Up to 92% of the fuselage of the A350 XWB aircraft will consist of composites made using the “Viper” machines.  These parts account for over 50% of the structure’s weight. 14 other MAG composites plants are also in use at Airbus and its European partners – four “Viper” and ten “Charger” ATL tape laying systems which are deployed to produce body parts, wing elements, jet engine casings, stabilisers and other structural components for the A320, A330, A340, A380 and A400M models.

MAG will be one of the exhibitors at the international Composites Europe (CE) trade fair, to be held from 14 to 16 September 2010 in Essen. Composite materials for the aerospace industry will play a major role here, with numerous companies servicing this segment.  Flugzeug-Union Süd GmbH (FUS) is one example; it supplies materials like vacuum films, separating foils, tear-off fabrics, liquid separating agents, sealing tapes and absorbent non-wovens to nearly all the major producers in the aviation industry. These are used to produce e.g. horizontal stabilisers and fins, wings, landing flaps, radomes, pressure bulkheads, interior fittings, doors, rotor blades and fuselage segments.

Tajima GmbH is presenting its machine technology for preform manufacture. Its TFP machines are distinguished by the fact that the fibres – be they CRP, GRP, or aramid – are arranged in the same way as later in the component itself. The size of the laying field, the number of heads and the fixing device for the carrier material can be individually adapted.  The Tajima machines are used to produce structural frame parts and also parts of the aircraft skin.

The Krempel group supplies prepreg materials with thermosetting and thermoplastic matrix systems, complex fibre-reinforced components, filament-winding tubes, extruded plastic profiles and plates to the aerospace industry. The composite materials have been fitted in different types of Airbuses for over 20 years now. The handles of the emergency exits in the Airbus A 320, for example, are made from Wacosit profiles manufactured by Krempel.

Roughly 100 customers in the aviation industry use adhesives, laminating resins and self-extinguishing materials in aircraft interiors supplied by Axson GmbH. Thanks to their self-extinguishing properties these materials are ideally suited for this purpose. A further company active in this field is Huntsman. The company has developed a new nano-hardened epoxy adhesive paste with good mechanical properties for joining and piecing together metal and composite aircraft structures.

For those who cannot wait until the technology show in Essen, an event will be held in just two months focusing on the latest developments in the aerospace industry. Aerospace Testing, Europe’s leading get-together for the aerospace industry, will be held from 18 to 20 May in Hamburg. The event brings together experienced developers and the leading trade suppliers: plenty of valuable technical information will be on offer.

A study carried out by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) shows that capacity increased by just under 20% to almost 65,000 megawatts in 2008. The possibility for growth is much greater in the UK than in Germany. In the offshore field in particular the UK has great potential. According to figures issued by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), 600 megawatts are currently in the construction phase, more than 1,200 megawatts already have approval and a further 6,600 megawatts are at the concrete planning stage.

One reason for the great interest in the UK is the comparatively generous remuneration. A British wind plant operator receives over ten cents per kilowatt hour. This total is made up of the energy certificate price, credit from tax exemption for renewable energies, a climate tax (climate change levy – roughly 0.50 cent per kilowatt hour) and the market price for electricity. A typical feature of the British wind industry is that the projects are planned and constructed primarily by large energy groups such as Scottish Power, Eon UK, RWE Npower or Scottish & Southern, both on water and on land.

RWE Innogy was recently awarded a contract by the British government to develop roughly 4,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy at Dogger Bank off the coast of Yorkshire in the east of England. The Little Cheyne Court wind park was officially opened last year in Kent. Delivering an installed output of roughly 60 megawatts, it is the largest onshore wind park in the south-east of England. The 26 wind turbines of the 2.3 megawatt class from Nordex supply renewable energy to over 33,000 households in the UK each year.

The case of Nordex shows how not only the power groups themselves but also the manufacturers of wind power equipment can benefit from the Brit-boom. The main prerequisite for producing the gigantic wind blades is fibre-reinforced plastics – as only they offer the necessary strength at the correspondingly low weight.

Gaugler & Lutz from Aalen, Germany are one example for showcasing innovations for the wind power sector at the COMPOSITES EUROPE 2010 . Material deliveries to the wind energy sector constitute a large proportion of its total sales. Its customers include all well-known German wind power equipment makers. The company is specialised in the manufacture and assembly of core materials for lightweight and sandwich construction. Besides different types of foam and balsa wood, the company also supplies reinforcing fibres and has its own production operation.  Roughly 4,000 rotor blades are manufactured each year using materials supplied by the company.

