COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012 Blog

Following double-figure annual growth rates posted in recent years, the global economic crisis put the brakes on the rapid growth of wood-plastics-composites (WPCs) in 2009. But only temporarily as, according to the AVK (Federation of Reinforced Plastics) experts, these materials have the potential to act as substitutes for glass fibres and, thanks to their specific areas of application, can help open up entirely new markets.  In 2007 the WPC market volume for Europe as a whole was 120,000 tonnes. In contrast to many markets which are already saturated, there is potential for strong growth here.

Experts are predicting that biopolymers (polymers based on starch, cellulose and PLA) will Read Full Post

Während des Dritten Deutschen WPC-Kongresses war ein besonderer Höhepunkt die Vergabe des WPC-Innovationspreises, der weitere neue Anwendungen offenbarte.

Um den WPC-Innovationspreis 2009, der von der Firma Reifenhäuser GmbH & Co. KG (Troisdorf) gesponsert wurde, hatten sich 15 Unternehmen beworben, die im Jahr 2009 ein neues WPC-Produkt auf den Markt gebracht hatten. Eine Jury aus Sponsoren, Partnern des Kongresses und Mitarbeitern des nova-Instituts nominierte drei Unternehmen für den Preis. Auf dem Kongress stellte jedes Unternehmen sein Produkt in einem Kurzvortrag vor, anschließend wählte das Publikum den Sieger:

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Steigender Absatz von Holz-Polymer-Werkstoffen (Wood Plastic Composites) auch in der Wirtschaftskrise. Der Dritte Deutsche WPC-Kongress in Köln (2. und 3. Dezember) kann sich mit 300 Teilnehmern aus 26 Ländern sowie 30 Ausstellern als europäischer Leitkongress der Branche weiter etablieren.

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Bender Consulting shows at COMPOSITES EUROPE 2009 additives which are developed for bio materials, as well as their applications like odorous substances, which are on the one hand anti bacterial and on the other hand dyeing. Materials should smell in several ways. They smell either pleasant for human beings or off odours for animals. Urns out of BC´s (=biodegradable bio materials) are unfortunately diged up by wild pigs at cemeteries. The question is therefor: What does the animal dislike and is harmless and biodegradable as well?

Bender Consulting is working on questions like what is the nature doing for protection for example against bacterials since many years. Which pericarp is protecting more, which less? Silver is the common anti bacterial material. But also redwood, logwood and yellowwood are used to dye leather since millenniums. Please find here an articel about the impact of flavanoids which are prepared by network partners to finish processing.

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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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