Wasted glass fiber comes to life in new products with the help of INEGI
08-04-2020
ALTO - Profiles Pultrudidos, a company specialized in the manufacture of composite materials and pultrusion processes, has teamed up with INEGI to develop new products based on the reduction of waste and reuse of fiberglass.
The idea is to create new products with added value from what would be considered waste, and to implement systems and tools that enhance the reuse of waste from other manufacturing processes.
“The reuse of raw materials in a circular economy logic is still a challenge. It is necessary to find innovative solutions, both in terms of efficiency of use and techniques, which allow us to reuse waste and transform it into a new product. This without ever undermining its commercial viability, which is essential for the competitiveness of this type of products ”, explains Rui Mendes, responsible for the project at INEGI.
This is precisely the objective of the initiative, which focuses on one of the most used raw materials, and also the most wasted, by ALTO: fiberglass. As a by-product of the manufacture of pultruded products, part of this raw material, still in its virgin state, ends up in a landfill. But with the help of INEGI, it will now take on new life in the form of a gutter rail.
This objective will be leveraged by the competencies of INEGI, which is in charge of “product development and adaptation to the manufacturing process”, and the “study and development of processes and tools for the reuse of glass fiber to be applied in the context of ALTO ”, Says Rui Mendes. "The work is ongoing, and it is expected that by the end of the project, the composite gutter rail will be ready to be sold," he adds.
It is recalled that ALTO - Perfis Pultrudidos was born in 1996 with the concept of spin-off at INEGI, and since then they have carried out several projects together, in line with the bet of both in research and innovation in the area of composite materials.
The idea is to create new products with added value from what would be considered waste, and to implement systems and tools that enhance the reuse of waste from other manufacturing processes.
“The reuse of raw materials in a circular economy logic is still a challenge. It is necessary to find innovative solutions, both in terms of efficiency of use and techniques, which allow us to reuse waste and transform it into a new product. This without ever undermining its commercial viability, which is essential for the competitiveness of this type of products ”, explains Rui Mendes, responsible for the project at INEGI.
This is precisely the objective of the initiative, which focuses on one of the most used raw materials, and also the most wasted, by ALTO: fiberglass. As a by-product of the manufacture of pultruded products, part of this raw material, still in its virgin state, ends up in a landfill. But with the help of INEGI, it will now take on new life in the form of a gutter rail.
This objective will be leveraged by the competencies of INEGI, which is in charge of “product development and adaptation to the manufacturing process”, and the “study and development of processes and tools for the reuse of glass fiber to be applied in the context of ALTO ”, Says Rui Mendes. "The work is ongoing, and it is expected that by the end of the project, the composite gutter rail will be ready to be sold," he adds.
It is recalled that ALTO - Perfis Pultrudidos was born in 1996 with the concept of spin-off at INEGI, and since then they have carried out several projects together, in line with the bet of both in research and innovation in the area of composite materials.
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