News (Sponsor type)

In a LinkedIn post, the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Institute of Polymer Engineering (IKT) announced the completion of the LeiWaCo project, to which it contributed. The project focused on the development of lightweight composite tanks for cryogenic hydrogen, resistant to microcracks at temperatures as low as -253 °C, intended for use in a modular container-based supply unit.

The author of the publication highlights the role played by the state-of-the-art thin-layer thermoplastic unidirectional tapes from the Swiss company Suprem in the project's success, which enabled the tanks to achieve high cryogenic performance and microcrack resistance.

The publication also highlights the role played by the JEC Composites Innovation Award that the project was awarded in January 2026 in the "Pipes, Tanks & Hydrogen" category, which confirmed the project's value to the industry.

Finally, the FHNW acknowledges the role of all its partners in this project: the Composite Technology Center / CTC GmbH (An Airbus Company), which was the project coordinator — in particular Dr Tim Frerich and Tobias Reinecke — the German Aerospace Center (DLR), AFPT, ARGO-Anleg, CompriseTec, eCap Marine, Faserinstitut Bremen (FIBRE), IDVA, Schunk Group and Teijin Carbon Europe.

Cover photo: LeiWaCo project