COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012 Blog

Mit 313 Ausstellern hat am Dienstag in Stuttgart die COMPOSITES EUROPE begonnen. Drei Tage lang zeigt die Fachmesse die neuesten Technologien und Produkte rund um die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette der faserverstärkten Kunststoffe.

COMPOSITES EUROPE ist die größte Messe im größten europäischen Markt für Verbundwerkstoffe. Mehr als 300 Aussteller präsentieren Innovationen und Neuheiten rund um die Herstellung, Verarbeitung und Anwendungen von innovativen Werkstoffen: u.a. Verbundwerkstoffe für Leichtbau in Automotive, Aerospace, Bau und Konstruktion. Die Messe zeigt die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette für verstärkte Kunststoffe vom Rohmaterial bis zum Fertigprodukt sowie die neuesten Technologien in Verarbeitung und Fertigung von Verbundwerkstoffen.

Öffnungszeiten
27. & 28. Oktober: 9.00 – 18.00 Uhr
29. Oktober: 9.00 – 17.00 Uhr

Adresse
Neue Messe Stuttgart; Messepiazza 1; 70629 Stuttgart

Eingabe Navigationssystem
Flughafenrandstraße/Flughafen
70629 Stuttgart (bei älteren Systemen: 70629 Leinfelden-Echterdingen)

Polymer composites have been in use at Automobili Lamborghini since 1983, and since 2001 carbon fiber composites have been used for the production of all body panels and several portions of the spaceframe structure of the Murciélago. At the International AVK Conference (26.-27 October 2009, Stuttgart) Maurizio Reggiani (Vice-president of R&D and CTO, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.) and Paolo Feraboli (Professor and Director of the Automobili Lamborghini Composites Laboratory) will present the composites research and development at Automobili Lamborghini. The presentation will be divided in two sections.

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Despite the increase in production capacities, the demand for carbon fibres continues to be far greater than the supply. This is evident from the annual market survey by the AVK – Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e.V. The worldwide capacity in 2007 is estimated to have been 55,000 tons. The applications are multifarious and consist primarily of the sports sector, wind energy, the oil industry, the automobile and transport sector as well as civil engineering. By 2010, an annual increase in the demand for CRP is predicted to be between 14 and 16 per cent. This is due to the development of new applications over and above the previous use. Current new developments can be found, e.g. with hydrogen tanks, although the main application continues to be aviation. Experts think that even though fibre production will experience a double-digit increase as expected, there will continue to be bottlenecks at least in the medium-term. Read Full Post

The experts of the AVK – Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e.V. forecast an annual double-digit percentage growth rate for natural fibre reinforced plastics as well as for wood-plastic composites (WPC).  The reasons for this are the aspects of energy saving during production and the associated reduction in carbon dioxide.

The most important applications are the automobile, construction, furniture as well as industrial and consumer goods. Even so, the use of natural fibre reinforced plastics is stagnating in the automobile sector in the German market which currently accounts for 30,000 tons annually.

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Technical principles, trends and innovations – in an international lecture forum, the COMPOSITES EUROPE trade fair will again present specialist lectures on current topics relevant to the industry in 2009. The COMPOSITES Forum will focus on all areas of composite applications.

Topics range from crash-safe materials in the automotive field to sandwich panels in aircraft construction, from growth potential in the construction of wind energy parks to production and machining processes for composites. The programme features a total of 26 lectures and presentations in English and German.

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On September 22nd and 23rd the Aachen Body Engineering Days take place at the Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge (IKA) of RWTH Aachen University. Well known speakers from research and industry will discuss about recent developments in car body engineering at the international conference. Among the speakers are: Prof. Dr. Rudolph C. Stauber (BMW AG), Dr. Matthias Rabe (Volkswagen AG) and Dr. Ulrich Eichhorn (Bentley Motors Ltd.).

Car bodies, vehicles and technology demonstrators are presented in an additional technical exhibition. Some of the highlights will be the Porsche Panamera, the BMW 5er GT, the new VW Polo, the Mercedes SLS AMG, ThyssenKrupps InCar and the SuperLightCar. Some plastic applications in modern car body engineering will also be presented.

From 27 to 29. October IKA will be represented at COMPOSITES EUROPE (Halle 4, Stand G28).

Block material is usually used for the manufacture of ultra firm, lighter weight carbon composites.  This involves the curing of a combination of epoxy resins, micro glass spheres and a curing agent in an autoclave.  When curing the pre-impregnated carbon fibres, a composite laminate is produced in the same shape as the original model.  This in turn forms the basis for the pertinent carbon component.  Epoxy based composite materials have become the norm especially for high speed use, for example in Formula 1.

Block materials are also becoming the norm not only in high-tech applications, such as those for speedy runabouts, but also in other industries.  In addition to the customary automobile industry, examples can also be found in railway and ship building as well as in aviation.  In addition, companies in the wind energy sector are increasingly relying on the blocks that are stuck together from slabs in defined standard sizes.  At the Composites Europe Trade Fair, which will take place in Stuttgart from 27 to 29 October 2009, high-tech as well as routine applications will be on display.

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When the first commercial motor vehicle was equipped with a carbon ceramic brake disc, this was a real innovation. When compared with a conventional cast iron brake disc, the carbon ceramic brake disc provides a significant reduction in weight of up to 50% and thus the possibility of reducing fuel consumption.

In addition, they are noted for a longer service life, higher resistance to corrosion, a reduction in the emission of fine dust and improved product characteristics as well as higher thermal stability. In the meantime, renowned automobile manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Daimler, Ferrari, General Motors, Lamborghini and Porsche are fitting the new discs in their vehicles.

Brembo S.p.A., a leading provider of high performance brake systems, and the SGL Group, a specialist for carbon products, combined their competencies on 1 June 2009 through the establishment of Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic Brakes as a joint venture. In future, the joint further development as well as the production and exclusive marketing of carbon ceramic brake discs for the automobile and commercial vehicle industry is to be promoted from Milan.

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Within a short time, the COMPOSITES EUROPE specialist fair has developed into a significant growth factor in the composites industry and established itself as an industry institution. This year, from 27 to 29 October the specialist fair will present technologies and products covering the entire value creation chain of fibre-reinforced materials for the fourth time.

COMPOSITES EUROPE will showcase innovative solutions for major sectors of application, such as the automotive sector, the aerospace industry as well as the building and construction sector – tailor-made to fit the current requirements on material properties, such as lightweight construction, energy efficiency or improved corrosion resistance.

The start of COMPOSITES EUROPE will be marked by the International AVK Convention and the 2nd Biocomposites Congress. 350 international exhibitors are expected at COMPOSITES EUROPE 2009, among them key players of the industry such as Huntsman, AOC Resins and Exel Composites.

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COMPOSITES EUROPE is the strongest trade fair in the strongest European composites market. Approximately 350 expected exhibitors, covering an area of over 14,000 sqm exhibition space will present the latest composites products and technologies for the application industries such as automotive, aerospace, building & construction, etc. Over 7,000 expected international trade visitors are looking forward to innovative ideas and solutions for their application industries.

You will find all the important information on the COMPOSITES EUROPE fair (trade fair topics, exhibitor profile, show statistics, opening hours as well as travel information) here:

www.composites-europe.com