Maximilian Hacker is 25 years old and the owner of BRComposites. He absolved his training as procedural mechanics of plastic and rubber technology, specialized in fibre composites.

 Activities previous to his self-employment:

1. Fischer & Entwicklung Landshut
2. Pilatus Aircraft Schweiz
3. Company with Formel 1 experience   (company name is not mentioned because of legal reasons)

CE: COMPOSITES EUROPE Team

MH: Maximilian Hacker

CE: Please introduce yourself. Who are you and what is your responsibility at BRComposites?

MH: BRComposites has exists for two years now. We are a young and very innovative company with a continuous strong growth. Furthermore, we think that  well-trained employees and to the original rules of craftsmanship are very important.

I am proud to say that we are already training employees. In my opinion there is still a lack of skilled workers in the composites industry.

We develop and offer individual production to our customers. Productions up to 10,000 standard parts are easily possible. In this way the volume of production is growing. Our production is done without autoclaves and everything is hand-made.

BRComposites

CE: So how did you experience the COMPOSITES EUROPE 2011 show? What are your impressions?

MH: This is the first time for BRComposites as an exhibitor at the COMPOSITES EUROPE. Actually we have been planning the first exhibition in 2016. At least that has been the conclusion of a family dinner. However, by coincidental, I got a phone call from the COMPOSITES EUROPE team the next day. During this conversation I received information about a funding possibility through BMWi. Because of the funding possibility and the sponsoring by Jost Chemicals, which is a close partner, we decided to book a booth for the COMPOSITES EUROPE 2011.

Mr. Hacker was reacting spontaneously when we asked him about his feelings as participant of the CE 2011. He was euphorically describing the exhibition as gigantic. The company had a huge success, a great number of good meetings and contacts. The booth was constantly busy because so many visitors were interested in their products. In his opinion, the exhibition service and the whole organisation was very commendable.

We closed the interview by talking about the presentation of innovations brought by BRC.

BRComposites presented flexible carbon protectors which is already used e.g. by the v. The jacket (have a look at the picture) in the background is specially made for extreme mountainbikers and is equipped with flexible carbon protectors. All visitors have been wondering what kind of material this is. However, we could not get any detailed information.

Thank you so much for the interesting and open conversation with Mr. Hacker.

BUFFALO, New York – October 13, 2010 – Eastman Machine Company, a U.S. based manufacturing company specializing in cutting equipment, announces that it has appointed RH Schneidtechnik (Solingen), Germany, to represent its line of automated cutting systems, material handling equipment and design software.

RH Schneidtechnik specializes in cutting technologies, applications and engineering consultation for the composites, technical textile and apparel industries. RH Schneidtechnik’s central European location will enhance Eastman’s sales, service and support network for new and existing customers throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands. Eastman and RH Schneidtechnik will coordinate efforts to establish a demonstration showroom and technical service support center servicing all European customers by the end of 2011.

Eastman has installed over 1000 automated cutting systems worldwide. Automated cutting systems offer optimum material yields while reducing labor and operating costs for manufacturers cutting single and multiple-ply composite and industrial fabrics in the aerospace, transport, marine, apparel and safety industries.

Equipment available from Eastman:

• Static Cutting Table – capable of marking, drilling and punching virtually any flexible material at speeds of up to 60 inches per second (152.4 cm/s).
• Conveyor Cutting System – continuous conveying cutting system designed for cutting pattern pieces that can exceed the length of the table with speed and accuracy
• Multi-Ply Cutting System – capable of cutting up to 5cm (MPC-5000) and 7cm (MPC-7000) of compressed material for high volume throughput
• A variety of straight and round knifes; rotary shears and end cutters suitable for hundreds of materials

For more information on RH Schneidtechnik, please visit www.rh-schneidtechnik.de or COMPOSITES EUROPE 2011 in hall C2 stand J17 in Stuttgart, Germany.

Eastman Machine Company (www.eastmancuts.com) established itself more than a century ago as a world leader in developing advanced techniques and innovative technologies for the cutting room. Today, Eastman delivers engineering-based solutions that make real differences to facilities using new and high-tech materials. Eastman’s world headquarters are located in Buffalo, New York, U.S.A. with sales offices, agents and distributors around the world. The company was established in 1888 and is a fifth-generation, family-owned business with a broad base of elite customers in the wind energy, marine, composites, military, aerospace and industrial fabrics industries.

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.

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.

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.

