Setup our office during the show and care about exhbitors starting build up their boothes.

I have a good feeling for the next two days. I think we are good organised and exhbitors welcome!

Cheers,
Frank

The epoxy resin and polyurethane need to be mixed to just the right ratio to ensure that the inserts are properly bonded. To automate this process safely and reliably, the Hessian family-owned company Tartler has developed multi-component metering and mixing systems which meet precisely these requirements – for example a customised version of its Nodopox 200 M/U. With an output of less than 0.2 litres per minute and a mixing ratio accuracy with less than two percent deviation, the threaded bushes can be bonded to withstand the tensile force of over 20 tonnes.

The system has a decisive process engineering advantage: its uses the original packing drums of the material manufacturer.  It pumps the two high-viscosity components directly from the 200 litre drums, which contain no bubbles and some of which have been vacuum-filled.  Depending on the material used, this does away with the need for stirring the mixture and transfering it to the work dispenser.  The components can then be heated to the required processing temperature of up to 80° between the pump and the mixing head.

Siempelkamp Handling Systeme is also working on a process for automating the manufacture of rotor blades for wind turbines. The new development automatically brings together and bonds the core material and the covering layer – in a machine with a working width of three metres. All kinds of materials can be used for the core.

A large number of processing steps are still carried out manually in the composites industry, which is why the automation of product stages is now gaining in importance. Numerous examples will be on display at the international Composites Europe (CE) trade fair, to be held in Essen in September, where both Tartler and Siempelkamp will be showcasing their latest products.

In February 2009, the third generation of the permanently occupied Neumayer research station in the Antarctic inaugurated, with the target, to gather long-term and precise data of climate, geophysics and environment in the Antarctic. The operation is designed for 25-30 years, the entire project will cost 39 million €.Besides the main directions of meteorology, geophysics and atmospheric chemistry that are researched since the 1980s, there have been five years, research on infrasound and since 2005 on marine acoustics. All interior rooms of the station are composed of containers which are conjoined with each other, without adjacent inside walls or with a gangway connecting passage, depending on the room size and which all are adjacent to a central connecting passage. All bottoms, ceilings and walls of these living containers have been bonded with COSMOPUR 890/805 to a high strength connection onto the steel frame. The produced container has to withstand a load of 3.000 kg (certified by the “Germanische Lloyd”), cold resistance up to -60°C with sufficient flexibility and flame retardant properties of the adhesive according to Wheelmark (verification certificate of SEE-BG). COSMOPUR 890 / 805 by Weiss Chemie + Technik fulfils all these conditions.

Weiss Chemie + Technik is a producer of adhesives and special cleaners for the manufacturing of PVC-, aluminium- and wood windows and doors.
They furthermore offer a wide range of products for the fields of industry, automotive, navy and trade. Meet them at COMPOSITES EUROPE in Essen  show (14-16 September 2010) in Hall 10-11/C04.

Webcams at Neumayer Station III: http://www.awi.de/NM_WebCam/

The effects that composites have on the environment are also subject to scrutiny.  In response to this trend the AVK (Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e.V. (The Association of Reinforced Plastics)) took the initiative and formed a “Sustainability” team last year. The objective is to create a platform to discuss experiences and to learn more about the real impact composites are having on the environment and in turn the risks and opportunities they present us with. It is hoped that an evaluation of composites as an eco-efficient solution will be the outcome.

Gabriel Thomas from Ticona GmbH, also The Managing Director of the AVK and Ben Drogt from DSM Composite Resins are the initiators of this team. 
The International AVK Conference traditionally marks the beginning of the COMPOSITES EUROPE.  This is the place where 500 international experts spend two days talking about relevant subjects regarding fibre-reinforced materials.

Also exhibiting at CE 2010 is the French company Nidaplast Composites, the designer of extruded polypropylene honeycomb materials, and who is a leader in terms of sustainable development.  Nidaplast’s goal is the reduction of greenhouse emissions and will therefore reveal a “CO2 balance sheet” for the first time showing the level of CO2 emitted during the life-time of thermo-plastic honeycomb structures.

