before landing on a solution that looked right and was robust enough to pass all automotive exterior requirements. It took persistence, but the result speaks for itself.
requires the hefty capital investment involved in rebuilding the entire production infrastructure. It has therefore been important for us that ampliTex and powerRibs work with standard moulds and processes, so that it fits into existing workflows. This avoids the issues of equipment redundancy or major retraining requirements.
Our relationship with BMW goes back to 2019, when BMW M Motorsport first introduced renewable reinforcements through their Formula E programme using our ampliTex and powerRibs materials. From there it extended into DTM and GT4. We were able to build on these racetrack learnings and take the next step into series production. What has been most exciting is seeing how cutting-edge technologies validated in motorsport have translated into something people can buy. BMW Group and Bcomp have worked closely together to research, validate and industrialise natural fibre composites for road cars in a way that has never been done before. This process has been a genuine collaboration at every level. Another aspect we’re really proud of is the design work. We worked directly with BMW Group’s design team to develop a bespoke colour and weave pattern that gives the parts a distinctive natural fibre identity that feels authentically BMW. This might sound straightforward, but it was far from it. We tested more than 100 material iterations
Winning this award is a real milestone for us. The JEC Composites Innovation Awards are the world’s most prestigious composites show and awards programme. They've been running since 1998 and have attracted more than 2,200 participating companies, with 269 organisations and 811 partners recognised for excellence in innovation over that time. It means a lot to be honoured at that level. The award recognises our collaboration with BMW Group, BMW M Natural Fibre Composites. This took first prize in the ‘Automotive & Road Transportation – Parts’ category. For us, it validates the work we’ve put into successfully industrialising natural flax fibre composites for visual exterior applications on premium series road cars. It represents one of the most fully scaled real-world applications of high-performance natural fibre composites in the automotive industry to date, and we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together with BMW.
For a designer, ampliTex offers something that conventional materials can’t replicate. The natural weave has a distinctive aesthetic, with a visual warmth and authenticity that works particularly well in premium applications. The fabric can be configured across a range of weaves, colours and formats, giving designers the ability to tailor both appearance and structural performance to the specific demands of a project. On the performance side, ampliTex is lighter than glass fibre. It offers superior vibration damping and is considerably safer than carbon fibre on impact. From a lifecycle perspective, it reduces use of fossil-based materials and carbon emissions. It also offers recyclability options: assessments indicate up to 85% lower embodied energy compared to carbon fibre. Thermoplastic
ampliTex is a range of technical natural fibre reinforcement fabric made from flax
hybrids can be recycled up to six times for injection moulding, while thermoset composites can go through energy recovery at end of life. For designers working around tightening regulations on material content and recyclability, these are practical considerations worth factoring in early.
Our story started in a garage, with a mission to make better and lighter skis. Our co-founders, Christian Fischer and Julien Rion, drew on their materials science PhDs to reinforce balsa wood used in ski cores with lightweight flax fibres – giving birth to our first bio-based material, which was soon picked up by major skiing brands including K2, Faction and Nordica. From those early days, our materials have
found their way into some of the most demanding proving grounds on earth. Competing at the highest levels of motorsport with McLaren Racing in Formula 1, Porsche in GT racing, or BMW in Formula E and DTM, while also expanding in a wider range of industries – from recreational equipment like skis, snowboards and padel, to consumer goods, luxury yachts and infrastructures. Each application has brought its own set of demands and learnings, and that breadth of experience is what makes us confident in what our materials can do.
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