is supported by EADS – which has one of its two headquarters locations in this Bavarian capital city.

 
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