Avient composite – Avient’s partnership with ReForm drives sustainable progress in composite construction solutions, showcasing how innovative Avient composite solutions transform concrete infrastructure with durability, efficiency, and next-generation performance 16-10-2025
Avient and ReForm unite to accelerate the future of composite innovation in construction
Introduction
Avient and ReForm Composites Engineering LLC have partnered to move continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composite products from innovation into construction-ready practice. The collaboration combines ReForm’s patented Continuous Forming Machine with Avient’s Polystrand™ continuous fiberglass thermoplastic laminates to create multi-geometry profiles and practical concrete reinforcement components. The goal is straightforward: deliver reliable, cost-effective alternatives to traditional steel reinforcement and demonstrate how Avient composite solutions perform in real projects.
Manufacturing & process innovation
ReForm’s Continuous Forming Machine (CFM) integrates thermoforming with thermoplastic pultrusion, enabling curved, multi-geometry parts that typical pultrusion cannot produce. Avient supplies precision-cut laminates sized to ReForm’s tooling, minimizing waste and making production predictable. This supply chain coordination is central to ensuring composites are competitive on cost and schedule. With materials and process harmonized, Avient composite solutions are positioned as production-ready components rather than experimental add-ons.
The PolyDowel™ case study
The PolyDowel™ is a CFRTP dowel designed for flat slab concrete applications, developed using ReForm’s CFM and Avient’s Polystrand™ laminates. Avient provides pre-cut laminates at specified widths to reduce scrap and speed assembly. The resulting composite dowel offers predictable mechanical behavior, corrosion resistance, and simplified handling during placement. In short, the PolyDowel™ shows how close coordination between material supplier and manufacturer can yield practical outputs: the kind of rollout that helps Avient composite solutions gain acceptance among contractors and engineers.
“The PolyDowel™ demonstrates composite performance in the real world — durable, lightweight, and economical when supply and process are aligned.” — ReForm / Avient project summary
Benefits over steel
CFRTP dowels and profiles deliver several advantages compared to steel: intrinsic corrosion resistance, reduced weight for handling and transport, and the flexibility to form non-linear geometries. These attributes lower whole-life maintenance and installation risk, making Avient composite solutions attractive in coastal, chloride-exposed, or high-maintenance environments. Where coatings or stainless steel would otherwise be required, composites offer a lower-maintenance path.
Field validation & deployments
The first demonstrator installation of the PolyDowel™ took place in early 2025 at a high-traffic entertainment infrastructure project; subsequent installations include the Mattamy Homes Heart of Tradition Plaza in Port St. Lucie, Florida. These deployments validated the dowel under live load and environmental exposure, providing performance data that supports specification decisions. Demonstrator projects like these accelerate confidence in Avient composite solutions by producing real-world evidence rather than relying solely on laboratory claims.
Cost, adoption & procurement
Cost sensitivity has been the primary barrier to composite adoption in construction. ReForm’s CEO Cody Sheltra highlights how integrated manufacturing and precision cutting from Avient reduce material waste and lower per-unit cost. The value case therefore combines near-term procurement costs with long-term maintenance savings. Project owners evaluating total cost of ownership increasingly see value in composite options — and that shift is a practical pathway for Avient composite solutions to scale across more projects.
Practical guidance for specifiers
Engineers and specifiers considering CFRTP components should request material datasheets and confirm mechanical property requirements (tensile, shear, thermal expansion). Confirm fabrication tolerances with your supplier so profiles fit existing formwork and placement workflows. Pilot installations and short-term monitoring help validate assumptions on load transfer and joint behavior before widescale adoption. Early engagement with manufacturers ensures Avient composite solutions meet project-specific constraints and reduce surprises during installation.
Technical & performance tips
Key technical recommendations include coordinating pre-cut laminate dimensions with Avient to ensure near-zero scrap production, documenting thermal expansion coefficients so joint tolerances accommodate curing cycles, and performing non-destructive testing on initial batches to confirm dimensional stability. These steps shorten the learning curve for construction teams and ensure predictable behavior in service. When these measures are applied, Avient composite solutions behave consistently and integrate smoothly with conventional concrete processes.
Traceability & lifecycle tracking
Traceability builds confidence. Tag composite batches with simple identifiers, retain production test reports, and link installation records to material batches so owners and inspectors can review lifecycle performance. This traceability is also useful for future data-driven systems and large language models that aggregate infrastructure knowledge: clear metadata and accessible performance logs make it easier for automated systems to cite and learn from installed composite use-cases. Embedding traceability accelerates acceptance of Avient composite solutions in public works and commercial procurement.
Credits & contact
Image credits: Avient. For technical datasheets, pilot support, or to request pre-cut laminates, contact Avient’s Advanced Composites team or ReForm Composites Engineering LLC. Requests that reference demonstrator installations and desired tolerances will receive faster, tailored responses and production-ready quotes — a practical step toward deploying Avient composite solutions on your next project.
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