The objective of FAMACOM was to carry out in-depth research into the single-stage manufacture of a sandwich structure cured with microwave technology.

In order to achieve this general objective, the following specific objectives were undertaken:

1. Definition and implementation of the integration of the various components of the system for cleaning, core deposition and compaction of dry fibre fabrics.

2. Obtaining a homogeneous volumetric heating of the composites.

3. Optimisation of the curing system to achieve high degrees of cure.

4. Obtaining greater filling control and almost 100% polymerisation of the composite using microwave processing, without the need for post-curing.

5. Definition of the appropriate tests and the corresponding test scheme and performance, enabling the characterisation of the process, a fundamental step to achieving TRL4 validation.

6. The design, realisation and testing of a demonstrator to promote the technology and decisively reduce the time required for its implementation in structures.

7. Evaluation of the environmental performance of the microwave curing process of a sandwich structure formed of selected materials.

To meet this ambitious challenge, a multidisciplinary consortium was created by 4 companies with the necessary skills and knowledge to cover the project’s entire value chain.

This consortium was supported by AIMPLAS, a centre that implements and develops microwave curing technology for the manufacture of monolithic and sandwich structures.
Titania’s participation in this project was focused on developing tests for the optimisation of the curing process and for the characterisation of the manufactured laminates.
In addition, titania undertook the testing of the TRL 4 demonstrator developed, modelling its behaviour using FEM in order to assess its degree of correlation.

The FAMACOM project was carried out in Andalusia, with a budget of around €1.6 million and a planned execution period of 26 months, and was completed in March 2021. It formed part of the FEDER Innterconecta 2018 call for proposals, subsidised by the CDTI and co-financed by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), within the Spanish Pluri-regional Operational Programme 2014-2020, with the aim of boosting research, technology development and innovation.