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.

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.

The Krempel-Group, from Vaihingen, offers with the BD system, prepregs that are based on modified epoxy resins with high impact resistance and excellent dynamic properties. These can be processed into high strength structural components with all standard processes. The curing range is between 85 and 140 degrees Celsius, the maximum dimensional stability under heat is 125 degrees Celsius.

The BX prepreg system has an extremely wide curing range from 55 to 185 degrees Celsius and thus fulfils the demands for a low pressure/low temperature prepreg. It is suitable for the production of structural components as well as for composite fibre tools with a dimensional stability under heat of up to 180 degrees Celsius. Here again, all current processing methods can be employed. At the Composites Europe (CE) trade fair, which will be held from 27 to 29 October 2009 in Stuttgart, Krempel will present a range of its latest developments.

So that epoxy and polyurethane resins as well as modelling and adhesive pastes are employed in the right blend, two component metering and mixing systems are required, such as those produced by Tartler GmbH from Lützelbach – who is also exhibiting at Composites Europe (CE). The company has developed powerful and flexible two-component mixing systems especially for the economic production of rotor blades for wind power stations.

A new nano-hardened epoxy adhesive paste with excellent mechanical characteristics for joining and repairing aircraft structures of metal and composite material has been developed by Huntsman Advanced Materials GmbH from Basel, Switzerland. Araldite EP1000AB noticeably exceeds the aircraft specifications for low temperatures, room temperature and relatively high temperatures. Due to simple handling and a long shelf life, the material also provides very promising options for additional applications.

According to Huntsman, they are the market leader for resin-hardening systems for the composites industry based on epoxy resins, bismalelmide, cyanide tester, benzoxacine and polyurethane systems. The company is a supplier of adhesive systems and liquid resin systems for the stated processes, including prepreg manufacture, as well as being a supplier for the formulators with a portfolio for the composites industry. Apart from aviation, important markets are in the automobile, wind energy, conventional energies, sports and leisure sectors.

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.

Block materials are also becoming the norm not only in high-tech applications, such as those for speedy runabouts, but also in other industries.  In addition to the customary automobile industry, examples can also be found in railway and ship building as well as in aviation.  In addition, companies in the wind energy sector are increasingly relying on the blocks that are stuck together from slabs in defined standard sizes.  At the Composites Europe Trade Fair, which will take place in Stuttgart from 27 to 29 October 2009, high-tech as well as routine applications will be on display.

For example, the automotive sector is a major trading division of First Composites GmbH from Neuwied.  In the years since its establishment, a great deal of experience and know-how has been gained both in the construction of prototypes, such as show cars or concept vehicles, as well as for small and medium batches.  Components consisting of carbon, glass fibre and aramide fibre reinforced plastics are on offer, which apart from RTM are also produced by means of prepreg and vacuum injection technology.  PUR and RIM components are also available.

A new, nano-hardened epoxy adhesive paste with outstanding mechanical characteristics for bonding and repairing aircraft structures of metal and composite materials has been developed by Huntsman Advanced Materials GmbH from Basle, Switzerland.  It noticeably exceeds the aircraft specifications for low temperatures, room temperature and relatively high temperatures.  Due to its simple handling and long shelf life, Araldite EP1000AB also provides very promising options for additional applications.

With the BD System, the Krempel Group from Vaihingen, offers prepregs that are based on modified epoxy resins with high impact resistance and outstanding dynamic characteristics.  These can be processed into high-tensile structural components by means of all the usual processes.  The curing range is between 85 and 140 degrees Celsius, the maximum dimensional stability under heat is 125 degrees Celsius.

The Prepreg System BX has an extremely wide curing range from 55 to 185 degrees Celsius and thus fulfils the requirements for a low pressure/low temperature prepreg.  It is suitable for the production of structural components as well as for composite fibre tools with a dimensional stability under heat up to 180 degrees Celsius.  Here again, all current processing methods can be employed.