Sabic Innovative Plastics has won an award in Aviation Week’s first annual Suppliers’ Innovation Challenge competition, recognising new and recent technology developments by tiered suppliers in the aerospace and defence industry. The company’s lightweight, rigid Ultem polyetherimide (PEI) foam, used as the structural core in multi-layer systems for aviation interior components, won in the composites category. According to Aviation Week, winners “represent the best-in-class, potential game-changing innovations.”

This achievement illustrates Sabic Innovative Plastics’ strong focus on partnering with aviation industry OEMs to help them succeed by meeting tough safety, regulatory, sustainability and economic requirements.

“Sabic Innovative Plastics is honoured to receive industry recognition for Ultem foam, a material that offers a broad range of benefits to our aviation customers worldwide,” said Kim Choate, the company’s global Ultem product market leader. “This structural foam is an exceptionally high-performing, lightweight form of our world renowned Ultem thermoplastic resin, which has proven its value over more than 20 years of use in aviation applications. Ultem foam is a major innovation that can help drive greater improvements in flame retardancy, fuel economy, lower greenhouse gas emissions and design flexibility helping airlines achieve their business and sustainability goals.”

Ultem foam enables aircraft designers to leverage the best-in-class flame, smoke, toxicity (FST) performance of Ultem resin in a form that is 10 - 20 times lighter than traditional plastic components.