Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming TechnologyThe general objective of the RECREATE project is to develop a set of innovative technologies aimed at exploiting the potential of End-of-Life (EoL) complex composite waste as feedstock for profitable reuse of parts and materials in the manufacturing industry.
The more specific objectives are:
- to develop and validate novel reuse strategies for large EoL composite parts based on smart recognition and inspection for sorting, high precision dismantling and repair, temperature-assisted reshaping, design for disassembly based on reversible joints, AI-assisted decision support systems;
- to develop and validate innovative recycling technologies allowing simultaneous recovery of high quality, integer, clean fibers and of an organic resin fraction reusable as coating material, at the very end of the multiple reuse processes of parts;
- to demonstrate at TRL6 the use of smart and green reversible thermoset resins as enabling materials for the realization of the next generation of fiber-reinforced composites with easier repairability and enhanced reusability, facilitating the transition towards recyclable-by-design composites;
- to develop digital tools for the quantitative evaluation of the environmental and economic performance of the proposedtechnologies (LCA/LCC), as well as their circularity assessment and acceleration;
- to co-design innovative digital learning resources, based on MOOCs, gamification and digital twins of some specialty technologies developed in the project, with easy adoption and high replicability.