WELCOME TO. our world of Plastics ANNUAL REPORT 2016

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1 1 WELCOME TO our world of Plastics ANNUAL REPORT 2016

2 2 EDITORIAL Brightlands Materials Center is a new R&D center in the field of polymeric materials. It was founded March 2015 by TNO and the Province of Limburg and it is located at the Brightlands Campus in Geleen, The Netherlands. TABLE OF CONTENTS Three simple lines as very first introduction to this very first Annual Report of Brightlands Materials Center. Three simple lines, but an enormous effort of many people to get us where we are now. Defining a strategy, choosing program lines, discussing contracts, choosing required infrastructure, setting up support systems, hiring people. Very often painstaking work, but in the end also very inspiring. Editorial 3 Our ecosystem 4 Our core business and relevance 6 Research highlights 14 Additive Manufacturing 18 Sustainable Buildings 24 Lightweight Automotive 30 Corporate highlights 34 Facts & Figures 37 Colophon 38 We realize that we are at the start of a journey. A journey that we like to make together with our partners over the years to come. A journey with the ambition to implement materials innovations meeting industrial and societal needs. Our Center is still modest in size, and the results are only starting to develop. However, we have a motivated team in place, we have just entered a brand new location, and we are ambitious to grow and to build our partnerships with industry large and small, with academia and with sister organizations. We believe that collaboration between parties and connecting people, sharing insights and ideas is crucial to build a sustainable society. We are open to any party, who wants to share in this ambition and team up with us. 3 This first annual report gives an overview of some of the choices that Brightlands Materials Center has made. It gives some first insights into results and the direction we want to go. It explains our business model and the selected topics we have chosen to come to innovative solutions. It illustrates our view how we can contribute by bringing INSPIRING innovations in Plastics. We look forward to hear from you and to discuss opportunities for future collaboration. Peter Wolfs & Marnix van Gurp

3 4 5 OUR ECOSYSTEM OUR ECOSYSTEM Embedded in a chemistry and materials cluster at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus High quality laboratories and equipment Collaborations across the value chain State-of-the-art-knowledge Diverse and skilled talents Academic research in programs meeting application needs Well connected with industrial needs

4 6 7 OUR CORE BUSINESS OUR RELEVANCE Polymeric materials innovations Market applications Functional demonstrators Societal challenges

5 8 PARTNERSHIP in research Mission The mission of Brightlands Materials Center is to inspire and develop the next generation of talent with the right skills and mindset for the polymeric materials field by attracting and connecting industry, academia and entrepreneurs, boosting sustainable development based on the latest knowledge. Shared Research Programs We develop innovative solutions meeting societal challenges and industrial needs in a limited number of shared research programs: Lightweight Automotive, Additive Manufacturing and Sustainable Buildings. We use all available knowledge through our partnerships with academia to develop new application technologies required by our industrial partners to bring new and sustainable products to the market. 9 Business model Due to the increasing speed of development of new products and new technologies, R&D costs to stay ahead of competition in the long run are more and more difficult to bear with the existing company revenues. Our vision is that combining efforts, investments and risks in shared programs is the new strategy to reduce time to market for new product generations. At Brightlands Materials Center partners complement their own in-house R&D with shared R&D, leveraging talents and know-how in a well-structured and professional R&D-like setting. Typically, Brightlands Materials Center results are shared on a non-exclusive basis with program partners according to customized agreements, tuned to each partner s needs and situation. Whenever appropriate, Brightlands Materials Center also facilitates more dedicated research trajectories.

6 Specified by Usage Rights Program Background Bilateral Research Project Dedicated Research Shared Research Single/Multiple participant(s) Brightlands Materials Center, after consulting program participants For instance: exclusive in a domain/period (Full Cost) Program Foreground: Non-exclusive; co-ownership if co-invented (Participation Fee) Program Background: Non-exclusive; as needed to exploit Foreground (Entrance Fee) Term of partcipation 10 Together we work as the mechanism of a clock, where each of us has a specific role and together we can really span from fundamental science to valorization. Lorenzo Moroni - Full Professor Maastricht University Strategy Brightlands Materials Center is positioned between fundamental academic research on the one hand and commercial product and technology development on the other hand. Typically, results obtained within Brightlands Materials Center aim for technologies that will appear on the market within three to five years. Brightlands Materials Center defines its activities based on global societal challenges, industry trends and emerging markets and applications. The output of our research is knowledge and demonstrated technologies that can be relevant for a variety of application domains. Brightlands Materials Center is a program-driven organization. Each program has a dedicated roadmap with a 10 years forward looking horizon. Program year plans are defined - and regularly updated - in dialogue with industrial and academic players, and through assessment of in-house competences. Sustainability plays a leading role in the definition of the program strategies. 11

7 12 Combining industrial needs with fundamental research is the key to develop next-generation biomedical implants. 13 Rong Wang Postdoc

