PITEA, Sweden—The research institute RISE is building a facility here that will focus on testing sustainable composite manufacturing. This facility will also develop and demonstrate sustainable material, technologies and manufacturing processes for the future.

Its key piece of equipment is an AP&T servohydraulic press. RISE chose AP&T's servohydraulic press because it is already used in many customer manufacturing plants.

The RISE facility is set to open in April 2021, and will be closely watched by the automotive industry--whose key players increasingly use more composites to build lighter, more energy efficient cars that have a smaller impact on the climate.

"We will be able to conduct tests, not only in a laboratory environment but also on a greater scale in a realistic production environment, opening for more rapid industrialization,” says Ingrid Bergqvist, vice president of polymers and composites at RISE. “When transitioning to a more sustainable society, it is vital to conduct research on material and production methods that may reduce the climate and environmental impact. There is great interest in the industry in fully or partially bio-based composite materials."

“Our constant knowledge exchange has propelled us forward," says Dr. Christian Koroschetz, CTO at AP&T. "We have learned a lot about composite materials, which may be a path to new customer collaborations in the future. And, once the press is in place, we will continue to have access to it for further development and demonstrations. We are now in a phase of polishing and verifying functionality in anticipation of final approval in December. In March [2021], it's installation time. We can't wait.”