The second is a luxury sports car delivering  570 PS and accelerating from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds. It can achieve speeds of up to 325 km/h. The third combines both characteristics in a 4×4 electric roadster delivering 640 Nm. All three – the Rinspeed UC, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera and the Protoscar Lampo2 – have one thing in common: they are lightweight, fuel-saving and were all unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Autosalon motor show. Their low weight and fuel consumption are possible thanks to the use of fibre composites.

Weighing only 1,340 kilograms, even the Lamborghini consumes just 13.5 litres over 100 kilometres – a very low figure for a sports car. This is scarcely surprising as “Superleggera” means “super light” – the low weight being achieved by the extensive use of exterior and interior components made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastics. The Swiss engineers at Rinspeed enlisted the services of Esoro AG to help them complete the UC project. Esoro manufactures car parts weighing up to 30% less than their steel equivalents using their new E-LFT process. The eye-catching body of the Lampo2 with its striking rear wheel fenders is also made from composites.

Numerous exhibitors at the COMPOSITES EUROPE trade fair – including Spheretex GmbH from Hilden and First Composites GmbH from Neuwied – are actively involved in the automotive industry and will be presenting their new products for this sector.

Spheretex has a flat textile base made from woven, knitted or fabric-type fibres which is volumised by embedding thermoplastic microspheres. It is the core product of Spheretex. The resulting end products include side walls, floors, air deflectors, bumpers, flaps, doors and alcoves fitted in mobile homes, caravans, trucks and buses. In cars and SUVs the Spheretex material is used primarily in floor assemblies, spoilers, accessories and interior parts. Hand lay-up laminate, wet pressing, vacuum infusion, RTM and RTM-light are the main production methods used.

First Composites is involved in the production of Class A surfaces in integrated parts, i.e. sandwich structures incorporating sight carbon for the automotive industry. The company has specialised in the RTM process. The focus here lies on complex components which emerge more or less ready for assembly from the mould. Over the last few years it has built up the necessary expertise both in prototype production – such as show cars or concept vehicles – and also in the production of small and medium-size series.

One of these is Saertex GmbH & Co. KG from Saerbeck.  The company produces so-called non-crimp multi-ply fabrics.  These are characterized by stretched fibres within the individual plies, which optimally absorb mechanical forces such as pressure and tension.  Different mechanical strengths can be achieved by the fibre used, weight per unit area and angle combination.  Multi-axial multi-ply fabrics have been specially developed for the requirements of the sports industry and are used, in particular, in skis and snowboards.

„Die COMPOSITES EUROPE erwies sich erneut als europaweiter Impulsgeber für die Composites-Industrie“, so Hans-Joachim Erbel, Geschäftsführer des Veranstalters, der Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH, zum Abschluss der dreitägigen Messe. „In einer konjunkturell schwierigen Situation gehen von der COMPOSITES EUROPE, die ja auch als Innovationsbarometer verstanden werden kann, wichtige Impulse zur Belebung der Branche aus. Viele der präsentierten Innovationen sind serienreif oder stehen kurz vor der Markteinführung und werden dementsprechend in naher Zukunft neue Kunden finden“, so Volker Fritz, Präsident des europäischen Branchenverbandes EuCIA, dem Partner der Messe.

Das unterstreichen auch die Ergebnisse des Konjunkturbarometers, der von einem unabhängigen Marktforschungsinstituts anlässlich der Messe erhoben wurde. Hier erwarten über 60 Prozent der befragten Unternehmen ein deutliches Anziehen der Auftragslage, weitere 27 Prozent erwarten eine zumindest gleich bleibende wirtschaftliche Lage; nur knapp zehn der Unternehmen gehen davon aus, dass sich die Absatzsituation im Composites-Sektor weiter verschlechtern wird.

Entsprechend groß sind die Investitionsabsichten. „Jedes dritte Unternehmen kam mit konkreten Projektanfragen nach Stuttgart“, so Markus Jessberger, Event Director von Reed Exhibitions Deutschland. Fast 20 Prozent von ihnen kamen mit Investitionsvorhaben in einer Größenordnung von über 200.000 Euro, weitere 17 Prozent sogar mit mehr als einer Million Euro. Im Mittelpunkt des Interesses standen Rohmaterialien, Technologien zur Fertigung und Verstärkung, aber auch Werkstoffe im Verbund, Halbzeuge und Endprodukte.

Die Besucher der COMPOSITES EUROPE 2009 kamen gleichermaßen aus der Composites-Industrie wie auch Anwendungsindustrien. Hier kam nahezu jeder zweite Besucher aus dem Automobilsektor (44 Prozent), gefolgt von den Bereichen Luft- und Raumfahrt (35 %), Bau und Konstruktion (19 %), Schiffs- und Bootsbau (18 %) und Windkraftanlagenbau (17 %). „Die COMPOSITES EUROPE erschließt uns ein Fachpublikum, das wir in dieser Form auf keiner vergleichbaren Messe erreichen“, so Jürgen Grimm, Geschäftsführer von der Weiss Chemie + Technik GmbH.