8 14 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS The themes of our research and development address major societal challenges such as clean and efficient energy, smart and green transport and health & wellbeing. These research themes can also be related to Horizon 2020, the European Commission s proposal for the next EU program for research and innovation, a pivotal part of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and economic growth. This chapter gives an overview of some of the choices within our programs Additive Manufacturing, Sustainable Buildings and Lightweight Automotive. 15

9 16 It s fascinating to see how many new 3D printing applications are being developed. Additive manufacturing is growing beyond a hype and maturing into a production technology. However, innovations in materials as well as 3D printing technology are needed to reach its full potential. 17 Tessa ten Cate - Program Manager Additive Manufacturing

10 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Additive Manufacturing 18 Program focus Additive manufacturing (AM) is a new materials manufacturing technology with fantastic new opportunities, in particular with respect to design and personalization. It is currently transitioning from a prototyping technique into the manufacturing of functional products. Unfortunately, in many cases the quality of the materials in the obtained products is still too limited to allow the full potential of the manufacturing technology. In order to boost the potential of AM in different application areas, innovations in AM materials are needed. Our program focuses on the following objectives: (1) Better understanding of AM product performance and reliability in relation to material and process conditions, (2) Enlarging the materials portfolio & enabling multi material AM, and (3) Increasing production efficiency and first-time-right production. 19 Thermoplastic materials Together with the Eindhoven University of Technology, we have started a research program on structureproperty relations and modelling to predict performance and lifetime of AM products produced by powder bed fusion (also known as selective laser sintering). This is currently the dominant processing in industrial AM of functional end products. The main application area for this research program is the production of small series (spare) parts, for example in automotive applications. Thermoset materials AM technologies based on photopolymers, such as 3D inkjet printing or stereolithography, allow the production of high resolution, non-porous products with good surface quality. We have started different research activities targeted at predicting and improving

11 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Additive Manufacturing the (long-term) mechanical performance, as well as dimensional accuracy. One of the targeted application fields is dental, like bridges and crowns, where perfect fit is one of the challenging requirements. Bioactive materials Together with Maastricht University we have started a research program on 3D printing of cell instructive (bioactive) medical implants and tissue regeneration. Objectives are: (1) the development of improved biofunctional and biocompatible materials and processing methodologies to create 3D bioactive implants and (2) pre-clinical evaluation of 3D instructive scaffolds for organ regeneration. 20 Fieldlab Multimaterial 3D Printing Together with 8 industrial and knowledge partners, we participate in the Smart Industry Fieldlab Multimaterial 3D printing. One of the main focus areas of our activities is materials and process development for the 3D printing of multicolor dental crowns and bridges. Previously, we have partnered with NextDent for the development of 3D printed dental prostheses and temporary crowns and bridges. The next step will be to develop technologies that enable permanent dental crowns that combine the right esthetic properties with excellent mechanical performance. 21

12 22 In the coming decades 3D printing has the potential to radically transform many design and production processes. 23 Fabio Paolucci - PhD researcher

13 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Sustainable Buildings 24 Motive With the recent entering of the Paris Climate Pact, Europe has set itself ambitious goals on energy savings and renewable energy production. The Built Environment currently contributes 46% to the final energy consumption in Europe! Investing in energy saving has many benefits, and purchasing power spent on unnecessary energy costs is simply wasted. Most energy is consumed for heating and cooling, and energy consumption for cooling will rise dramatically in the near future. The parts of a building that form the primary thermal barrier between interior and exterior, the so-called building envelope, plays a key role in determining levels of comfort, natural lighting and ventilation, and how much energy is required to heat and cool a building. Within the program Sustainable Buildings, Brightlands Materials Center and partners focus on the development of innovative materials for application in building envelopes that significantly contribute to reducing the building s energy consumption. 25 Adaptive infrared regulating coatings on glass windows An important part of the building envelope are windows. Energy loss through windows accounts for half of the energy consumption. In spite of that, there have only been two main developments in this market since the 1970s: double/triple glass windows for improved insulation and low emissivity coatings (low-e) for improved energy control through reflection of infrared (IR) radiation. There is a lot of room for improvement in the field of infrared regulating window coatings. An ideal infrared regulating coating on windows would adapt its functionality to the environmental conditions: it should keep the heat in a building in winter and prevent heat from entering in

14 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Sustainable Buildings summer. The commercial introduction of such coatings is limited due to a number of technical and economic challenges. Together with our partners, we are developing a low-cost single layer coating that senses the outside temperature and switches from an IR transmissive to an IR blocking state when temperature increases to 30ºC or higher. 26 Other plans and activities In addition to our activities on window coatings, we have the ambition to develop innovative energy regulating coatings and polymers for use as nontransparent parts in building envelopes. Furthermore, we aim at developing advanced polymer materials for light capturing and guiding: why just block sunlight, when you can also put it to good use in for example solar cells? 27 Within the program Sustainable Buildings, Brightlands Materials Center and partners focus on the development of innovative materials for application in building envelopes that significantly contribute to reducing the building s energy consumption.

