Metallic and Ceramic Materials

New sustainable products through the transformation of ladle slag into high value-added products. The CYCLO-SLAG project develops an innovative and sustainable solution by transforming ladle slag into high value-added products with the aim to promote a sustainable approach and diversify the industrial sectors and markets for the final products. In this way, the use of ladle slag would be made profitable by turning it into a resource capable of generating income and, at the same time, reducing the costs associated with its management, increasing the competitiveness of the company and reducing the environmental impact of steel [...]

Development of an innovative range of dental implants based on new designs and advanced antibacterial surface treatments for the improvement of the biomechanical response. The BIOIMPLANT project has the objective to develop a new range of dental implants based on a new design of the external geometry (obtained from advanced methods of simulation by infinite elements), with a new surface finish obtained by means of a combined treatment of shot blasting and acid etching. Moreover, the new implants promoted by the project are manufactured with a low elastic modulus titanium alloy and provided by a revolutionary [...]

Development of new tests and computer simulation methodologies with the aim of predicting the life of the electric vehicle chassis components and selecting optimal materials. The Fatigue4Light project works on the application of new materials adapted to chassis requirements, such as advanced high-strength steels, special automotive stainless steels, high-strength aluminium alloys and metal-polymer hybrid materials. The innovation of the project manages to reduce the weight of the vehicle chassis up to 30% compared to more innovative solutions and up to 40% compared to some existing applications, taking into account aspects of eco-design and circular economy. The [...]

Development and application of novel retrofitting technologies and equipment for efficient use of Variable feedstock in metal making processes. The REVAMP has the objective to cope with the increasing variability and to ensure an efficient use of the feedstock in terms of materials and energy. These new technologies developed will be exemplarily demonstrated within three different use cases selected due to the industrial relevance: electric and oxygen steelmaking, aluminium refining and lead recycling. Eurecat, through the Metal and Ceramics Materials Unit and the Smart Management Systems Unit, will be mainly involved in the research of the [...]

Development of new models and methods to improve the design capabilities of the hybrid boxes, such as the wings of the airplanes, formed by metallic panels and composite materials components. INNOHYBOX project, coordinated by Eurecat, investigates the thermo-mechanical behaviour of hybrid boxes with the purpose to optimize them by developing a new robust and experimentally validated design. Currently, it is usual to use a combination of metallic and composites materials in the construction of airplanes wings, but it is necessary more knowledge about the hybrid structure to avoid disadjustments between the components, causing thermal stresses and [...]

The objective of effiPRESS project is to characterise and develop hardening processes of greater efficiency and sustainability through hot stamping and the implementation of high strength steels (DOCOL®) and high thermal conductivity steels (HTCS®). Within the framework of the project, addressed especially at the automotive industry, investigations of the assisting heating and cooling processes and sheet forming are aimed at ensuring the comprehensive industrial applicability of the effiPRESS project. The innovation developed during the project has reduced processes times up to 10% by integrating steels with greater resistance into optimized tools with a higher thermal conductivity; [...]

Novel material characterisation and data driven analytics to predict and avoid edge-cracking in safety related automotive parts. Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) have become the dominant material choice for lightweight construction in the automotive and transport sector for its good in-service performance, manufacturability and recyclability. However, in these kind of materials some limitations in cracking resistance and formability appear, which may trigger edge-cracking problems that compromise part quality. CuttingEdge4.0 project develops experimental tools and digital twins for the cutting process and incorporate Industry 4.0 data driven analytics based on Artificial Intelligence and machine learning solutions. The [...]

CERORSOM develops an innovative degassing technology based on the ultrasonic treatment of light metals to demonstrate, for the first time on an industrial scale, that ultrasonic degassing technology can be an efficient resource and environmentally friendly method to be used effectively in industrial conditions. CERORSOM means a significant improvement for the foundry sector of non-ferrous alloys, delivering a solution that improves melt quality by reducing the gas content and oxide formation between 80-90%, and with a reduction of the gas emissions to the environment by 80-100%, allowing the production of high added value casting parts. The [...]