Image und Innovation – Herausforderungen für die Composites-Industrie
Dr. Elmar Witten, Geschäftsführer der AVK – Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e. V. sieht die Composites-Industrie vor drei großen Herausforderungen: „Image und Bekanntheit der Werkstoffe, Innovation von Produkten und Verfahren und der Nachweis der Nachhaltigkeit von verstärkten Kunststoffen – diesen Herausforderungen muss sich jedes Unternehmen stellen. Dann ergeben sich auch gute Zukunftsperspektiven und Wachstumschancen im Composites-Markt“, so Witten weiter.

Internationale AVK-Tagung – Biowerkstoff ein Schwerpunktthema
Den Auftakt bildete auch im vierten Jahr der Messe die internationale AVK-Tagung, die mehr als 350 Teilnehmer zählte. „Die AVK-Tagung ist – trotz der schwierigen Situation in der Composites-Industrie – auf eine positive Resonanz gestoßen“, zeigte sich AVK-Geschäftsführer Dr. Elmar Witten zufrieden. 35 Vorträge in drei Sessions standen auf dem zweitägigen Programm. Ein Schwerpunkt war dabei das Thema „Biowerkstoffe“, zu dem erstmals der Biowerkstoff-Kongress des nova-Instituts (Hürth) im Rahmen der AVK-Tagung stattfand. Um „grüne“ Werkstoffe ging es auch im Bio Materils Pavillon, der mit Unterstützung des nova-Institutes, dem europäischen Branchenverband EuCIA und NetComposites die neuesten Materialentwicklungen rund um strukturelle und multifunktionale Bauteile aus holz- und cellulosefaserverstärkten Composites zeigte.

AVK Innovationspreise und COMPOSITES Pioneer Award verliehen
Die AVK verlieh auch in diesem Jahr ihren Innovationspreis für besonders herausragende Entwicklungen im Bereich der verstärkten Kunststoffe. Insgesamt fünf Preisträger wurden in vier Kategorien auszeichnet. In der Kategorie Industrie teilen sich die Volkswagen AG und die TU Dresden den ersten Platz mit der BMW Group, im Bereich Umwelt freut sich die DSM B.V. über den Gewinn und den Hochschulpreis erhält das Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung an der RWTH Aachen (IKV). Einen Sonderpreis vergibt die AVK für das „SplashCar“ an die cpm composite products mücke.

Für seine Vorreiterrolle im Bereich der naturfaserverstärkten Kunststoffe wurde das Projekt BioConcept-Car mit dem COMPOSITES Pioneer Award 2009 ausgezeichnet. Das Projekt der Four Motors GmbH aus Reutlingen geht in Langzeitrennen mit Boliden aus naturfaserverstärkten Kunststoffen erfolgreich an den Start.

COMPOSITES EUROPE 2010 in Essen
Die COMPOSITES EUROPE 2010 findet – wie in den Vorjahren – parallel zur ALUMINIUM Weltmesse und Kongress vom 14. bis 16. September 2010 in Essen statt. Bereits jetzt sind 70 Prozent der Ausstellungsfläche in den Essener Messehallen belegt.

Weitere Pressemitteilungen zu den AVK-Innovationspreis-Trägern und zum COMPOSITES Pioneer Award sowie aktuelles Bildmaterial stehen Ihnen unter www.composites-europe.com zur Verfügung.

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)

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.

Because of his knowledge industrial designer Rolf Bender is also assigned to collect exhibits of the fascinating new composites which are shown at the show. In 2009 the first Material documentation for COMPOSITES EUROPE will be set up in a handy suite case. Some of these exhibits will be presented during his presentation on Thursday, 29 October at 01.00 pm at the COMPOSITES Forum.

To get more information, please visit us at COPOSITES EUROPE 2009 in hall 4, stand G40.

Bender Consulting
Dipl. Industrie Designer Rolf Bender (XING)

“Köscheshaus”
Dorfstraße 74-75
D- 53844 Troisdorf-Deutschland

Tel.: +49 (0) 22 8-97 11 971
Fax: +49 (0) 22 8-97 11 970

www.depro.com

The roadside features such as curbstone edges, potholes, streetcar tracks etc. frequently rattle the nerves of any bicyclist. But for years now, professional and recreational bikers alike have been using spring-loaded seat posts. They absorb the worst shocks, and make the ride more comfortable for the back. Still, for noticeably greater ride comfort, you have to dig deeper in your pockets.

