Railways
Railway manufacturers are under pressure to make rolling stock lighter, safer, more durable and more sustainable, while keeping cost and production risk under control. Composite materials can help meet these objectives by combining low weight, corrosion resistance, design freedom and long service life.
AOC supports customers beyond the supply of resin systems. We help translate composite ideas into practical, manufacturable railway components, from early concept and material selection to process choice, qualification support, and scale-up. Through our own technical capabilities and our network of channel partners, we help customers move from a promising idea to reliable production.
Work with us
Meet our team during InnoTrans to discuss how composite materials can accelerate your next product design. Together, we can develop railway solutions that are lighter, durable, manufacturable and ready for the next generation of public transportation.
Book a meeting with AOC and BÜFA during InnoTrans 2026
Materializing your composite ideas
Lightweight design is one of the strongest drivers for using composites in rail. Lower part weight can help reduce energy consumption, improve acceleration and train performance, and create opportunities for functional integration. It also gives designers more freedom to optimize shape, stiffness, surface quality and assembly.
AOC works with customers for selecting the right resin technology, reinforcement concept, and manufacturing route for each application. Whether the target is a prototype, a low-volume program or a high-volume production series, we help customers use composite materials to their maximum capability while keeping manufacturability in focus.
Tough demands
Railway rolling stock is a demanding application. Materials must deliver strength, robustness and durability, while meeting strict expectations for fire resistance, low weight, surface aesthetics, low carbon footprint, and recycling potential. Manufacturers also need solutions that can support larger production volumes and lower unit cost.
Composite materials are well suited for parts where weight, corrosion resistance, shape freedom and functional integration matter. AOC helps customers balance these requirements so that material choice, part design and production process fit together from the start.
We make green work
Sustainability is now a central requirement in railway design. AOC offers resin technologies based on recycled PET and bio-circular raw materials and actively contributes to life cycle assessment work for resins, SMC/BMC parts and composite recycling routes.
Our railway work includes LCA studies for representative parts, such as a train interior window cover, where lightweight SMC showed a favorable total life-cycle result compared with heavier alternatives. AOC is also strongly involved in composite recycling initiatives, including cement co-processing, pyrolysis evaluation, and industry collaboration through ECCA activities for road vehicles and public transportation.
In-house knowhow
AOC combines more than 70 years of composite materials experience with strong in-house development capabilities. Our teams support qualification testing, formulation development and practical scale-up, including SMC manufacturing and molding, pultrusion, pilot plant work, and glass and carbon fiber composite know-how.
This combination is especially valuable when customers need to move from small series or prototypes into stable medium-volume production. AOC can also connect customers with a broad network of BÜFA, intermediate suppliers, molders, fabricators and Tier 1 partners to speed up development and reduce industrialization risk.