Integrative cutting solutions to produce high performance automotive components with high-manganese (HMnS) steel sheet. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge about the effects of the cutting processes on the mechanical properties and formability of HMnS. This complicates their extensive industrial application because non-optimized cutting could cause a dramatic reduction of part performance. A detailed investigation regarding the quality of the cut edge that determines fatigue and delayed fracture resistance is needed to face the industrial implementation of HMnS in structural vehicle parts. The iCUT project has the objective to describe the relationship between the cut [...]

The Community of Industries of the Future, coordinated by Eurecat and composed of 28 reference entities in the Catalan manufacturing sector, aims to consolidate a leading innovation pole in Efficient and Sustainable  Manufacturing in Catalonia, by creating a network of capacities and local pilot plants that allow the cohesion of integral value chains around industrial R+D+i. The IdF community jointly proposes the realization of 5 strategic projects of applied research and industrial development during the 2018-2020 triennium, focused on the fields of industrial digitization, collaborative robots, advanced processes and functional products. These include the IGNITE project, [...]

OptiQPAP project addresses optimization of performance properties of the Q&P steels for their application in automotive industry. Commercialization of the Quenched and Partitioned (Q&P) steels to a large extent is currently limited by the lack of knowledge on their application related performance properties. This project aims to deliver tools to optimize performance properties of Q&P steels while retaining their high mechanical strength via intelligent microstructural design. The objectives of the OptiQPAP Project, that counts with the participation of Metal and Ceramic Material Unit of Eurecat, include: To gain fundamental knowledge of the principles of microstructural design [...]

Development of new Complex Phase Low Carbon Microalloyed Steels, by optimization of chemistry and thermomechanical processing, i.e. hot rolling and cooling, to simultaneously obtain refined microstructures and arrays of precipitate nanoparticles. The previously unexplored synergies between the elements Nb, Mo, V and Ti on precipitation before, during and after phase transformation from austenite during hot rolling and cooling will be also addressed. NANOFORM project will result in new product concepts optimized with respect to processing parameter windows to give robust mechanical properties, i.e. static and fatigue strength, bendability, hole expandability and toughness. The objectives of this [...]

Development and understanding of new ion implantation processes of hard materials substrates and PVD AICrSiN-based hard coatings. The project, led by Eurecat through its Metal and Ceramic Materials Unit, aims to improve the properties of these materials, such as mechanical (hardness and fracture toughness), tribological (friction and wear resistance), chemical (corrosion resistance) and thermal (oxidation resistance) for its application in the metal-mechanical industry. DEMANDING is one of the four subprojects that make up the HARDPROTECT consortium project “Enhanced performance (corrosion and mechanical integrity) of hard material substrates by means of PVD AICrSiN coatings and ion implantation”, [...]

New manufacturing technologies for metallic bipolar plates and protective coatings for polymeric electrolyte membranes (PEMs) hydrogen fuel cells. Bipolar plates are a key element of hydrogen fuel cells, because their durability and performance will determinate the definitive implementation of this technology in fields such as the automotive industry. In this sense, INNPLÁGENO project developed innovative manufacturing technologies and protective coatings for the optimisation of the performance of polymeric-membrane hydrogen fuel cells. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that use hydrogen as a fuel and oxygen from atmospheric air as oxidant. The overall result of the electrochemical reaction [...]

Advanced coatings obtained via high energy plasma technologies for biomedical applications. INNOPLASMED develops advanced and innovative coatings to solve chemical, mechanical and biological stability problems identified in prostheses, implants and other surgical instruments. The long-term clinical success of these biomedical solutions can be improved by the application of the advanced coatings developed in this project. The coatings created by INNOPLASMED are processed by means of the development and industrial implementation of two innovative techniques based on high energy plasmas: the High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS) and Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation and Deposition (PIIID). The project, led [...]