EconCore (Leuven / Belgium; www.econcore.com) has collaborated with Ultrapolymers (Lommel / Belgium; www.ultrapolymers.com) and DuFor (Zevenaar / The Netherlands; www.dufor.nl) to develop a plastic honeycomb core made from rPET. The two-year R&D project was funded by the Flemish government.

Using technology from ThermHex Waben (Halle / Germany; www.thermhex.com), which allows for allows for fast, continuous production, EconCore said it could improve the process to allow the use of recycled materials that are then converted into cost-efficient honeycomb cores. The PET honeycomb cores and PET-based semi-finished sandwich panels are suited for a range of applications, including transportation, construction, packaging and furniture.