The latest innovation from Huntsman Advanced Materials GmbH of Basle is a one-piece hockey stick. It is manufactured from a new ductile modified highly modern artificial resin system, known as 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:
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.
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.
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.
From damage simulation to serial production
New technologies for the serial production of carbon-reinforced plastics (CRP) will be demonstrated by the IKV - Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung of RWTH Aachen. The IKV scientists developed three new process chains enabling the production of materials with a fibre content exceeding 50 percent in less than ten minutes.
The mechanical behaviour of CRP sandwich panels in practical tests is explained by the speakers from Fraunhofer IWM for CRP foam core sandwich panels. In its lecture, the Fraunhofer Entwicklungszentrum für Röntgentechnik (EZRT) presents non-invasive test procedures, from 3D computer tomography to radioscopy to thermography and ultrasonic techniques.
Dassault Systemes Simulia provides information on possibilities for FEM analysis of lightweight fibre composite structures. The use of the finite element method allows predictions on processes of damage and failure in supercritical load conditions.
The combination of highly elastic composites and aesthetically pleasing design is demonstrated by Huntsman and D3 who cooperated closely in designing a sophisticated carbon fibre chair moulded in four parts. Products from Huntsman’s Araldite series were used in the project. The two companies show how complex parts can be produced simply and cost-effectively using simple tooling technology.
The COMPOSITES Forum is located in Hall 4 and designed as an open lecture area. Admission is free for all trade fair visitors.
With new themes, new special forums and a 15-percent increase in exhibitor numbers, the COMPOSITES EUROPE 2009 specialist fair is gaining momentum. At its fourth edition to be held from 27 to 29 October in Stuttgart, more than 300 exhibitors will present technologies and products covering the entire value creation chain of fibre-reinforced plastics. The spotlight will be on innovative solutions for important application industries such as vehicle construction, aircraft construction and aerospace as well as the building and construction sector.
Key players of the industry such as AOC Resins, Exel Composites and Huntsman will once again be present in Stuttgart. In Krauss-Maffei, RAMPF Tooling, Henkel, DSM Composites Resins, Carbon Composites e.V., Zoltek and Cam Elyaf, however, COMPOSITES EUROPE could also win major new exhibitors this year. The organisers succeeded in bringing almost the entire sector of automated cutting to Stuttgart with Gerber Technology, Lectra, Expert Systemtechnik, Topcut-Bullmer and Zünd Systemtechnik AG.
To ensure their suitability when used in wind energy systems, the epoxy resin adhesives used must be suitably certified by Germanischer Lloyd (GL). This is because rotor blades must withstand extreme stresses. The larger the unit, the higher the demands on the fatigue strength of the rotor blades manufactured from composites. In the near future, experts predict 10 megawatt systems with 80 metre long wind vanes.
The enormous rotor blades consist of two half shells, that are produced in suitable moulds from cross-linked hard foams and inserted balsa woods, which are subsequently stuck together. The balsa wood is cultivated in plantations in Ecuador and is harvested after six years. From a one metre long tree trunk, rectangular timber sections are cut and stuck together to make 1.22 metre long and five centimetre wide ashlars. These blocks are then cut into boards against the grain and finely sprayed with a resin solution to protect them against moisture.
Pipes, sills, boards, blocks, formwork, mats, cladding, stands, foundations, tanks, housing, containers, doors, coatings, shafts, adhesives, covers, benches, stones, boxes, walls, basins, frames, steps, drains, etc., the possibilities for the use of composites in the construction industry are virtually unlimited. Not for nothing has the industry been one of the consumers of composite fibre materials, more especially of GRP for over 30 years.
Virtual chemical stability, where required with a fire resistance finish, easy processing and uniformity, these are the characteristics that make composite raw materials interesting for the construction industry. Products such as glass fibre mats, fabrics and materials as well as sprayed and wound rovings with suitable resin systems are primarily employed. They are optimized for the known processing methods as well as being adapted or tailor-made for the requirements of the application.
Nevertheless, not all sectors of the construction industry already use the potential of composites for their needs. For example, modern architecture only recently discovered the possibilities for fibre reinforced plastics. One company that is involved in research in this sector is Mühlmeier GmbH & Co. KG from Bärnau. In the search for three-dimensional, deformable foam core materials, the developers of the company discovered that this task is solved perfectly by hexagonal foam cores combined with finely connecting webs. The product known as 3D-Core promises an interesting potential for designers and architects. Mühlmeier will present its latest developments in the composites sector at the COMPOSITES EUROPE trade fair, which will take place from 27 to 29 October 2009 in Stuttgart.
The wind energy industry is one of the most important customers for composites; at the same time the greatest challenges are made here on the load-bearing capability of the fibre reinforced plastics. Consequently, not only the right raw materials but also their specific blend is a major precondition for use in wind energy.
The industrial production of the enormous blades would be impossible to achieve without the use of technical plastics. Production of the models or the moulds for constructing the rotor shells or the rotor blades as such would be impossible. Even the adhesion of the upper and lower shell would be virtually impossible to achieve.
Two-component metering and mixing systems are required so that the right mixture of epoxy and polyurethane resins as well as modelling and adhesive pastes can be used. A reputable manufacturer of this processing technique is Tartler GmbH from Lützelbach, which will demonstrate its competencies at the COMPOSITES EUROPE trade fair, which will take place from 27 to 29 October 2009 in Stuttgart.
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
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