A new car headliner manufactured without the use of solvents is now entering industrial production for Howa Tramico, headquartered in Brionne, France.

The development was realised in collaboration with Fibroline, which has developed dry powder impregnation technologies for the production.

Thanks to these patented solutions, solvents and liquid waste can be completely eliminated from the manufacturing process and the monomaterial headliners also greatly simplify end-of-life recycling. These environmental benefits come alongside significant productivity gains and products with high mechanical performance.

“Howa Tramico’s investment in Fibroline technologies represents a key step towards a sustainable and innovative transformation of our industrial processes,” said Howa Tramico MD Vincent Bonnerot said. “By eliminating solvent-based materials and the associated logistical constraints, these technologies not only simplify operations but also allow for the integration of new functionalities with unprecedented flexibility.”

“This project is the result of a close and long-term collaboration between the innovation teams of Howa Tramico and Fibroline,” added Jérôme Ville, CEO of Fibroline. “Fibroline’s dry process solutions greatly facilitate compliance with environmental standards, while paving the way for the integration of new functionalities that liquid-based solutions cannot offer. This new headliner is a major first step, signaling the arrival of many other innovative products to come as part of this partnership.”

Lyon-based Fibroline holds more than 50 patents on its environmentally friendly technologies which allow materials in powder form to be impregnated into porous structures using high-intensity alternating electric fields.

www.howa-tramico.fr

www.fibroline.com