15 28 I firmly believe that when research organizations join forces, the resulting joint proposition is much stronger than the individual ones. 29 Pascal Buskens - Program Manager Sustainable Buildings

16 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Lightweight Automotive Market Trends The Lightweight Automotive Program of Brightlands Materials Center focuses on Thermoplastic Composites. In particular, on the specific role of polymeric materials in the performance of thermoplastic composites during use. The major challenge of the Automotive industry is to have lightweight materials available at a competitive cost price for large series productions. Both raw materials costs and assembly cycle times are still limiting factors. In addition, both the Automotive and the Aerospace industries suffer from insufficient long term performance predictability of composite parts, leading to over-design and correspondingly insufficient cost and weight savings. 30 Predictive Modeling The Lightweight Automotive Program has started investigating adhesion between thermoplastic unidirectional glass-fiber reinforced polypropylene tape and standard (short and long glass-fiber reinforced) polypropylene through overmolding in a regular injection molding process. In addition, a project was defined with the University of Twente (Prof Akkerman and Prof Govaert of the Department of Mechanical Engineering) in which two PhD students will study and model the adhesion behavior of overmolded composite tapes or plates in function of long term ageing and fatigue behavior. 31 Recycling One of the important advantages of thermoplastic composites over thermoset composites is the possibility to mechanically recycle composite plates or tapes into long fiber reinforce compounds with high added value. Without end-of-life solutions for thermoplastic composites, the overall carbon footprint of composite solutions may not be sufficiently favorable. We have

17 32 33 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Lightweight Automotive started a recycling study into the process aspects (compounding, injection molding) of thermoplastic composites with the aim to keep the fiber length as long as possible, leading to optimal mechanical properties. OP Zuid Proeftuin on Thermoplastic Composites Together with 11 industrial partners, the OP Zuid project Thermoplastic Composites started. The project is funded by the European Fund for Regional Development. The project had a slow start due to a change of pen holder. The above described activities are part of two of the work packages of the OP Zuid project. New mobility concepts emerge which exceed the traditional transportation from A to B. In all of these aspects materials will play a crucial role. One of the important advantages of thermoplastic composites over thermoset composites is the possibility to mechanically recycle composite plates or tapes into long fiber reinforce compounds with high added value. Marnix van Gurp, Managing Director

18 34 CORPORATE HIGHLIGHTS We realize that we are at the start of a journey we want to make with partners over the coming years. A journey with the ambition to implement great material innovations in the industry. 35

19 CORPORATE HIGHLIGHTS Partnerships Over the past year we have set up various projects and partnerships. In total we have now three partners in our shared research programs and 38 partners in various consortia and bilateral projects (of which 26 are industrial). CORPORATE HIGHLIGHTS Facts & Figures Infrastructure We opened our facilities on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus (Building 40) with a celebration on February 1, This was formally also a new location for TNO. The small lab in Building 40 focused on synthesis of nano-particles and 3D printing using photopolymerization. Preparations were made to move to a larger building (Building 110) with 250m 2 lab space, which will include also a roll-to-roll line for printing or coating polymer films, polymer processing equipment and various analytical and testing equipment. Brightlands Materials Center collaborates with Chemelot Innovation and Learning Labs (CHILL) on the use of polymer processing and testing equipment and with Enabling Technologies on the use of specialized analytical equipment. Workforce at the end of Number of nationalities (at year-end 2016) 37 EU A number of Europe funded programs have been running or have started last year: OP Zuid Proeftuin on Thermoplastic Composites, together with 11 industrial parties from the south of the Netherlands, with a total project size of 5,7M Co-Pilot, a H2020 program with 11 partners on the pilot production of nano-particles and a total project volume of 5,5M EnEf (Energy Efficiency), an Interreg project with 6 partners on the development of switchable windows with a project size of 3,4M Universities Collaborations have started with the Eindhoven University of Technology (Prof. Sijbesma and Prof Anderson) and Maastricht University (Prof Moroni) in the field of Additive Manufacturing and with the University of Twente in the field of Lightweight Automotive (Prof Akkerman and Prof Govaert). 29 Industrial partners in project & programs 14 PhDs/Postdocs 250 m m 2 Labspace

20 COLOPHON Editorial team Marnix van Gurp Peter Wolfs Tessa ten Cate Pascal Buskens Nathan Verberne Nadine Huijnen Photography Wouter Roosenboom Design and layout Morres & Company 38 Contact Brightlands Materials Center Urmonderbaan 22 (Gate 2) 6167 RD Geleen, The Netherlands P.O. Box MD Geleen, The Netherlands Visit us at Copyright 2017 Brightlands Materials Center The entire content of this publication is protected by copyright, full details of which are available from Brightlands Materials Center. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without reference to Brightlands Materials Center.

21 INSPIRING innovations in Plastics