COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012 Blog

One of the most established uses for composites is in the building industry. It has made use of fibre-reinforced structures for over 30 years now. The reason is that these fibre composite materials are suitable for use in countless building and construction applications. Pipes, sleepers, boards, blocks, linings, mats, cladding, posts, foundations, tanks, housings, containers, doors, coatings, shafts, adhesives, coverings, banks, bricks, boxes, walls, basins, frames, steps, gutters – the possibilities are virtually endless.

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The Bodensee Racing Team, or in short BRT, is sponsored amongst others by Harke Chemicals this year. It is one of the teams that takes part in this year’s Formula Student, a competition where students from all over the world compete against each other in self-constructed racing cars. “The contact to the Bodensee Racing Team was established during a booth conversation at the Composites Europe 2009 in Stuttgart, on which we presented epoxy resin systems. After the students from Konstanz had introduced us to the project we immediately decided to sponsor the team with our epoxy resins”, says Dirk Forler, Managing
Director of Harke Chemicals GmbH.

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Every movement must be just right when the blade and rotor hub of a wind turbine are married together at a dizzy height.  Because screwing the rotor blade onto the rotor hub 100 metres above the ground represents a major bonding technology challenge. Heavy-duty threaded bushes are bonded into the fibre-reinforced flange on the blade holder of each blade – and the bond must be absolutely rock solid.

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Sustainability and questions it raises regarding the effects materials, products and processes have on the environment is a major current topic and one that influences all aspects of business.  The automotive and electronic industries have already implemented current regulations on recycling and CO2 emissions. Demands on the use of sustainable materials and products in the building industry amongst others are now gaining pace too.

The effects that composites have on the environment are also Read Full Post

Sustainability and energy efficiency: What does the future look like for international freight traffic? What new approach can freight forwarders and logistics specialists adopt, so that they are able to transport their clients’ large loads under favorable conditions? How can such an approach ensure high environmental standards? The solution lies in lightweight design for trucks and freight containers, where fuel consumption and transport costs are reduced, CO2 emissions are lowered and climate friendliness is increased.

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Sustainability and energy efficiency: What does the future look like for international freight traffic? What new approach can freight forwarders and logistics specialists adopt, so that they are able to transport their clients’ large loads under favorable conditions? How can such an approach ensure high environmental standards? The solution lies in lightweight design for trucks and freight containers, where fuel consumption and transport costs are reduced, CO2 emissions are lowered and climate friendliness is increased.

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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

The significance of wind energy is increasing throughout Europe.

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 Read Full Post

The first is 2.59 meters long with an efficient electric motor designed for nipping round towns and cities (top speed 120 km/h).

The second is a luxury sports car delivering Read Full Post

2009 was also a difficult year for the processors of fibre composites.  According to the information given by the Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK), the demand for and the production of duroplastic SMC and BMC components was determined by market developments in the main automobile and electronic applications. 

The “Envirez” material from Ashland Performance Materials is used in boatbuilding (Photo: Ashland).

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