The honeycombs are light-weight (95% hollow space) and are sandwiched between two panels, thereby making this sandwich structure economical and environmentally friendly. “Nidaplast honeycombs provide advantages for the protection of the environment: firstly their consumption of raw materials is low, and secondly they are lightweight. These factors contribute to lowering the level of greenhouse gases emitted during manufacture and also during transport,” explains Luc Nuttens, the company’s Head of Product Development.

The “CO2 balance sheet” confirms Nidapast’s commitment to providing its clients with solutions in the field of environmentally-friendly design. The “CO2 balance-sheet” was developed by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency ADEME and is a standardised method for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions resulting directly or indirectly from an activity.

Part 2:

Food safe insulator
Sandwich elements feature exceptional insulation characteristics when a fiber-reinforced composite (GRP) is combined with PU or XPS foam. The decisive factor in this respect is the composite material’s low thermal conductivity, which also gives it a distinct advantage over steel sheeting and aluminum. It can thus be used to build effectively insulated refrigerated containers and refrigerated vehicle bodies. For example, the insulation effect in a sandwich element consisting of two-millimeter thick layers of GRP and a fifty-millimeter thick layer of polyurethane foam can be compared with that of a forty-millimeter thick cavity block wall. As the material is also optionally produced with a pore-free surface, it can also be used for temperature-controlled transportation, haulage of foodstuffs and in vending trucks. Fitted as an interior face sheet, it can be very easily cleaned and leaves no residues and is thus able to comply with strict hygiene requirements. LAMILUX fiber-reinforced composites are also food safe, which means they do not release toxic substances into foodstuffs. This quality is substantiated by test certifications.

Highly resistant and an attractive surface finish
In addition to these important features, LAMILUX materials also excel due to their long service life and their durability. When used as a component in sandwich elements, they provide such an efficient stabilizing effect that side walls and floors are easily able to withstand the high compressive and flexural stresses experienced in the trucking industry. GRP roofing will also not be dented as a result of a heavy hailstorm. Another advantage lies in the fact that if damage should still occur, even on a large scale due to an accident, the damaged parts can be easily repaired or whole GRP sections can be replaced. Excellent resistance to UV light, weathering and corrosion also ensure a long service life and color fastness. These outstanding characteristics have been demonstrated by extensive, internationally recognized test methods such as the XENO test, long-term weathering tests, and the salt spray test in compliance with DIN EN ISO 9227.
In addition to these physical and chemical properties, fiber-reinforced composites also impress due to their attractive surface finish. Besides high-gloss and high-grade finishes, the material can be manufactured in a variety of colors, such as those in the RAL and NCS color systems, or customer-specific colors. GRP offers the advantage that color particles are worked directly into the material during the production process. As a result, applying a subsequent paint finish is unnecessary. Moreover, the surface won’t chip due to corrosion or mechanical effects, unlike conventional paint finishes on steel sheeting or aluminum.

Experts are predicting that biopolymers (polymers based on starch, cellulose and PLA) will substitute roughly three to five percent of the roughly 15 million tonnes of plastics processed annually in Europe by the packaging industry in the next few years. In Europe, the annual demand for roughly 450,000 to 750,000 tonnes has been met by a supply of less than 200,000 tonnes.

Germany in particular, however, is investing in expanding capacities. The first industrial PLA production plant in Europe is currently being set up in Guben in Brandenburg. The target of the Pyramid Bioplastics Guben GmbH project is to establish production facilities with a total capacity of 60,000 tonnes per year by mid 2012. The company has invested almost EUR 100 million in constructing the planned plant and facilities.

A “Biopolymer Application Centre” is also being established in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institut for Applied Polymer Research (IAP) in Golm. A further project, initiated by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV), was also launched last year to investigate the use of biomass material in the form of biopolymers. The aim is to substitute synthetic polymers in packaging materials and foams using new techniques, and to create polymer and fibre additives with sought-after material properties. The results should be available by the middle of 2012.

