COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012 Blog

COMPOSITES EUROPE Blog interviewed Stephan Knappe – International Sales and Applications Manager at NETZSCH-Gerätebau GmbH. The company is a new exhibitor at COMPOSITES EUROPE show in September!

Q: Question

SK:  Stephan Knappe

Q: Please introduce yourself – who are you, what are your responsibilities at NETZSCH-Gerätebau GmbH?

SK: Chemical engineer, International Sales and Applications Manager, dedicated to polymer and composite applications. Currently also responsible for sales in Southern Europe.

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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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Whether recreational craft, aircraft components such as the fuselage and wing shells, railway trucks, surfboards, rotor blades for wind power plants or superstructures of commercial vehicles or caravans, without sandwich structures the most important applications of composites would be inconceivable. A sandwich structure is a type of lightweight construction, in which the components consist of force absorbing covering layers that are kept at a distance by a relatively soft, normally light, core material.

The sandwich structure is a production process for semi-finished goods, in which several layers with diverse characteristics are embedded in a material. Almost always, this involves the use of diverse composites, since despite being of a low weight these components are very rigid. They are computed according to the linear sandwich theory. The core material preferably consists of paper honeycombs, foam materials or balsa wood. It transmits arising shear loads and supports the covering layers. The thermally insulating and acoustic insulating properties of the very light core materials are also frequently utilized.

Optiplan GmbH from Oelsnitz is one of the leading manufacturers of glass fibre reinforced plastics as panels and reels under the Polydet brand. Apart from the main application as high-grade wall coverings on vehicle superstuctures, GRP products are also used in the technical, industrial and construction sectors. The company will present its latest products at the Composites Europe trade fair, which takes place in Stuttgart from 27 to 29 October 2009.

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