Flax Technic

(Notre Dame de Gravenchon, France) was recognized in the Aeronautics category for: Zodiac cabin interiors Europe initiating a paradigm shift in the construction of cabin interiors

Flax Technic (business through which flax producer DEHONDT Group has diversified into composites) is one of the 17 members of the FIMALIN flax industry association in France which has launched the FIBALIN project to develop prototypes using flax fibers for automotive, aerospace, marine and building/construction applications.

As part of this 5-year, € 18 million program, Flax Technic has pursued development work with Zodiac Aerospace (Plaisir, France) to replace glass fiber and phenolic resin with a flax fiber reinforced polyamide resin in the form of TWINFLAX prepreg. The Rilsan PA11 polyamide resin is supplied by Arkema (Colombes, France) and is reportedly the only high-performance polyamide 11 to be made from a natural raw material, the castor plant.

According to a report published by ecocomposites.net, Zodiac is planning to use the TWINFLAX prepreg in a seat shelf for its premium and business class seats. Benefits include a 26 percent weight savings which reduces aircraft fuel consumption and a reduction in the ecological footprint of aircraft interiors production via the material’s recyclability and renewable sources. FlaxTechnic also claims that because TWINFLAX is VOC-free, it allows for a cleaner production process.