The Dutch manufacturer of synthetic fibers is part of a Japanese group and supplies fibers worldwide to producers in many different applications such as car tires, parachute lines and heavy duty ropes for on- and offshore. The manufacturer knows that many companies in the on- and offshore market would like to move from steel to synthetic cables or ropes because of their advantages with respect to lightweight, non-corrosiveness and low maintenance. However the predictability of the remaining lifetime of steel ropes and cables has so far not been matched for synthetics. So risk mitigation is one of the main challenges to achieve wide acceptation of synthetic fibers in rope applications. Therefore the company is  looking for a practical, safe, and effective method to inspect synthetic ropes without destructing them. This non-destructive method should be able to link (real-time) monitored parameters to a structural health indicator and finally to a replacement/repair criterion. The rope inspection should be done in-situ at the application preferably in real time. The company thinks that an integration of existing and new technology in practical approaches could lead to a solution. It is expected that visual inspection only will not be sufficient. The company is looking for partners, such as SMEs and/or academia, that can develop and supply (parts of) the needed inspection technology. Partners that are able to identify the successful combination of sensing technology, data processing and decision making. Cooperation with one or more partners is foreseen within the framework of a technical cooperation agreement This technology request refers to an innovation challenge published on an online open innovation platform till Jan 15th 2022. Organisations are invited to express their interest before the closing date. Interested parties can get additional information on the platform and browse free through other submissions. However to contribute to online discussions registration is necessary. All submissions on the platform will get feedback by the company. Mind that posts on this platform are not confidential. Besides open discussions on the platform, sharing of confidential information will be made possible on demand. After closing of the challenge, the company will select some organisations from the ones that have presented themselves on the platform for an online meeting January 28th to explore cooperation possibilities. In case there is still need for additional solutions after closing of the challenge, expressions of interest will be treated in the traditional way.

The company is looking for expertise in the field of (applied) research and development of inspection systems with knowledge of:

• Physical inspection/testing

• Materials / mechanical / physics / electronics engineering 

• Data processing, AI

Type of partner: company, research organisation, university or combination of these organisations.   Areas of activity / disciplines needed: (Applied) research and development of inspection systems with knowledge of: • Physical inspection/testing

• Materials / mechanical / physics / electronics engineering 

• Data processing, AI

Task to be performed: set up and execute a project to produce a first proof of concept showcasing that the measurement technology for synthetic ropes delivers relevant data. And in addition also processing the data and matching them with a replacement/repair criterion. Cooperation with one or more partners, such as SME's and/or academia, is foreseen within the framework of a technical cooperation agreement.