Somocap, winner of the Industrie 2023 Global Award

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Somocap was awarded the Epsilon Composite Exemplary Partnership prize for its patented thermoplastic overmoulding technology for composite connecting rods at the Global Industrie trade show from 7 to 10 March 2023.

Following the aeronautical qualification of structural connecting rods for the Airbus A350 programme, in 2022 the patented process won further qualifications from world leaders in robotics and agricultural machinery.

The direct over-injection of high-performance thermoplastic composite end caps onto an ultra-rigid carbon composite pultruded tube means that complex geometric shapes can be envisaged for the junction elements, enabling a maximum number of functions to be integrated in a single operation.

The use of a thermoplastic also paves the way for recycling materials at the end of their life by separating and reprocessing the individual components that make up the part. The manufacturing process also eliminates the use of solvents for bonding and the risks of exposure to potentially allergenic products contained in structural adhesives.