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:

WPC-Innovationspreis 2009: Der erste Bleistift aus WOPEX. Die Neuerfindung des Bleistifts aus dem Hause STAEDTLER Mars GmbH & Co. KG (Nürnberg)

Das Publikum war begeistert und wählte WOPEX zum Sieger. Und in der Tat hat es der neue WOPEX-Bleistift in sich. Der Schaft besteht aus einem Holz-Polymer-Werkstoff (WOPEX WPC) mit einem Holzanteil von 70%. Verwendung finden feine Holzfa­sern aus PEFC-zertifiziertem deutschem Sägerestholz. Als Mine kommen statt der üblichen gebrannten Mischung aus Ton und Graphit geeignete Graphite mit Zugabe von sehr spröden Kunststoffen und Stearaten (Seifen) zum Einsatz. Die Oberfläche besteht aus einem haptisch weichen, samtig anmutenden Polymergemisch aus thermoplastischen Elastomeren (TPEs) und Polyofinen. Alle Materialien werden bei Temperaturen von 130 bis 180 °C aufgeschmolzen und dann gemeinsam einem eigens entwickelten Coextrusionskopf zugeführt, in dem die einzelnen Schmelzströme in der korrekten Menge und Positionierung zueinander gerichtet werden.

Der Produktionsprozess ist nicht nur technisch interessant, sondern kann zudem mit einer Reihe von Vorteilen aufwarten: Die Prozesskette ist gegenüber konventionellen Stiften stark verkürzt, der Rohstoff Holz wird erheblich effizienter eingesetzt (bei konventionellen Blei­stiften bis zu 80% Holzverschnitt) und auch der Energieeinsatz wurde verringert. Auch der Kunde kommt nicht zu kurz: Haptik und Anmutung sind hochwertig, der Abstrich auf dem Papier wirkt wachsig gleitend und ist nahezu bröselfrei und die Schreiblänge ist dabei nahezu verdoppelt.       

Platz 2 für das Montageprofil-System der Firma H. Hiendle GmbH & Co. KG (Bogen)Als Alternative zu handelsüblichen Profilen aus Metall bietet die H. Hiendl GmbH & Co. KG ein Montageprofil-System-Sortiment aus dem Verbundwerkstoff Hiendl NFC® mit einem Holzanteil von 70%. Im Unterschied zu herkömmlichen Metallsystemen können die Profile durchgängig farbig extrudiert werden. Durch den hochwertigen Verbundwerkstoff und den im Vergleich zu Metallprofilen dickeren Materialstärken ist das Profil ebenso robust wie herkömmliche Lösungen. Es ist mit gängigen Systemen kompatibel und im Vergleich zu Aluminium-Profilen kostengünstiger.

Platz 3 für das „WPC thermal insulated siding“ der Firma Quingdao HuaSheng Hi-tech Development Co., Ltd (China)
Als Fassadenelemente bietet das chinesische Unternehmen WPC-Fassaden mit integrierter XPS-Dämmung an, die in unterschiedlichen Farben extrudiert werden können und bereits an zahlreichen Hausfassaden im Einsatz sind.

Produzenten, Maschinenbauer und Additivhersteller trafen sich in Köln, um sich über aktuelle Marktentwicklungen und Techniktrends zu informieren und auszutauschen. Neben den Entwicklungen im deutschsprachigen Raum lag dieses Jahr ein Schwerpunkt auf China. In einer eigenen Session stellte sich die chinesische WPC-Industrie vor.

Weltweit werden heute bereits mehr als 1,5 Mio. t WPC produziert, vor allem in Noramerika (ca. 1 Mio. t), China (200.000 t), Europa (170.000 t) und Japan (100.000 t). In Europa ist Deutschland mit über 70.000 t der führende Produzent und zudem der führende Maschinebauer. Wichtigste Anwendungen sind in Deutschland die Automobilindustrie (Innenraum) sowie der Bereich „Decking“, dies sind Bodenbeläge, vor allem für den Außenbereich (Terrassen, öffentliche Plätze), die sich zunehmend als Alternative zu Tropenhölzern etablieren und deren Absatzvolumen jährlich zweistellig wächst.

Referenten aus Industrie und Forschung zeigten aber viele neue Anwendungen, die in den nächsten Jahren für zusätzliches Wachstum sorgen werden, so z.B. Betonschalungsplatten, Containerböden und Fassadenplatten.

Noch vielfältiger sind die Anwendungen in China. Hier werden bereits Fenster, Türen, Fassadendämmsysteme, Parkbänke, Gartenhäuser und Sonnenlamellen an Hochhäusern aus WPC gefertigt. Als Rohstoffe kommen neben Holzmehl auch andere cellulosehaltige Agrarnebenprodukte zum Einsatz. Das Wachstum liegt in China bei 30% pro Jahr und bis zum Jahr 2015 soll die WPC-Produktion auf 5 Mio. t/Jahr wachsen.

Mehr Informationen unter:
www.nova-institut.de und www.composites-europe.com