Clients: Fraunhofer, Chemnitz, Polymeris, PIEP, Cluster MECH, Bay Zoltan Network, NTNU, Univeristy of Northumbria Newcastle, Cluster MAV, LIGHTer, Bydgoszcz Industrial Cluster Tool Valley, Jozef Stefan Institute
Date: 2018 – ongoing
Location(s): Europe wide
Lightweight technologies are key in reducing carbon emissions in resource intensive industries.
To reduce emissions material weight is one of the most robust ways forward. The ELCA (European Lightweight Cluster Alliance) is a collaborative initiative that aims to accelerate the adoption of lightweight materials in strategic industries.
Finding the correct network and connections is key in bringing lightweight technologies into industry, without a network in strategic industries bringing technologies to market can be challenging. Composite materials offer significant potential for reducing weight in automotive applications, but they face hurdles hindering widespread adoption within the industry. The implementation of a multi-material approach is gaining traction across various sectors, presenting fresh challenges in both processing and performance domains. Despite the presence of numerous excellence clusters dedicated to lightweighting research throughout Europe, effective communication and coordination among them remain lacking and disorganised.
Approach
The ELCA represents a strategic response to the challenges facing the adoption of lightweight materials, particularly in the automotive sector. By fostering collaboration among key stakeholders across industries such as mobility, energy, healthcare, defense, and construction, ELCA aims to address the bottlenecks inhibiting the mass adoption of composite materials. Through its inclusive business framework, the alliance facilitates communication and coordination between excellence clusters and research institutions, enabling the exploration of lightweight-driven market opportunities and the practical implementation of lightweight technologies.
Impact
The ELCA network puts leading organisations together, well-connected to main industrial sectors, encompassing expertise in multiple advanced lightweight materials (polymers, metals, CMCs) from throughout the manufacturing value chain.
Lightweighting is a crucial enabling technology that can play a significant role in achieving the goals of the EU Green Deal by reducing weight and, consequently, CO2 emissions. For nearly two decades, BAX has been actively supporting lightweight innovation across the EU. These efforts have culminated in the formation of the European Lightweight Cluster Alliance (ELCA), the largest Pan-European network dedicated to lightweight materials and related technologies.
– Ricardo del Valle, Senior Innovation Consultant
