FIBRE composite manufacturing technologies for the automation and modular construction in shipyards (FIBRE4YARDS)

Programme(s): H2020-EU.3.4. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Topic(s): MG-3-7-2020 - Improved Production and Maintenance Processes in Shipyards

Call for proposal: H2020-MG-2020-SingleStage-INEA

Funding Scheme: IA - Innovation action

Grant agreement ID: 101006860

Project description:

New production technologies for the Shipyard 4.0
 
The EU’s shipping industry may be an economic giant in the European economy, but it still faces fierce international competition. Particularly for small and medium European shipyards, there is a need to find a balance between reducing production costs and increasing quality processes for the mass production of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) ship parts. The EU-funded FIBRE4YARDS project will develop a cost-efficient, digitised, automated and modular FRP vessel production approach, and will implement it in a Shipyard 4.0 environment to increase EU shipbuilders’ competitiveness. Bringing together a highly skilled and complementary consortium, including SMEs and an FRP shipyard, will ensure the processes proposed can improve the efficiency of vessels in terms of energy consumption and maintenance costs.

Objective:

To ensure global competitiveness of small and medium European shipyards, a step change is needed. The key to accomplish this relies on overcoming high production costs and low repeatable quality processes which currently inhibit mass production of Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) ship parts. FIBRE4YARDS will bring a cost-efficient, digitized, automated and modular FRP vessel production approach to increase EU shipbuilders’ competitiveness.
FIBRE4YARDS’ objective is to match end-users’ needs with targeted advanced production technologies (adaptive molds, ATP/AFP, 3D printing, curved pultrusion profiles, hot stamping, innovative composite connections) from other competitive industrial sectors, and to transfer, adapt and combine them to improve FRP shipyards’ production and maintenance, in a Shipyard 4.0 environment. Real-scale demonstrators will be designed and manufactured to prove feasibility of technologies.
Based on the targeted technologies, design and engineering of small/medium-length FRP vessels will be assessed using advanced computational tools. Compliance with the regulatory framework will be ensured, and the necessary personnel training will be provided. All within validated and viable business models targeting a circular and resource efficient maritime sector.
This will lead to an improved cost effectiveness of European shipyards and their supply chain, an increased turn-over and a growth of jobs with new 21st century skillsets. Consortium’s high number of SMEs and a FRP shipyard, facilitate direct exploitation in the targeted supply chain. A robust cost-benefit analysis for stakeholders, business plans for successful commercialization and market uptake will be provided, specifically recommending an adequate IPR protection strategy. Environmental impact diminution is achieved through weight reduction (less fuel consumption), recyclable materials, energy efficient production and addressing noise pollution. The 36 months project requests 5 941 720 € funding.