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Structural Composites Inc. (W. Melbourne, FL, US) announced Aug. 20 that it has been awarded the 2018 TechConnect Defense Innovation Award for its Metal Hybrid Composite Technology.

A key innovative breakthrough was the company’s invention of CoCure resins, coatings and adhesives. CoCure resins and adhesives form a tenacious bond to metals which allows the creation of metal hybrid laminates using the same resin as used in the fiber composite layer.  Elimination of expensive adhesives and simplified manufacturing are key advantages.   Hybrid structures can be created by stamping or forming the shape in thin gauge metals (70% thinner than used by themselves) then laminating the metal part with CoCure composite materials. This allows for fabrication of very stiff structures at reduced weight but with costs that can compete with traditional fabrications. The technology was previously deployed by Wabash National in the semi-trailer market.

Structural Composites Inc. President, Scott Lewit, says, “Hybrid metal/composite technologies open many new markets for composite materials in aerospace, transportation and infrastructure. The combination of our PRISMA reinforcement technologies and CoCure low cost strain tunable high-performance resins creates structures at parity with the cost of traditional aluminum structures. These developments are enabling composites to move into some massive new markets that demand low price and high performance. The innovation award shows the impact of the technology spreading beyond marine applications.”