Fraunhofer researchers have just developed a functionally-integrated bicycle seat post from carbon fiber composite materials (CFRP’s – Carbon fiber reinforced plastics) that is ultra light and extraordinarily effective. “A hardtail mountain bike with this new kind of CFRP seat post rides as if it were a full suspension bike,” says triathlon world champion Daniel Unger after a test drive. The professional cyclist means that the CFRP seat post can turn any mountain bike without rear-wheel suspension into a fully spring-loaded luxury vehicle.

No surprise that in September, the component earned the Eurobike Award at the Eurobike 2009 trade show in Friedrichshafen and in Stuttgart, the high-tech post has been nominated for the 2009 AVK Award for Innovation.

The seat post was designed at the Fraunhofer-Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal as part of Fraunhofer’s innovation cluster known as “KITe hyLITE – Technologies for Hybrid Lightweight Construction”. “The impetus for this came from our colleague and bicycle enthusiast, Sergei Belaew,” recalls group manager Oliver Geiger, who handles the implementation of the flexible seat post in Professor Frank Henning’s department.

“The component is based on two CFRP profiles that work like laminated springs. In this respect, the spring rigidity was calibrated to keep the deflection within the 10 to 15 millimeter range. That tangibly augments rider comfort.” The outer radii of the profiles were chosen so that riders could easily mount the component onto existing bike frames without a hitch. The saddle rail is articulated at the upper end of the profile; together with the clamps and the seat, the configuration results in a parallelogram. Until now, the only seat posts to feature this structure were exceedingly pricey.

The plus-factor of this Fraunhofer invention is how the unique characteristics of carbon fiber composites are combined with a keenly intelligent construction approach that delivers noticeable added cushioning and resilience. The deflection of the CFRP profiles influences the motion of the seat tip, and under ideal conditions actively supports pedaling. In addition, the post alleviates peak loads, even around minor superficial bumps – tar spots, damaged street surfaces and manhole covers are barely noticeable. “More ride comfort at 30 percent less weight,” says Geiger.

The prototype of the CFRP seat post was manufactured through a Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) process. “First, you fit the braided cable sleeves like a sock onto the mold core – a butyl sleeve – and stretch them until you get to the desired fiber angle. After pumping up the tubes as defined, a resin-hardening mixture infiltrates the component. As the hardening begins, the pressure on the butyl tubes is increased again, in order to achieve maximum impregnation,” is how Belaew describes the manufacturing process.

At this time, experts are working on optimizing the tool engineering and manufacturing process for the production of a larger number of units. Production and distribution will soon take over the “carbobike” spin-off.

Boats, airplanes and spacecrafts are getting lighter and lighter: Lightweight structures help save fuel and lower CO2 emissions. “To ensure that police and marine emergency services can rely on their lifeboats, even in high seas, the lightweight components undergo comprehensive quality assurance before being put to actual use,” affirms Joachim Montnacher, Head of Department for Testing Systems at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart. Together with Dr. Tina Wilhelm, Group Manager for Measurement and Testing Technology, and colleague Wolfgang Schmidt, the experts are hard at work on quality assurance systems for lightweight construction.

At the Composites Europe trade show, the researchers will present a combination of two testing systems: shearography and thermography. “Shearography is a laser optical procedure that allows measurement of material deformations in the triple-digit nanometer range. Thermography allows one to measure temperature differences on the surface of materials with accuracy of just a few Millikelvins. If an air pocket is enclosed on the adhesive side of a component, then the thermographic camera will measure different heat values than those of the properly seamed locations. With shearography, the material expands differently at the site where a defect occurs,” is how Wilhelm describes the test principle.

For both procedures, the material must be stimulated mechanically, thermally or electrically, using force, ultrasound or light. The experts measure twice: Once before and once after the stimulus. The measurement values clearly indicate where delaminations, i.e. defects in the bonded connection, have occurred with the materials during processing.  “Depending on the procedure, various physical effects are used for the testing. What’s important is that you can reliably detect defects with the two technologies – and specifically both on the surface and in the interior of the component. Since it is necessary to apply a stimulus to the materials being tested in any case, the combination allows you to eliminate one processing step, while simultaneously improving quality control,” Montnacher summarizes the functional process of measurement and the advantage of the combination. At the trade show, the IPA researchers will demonstrate the two testing technologies on a clutch disk.

In the laboratory, the researchers are not only currently working on the combination of both measurement principles. An essential focal point of the working group is to ascertain for which materials shearography is best suited in order to find hidden delaminations, and when it is better to utilize thermography. “There is still a considerable amount of research needed,” says Wilhelm.