The AVK experts are well aware of the development potential of the bio-materials. Sustainability and new materials will be the main topics of the discussion to be held by roughly 500 international experts expected at the international AVK Conference. This traditionally forms the start of the Composites Europe (CE) trade fair.

The stick was used by the Swiss Team at the Hockey World Championship 2009 and was also praised by the Russian, Austrian, Latvian and French teams.  The new, patented nanotechnology provides the hockey stick with its specific strength and thus improves its impact characteristics as well as its reaction where bending, resistance and torsion are concerned.  In addition, the energy released by the player is passed directly and efficiently to the puck due to the one-piece design.

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.

Light, strong, flexible – these are the requirements that must be provided by sports equipment. 

Composites precisely fulfil these criteria and consequently have become essential where top level sports are concerned.  Whether helmets, hockey sticks, skis as well as boots and sticks, helmets, luge or bobsleds – no sport can survive without equipment of high-tech materials with fibre reinforcement. Atomic, Dynamic, Dynastar, Elan, Fischer, Nordica, Salomon or Völkl – virtually every reputable supplier of sports equipment depends on composite materials.  The manufacturers of composites are ecstatic – according to the latest survey by the Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK), twelve per cent of the composites produced in Europe are already being used in the sports and leisure sectors.

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

Those sectors most affected by market developments were those involving the open-moulding process, in particular for hand and spray lay-up laminating.  Their share of composites production has fallen from almost one third to less than a quarter.  Especially high was the downturn in large-scale components which involve smaller quantities by their very nature.  In their report, the experts mention boat and shipbuilding as one example.  Since the Fifties, composites have been used here as a construction material which, in the meantime, dominates this market.  When this segment weakens, it thus has a major effect on the processors.

Even so there is a ray of hope.  Ashland Performance Materials, a market leader for unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins, recently announced the conclusion of a contract with Campion Marine Inc., the largest manufacturer in Canada of boats from fibreglass materials.  It seems that the company intends in future to use the “Envirez” material, a biologically based composite, on all its boats.  As a result, the emissions of carbon dioxide can be reduced by around 46 tonnes.

At the beginning of the year, Northrop Grumman, the submarine manufacturer, concluded a contract with the Goodrich Corporation worth 49 million dollars.  Accordingly, the plastics processor will supply structural elements and components from composite materials for the next eight Virginia Class atomic powered submarines.  One submarine each will be produced in 2009 and 2010 and a further two vessels annually until 2013.

Fibre composite applications for boat and shipbuilding will also play an important part at the Composites Europe (CESHOW) trade fair, which will be held from 14 to 16 September 2010 in Essen in parallel with ALUMINIUM, the world’s leading trade fair for the aluminium industry.  Numerous exhibitors are involved in this sector and will present their innovations for the naval sector.

For example, materials from Huntsman Advanced Materials have already been certified for the construction of ferries by Germanischer Lloyd and Det Norske Veritas.  A new Seamless Modelling Paste (SMP) is being used for the manufacture of connecting elements.  Traditional materials, such as wood, have been replaced thanks to the low weight and high strength.  In addition, the process reduces the number of processing stages, provides more creative freedom, is suitable for CNC machining and is noted by good characteristics during milling, complex surfaces and low emissions of dust and pollutants. 

Seamless Modelling Pastes (SMP), known as “RenPaste”, are employed in many sectors of boat and shipbuilding, from rowing boats and leisure craft to racing boats and luxury yachts.  The latest “RenPaste XD 4618-1” version permits the construction of a wide variety of models, both for large hulls and decks as well as for highly specialized applications on pleasure craft.  The paste on an epoxy base can be machined with large CNC milling machines, which permits faster processing cycles and more accurate models. 

Sika Deutschland GmbH, a subsidiary of the Swiss Sika Corporation, which is also represented at the CESHOW, also supplies materials for the naval industry.  These consist of two-component systems on an epoxy base.  The products are suitable for temperature ranges from 80°C, 120°C and up to 170°C.  Hang-on parts as well as structural components are made from the material for the automobile, naval and aircraft industry.  The produced quantities extend from individual parts to mass production.