From the Sector

• Batteriekästen aus Faserverbund für die Elektromobilität
• Flexible neue Blattfeder-Generation für Hinterachse
• Neuartige Bauteilkonzepte für Passagierflugzeuge, Helikopter und Flugtaxis
• Extrem leichter und steifer Transferbalken für den Maschinenbau

Auf der diesjährigen JEC World, der größten Fachmesse für Verbundwerkstoffe, vom 3. bis 5. März 2020 in Paris stellt die SGL Carbon die serielle Fertigung von Komponenten für die Branchen Automobil, Luftfahrt und Industrie in den Fokus. Entscheidend sind individuelle Lösungen mit innovativen Bauteildesigns und darauf abgestimmten serientauglichen Materialien und Produktionsverfahren. Unter dem Motto „The Solution Provider“ präsentiert das Unternehmen in Halle 6, Stand D25, ausgewählte neue Bauteillösungen aus allen drei Bereichen.

„Dank unserer integrierten Wertschöpfungskette von der Faser bis zum fertigen Bauteil, unserem Lightweight and Application Center sowie unserem zunehmend breiteren Portfolio an realisierten serientauglichen Konzepten bieten wir unseren Kunden smarte, maßgeschneiderte Lösungen aus einer Hand. Unsere umfassende Expertise sowie unsere hocheffizienten Materialien aus dem Automobilbereich setzen wir zukünftig verstärkt auch in der Luftfahrt und im industriellen Bereich ein“, erklärt Dr. Andreas Wöginger, Leiter Technologie des Geschäftsbereichs Composites – Fibers & Materials bei der SGL Carbon.

Hexcel is collaborating with NaCa Systems, a Tier 1 supplier of natural fiber composite automotive interior parts, on the development of a lightweight carbon fiber prepreg and wood fiber composite sportscar seat back using a rapid press molding process. This innovation validates a short cycle time production process for CFRP and wood fiber composite parts and offers a host of benefits to automotive manufacturers.

Hexcel supplies NaCa Systems with an optimized version of its HexPly® M77CS epoxy prepreg material. HexPly® M77CS is a fast curing hotmelt, thermosetting epoxy matrix, specifically designed for prepreg applications for which short cure cycles and clear surfaces with perfect aesthetics are required.

The lightweight seat back demonstrates a 40% weight saving compared to a typical injection molded plastic component whilst also featuring a significantly improved CO2 footprint vs a full carbon part. The prepreg and wood fiber structure doesn’t produce sharp edged pieces when damaged. In addition, wood fiber composites also increase sound absorption, contributing to improved NVH damping within the vehicle interior.

The NaCa Systems seat back will be on display on the Hexcel stand at JEC World 2020.

Within the framework of the preparations for the Group annual financial statements and based on preliminary results, SGL Carbon confirms its guidance for 2019 as revised in October 2019. Accordingly, the Company continues to expect Group sales between €1.05 and €1.1 billion and Group EBIT before extraordinary items between €45 and 50 million. In addition, net financial debt as of December 31, 2019 has also developed as expected, increasing by a mid double digit million € amount and thus remaining below the €300 million mark.

SGL Carbon also confirms the initial outlook for 2020 as presented in October 2019. Group sales is anticipated slightly below the 2019 level and Group EBIT before extraordinary items 10-15% below the 2019 level. To reflect the lower earnings expectations and within the context of a conservative free cash flow management, the Company will restrict capital expenditures to €70-80 million in 2020 (previous guidance: approximately €100 million) and thus approximately on the level of depreciation.

As usual, SGL Carbon will communicate further details on the guidance for 2020, particularly relating to the guidance on the level of the reporting segments, with the publication of the annual report 2019 on March 12, 2020.

The Company will also publish statements on the new mid-term plan on this date.

Sateri has scored ‘A-‘ in CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) for Climate Change in 2019, placing it at Leadership band and the top 27% of companies in its sector, for implementing current best practices. And making Sateri World’s First Viscose Producer to Reach Leadership Band

This is the first time Sateri has participated in this annual voluntary reporting. It is also the first time that a viscose producer has reached Leadership band. Sateri attained an ‘A’ for more than half of the 11 categories that it was assessed for, including value chain engagement, Scope 1,2,3 emissions, and governance. Its ‘A-‘ overall score is higher than the ‘C’ average globally, in Asia, and in the Textiles and Fabric Goods sector; no companies in the same sector scored ‘A’.

Allen Zhang, President of Sateri, said, “We are very pleased to achieve such a commendable score on our first attempt at CDP reporting. It is a validation of our efforts and actions to combat climate change and our contribution towards decarbonising the textile industry. The CDP platform not only helps us measure and benchmark our sustainability performance against more than 8,400 companies globally, but also serves as a management tool for continuous improvement.”

Sateri has made great strides in the last year on emission reduction work. In June 2019, Sateri and the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) jointly launched the EcoCosy® Climate Leadership Programme. The programme invites Sateri’s value chain partners to participate in the Climate Stewardship 2030 Initiative to set a decarbonisation pathway for the fashion industry to reduce the industry’s GHG emissions by 30% by 2030. Results of the first phase of the programme were published in the EcoCosy® Climate Leadership Whitepaper 2020, which was shared at COP25 in Madrid last year.

• Increasing demand for graphite-based automotive solutions
• Strengthening SGL Carbon’s site in Bonn

Over the past three years, SGL Carbon has invested a total of around 25 million euros in the modernization and expansion of its production capacities for specialty graphite automotive components at the Bonn site. The expansion project was completed at the end of last year and was inaugurated today at the site in an official ceremony. Besides the installation of partly new production facilities and a modernized production set-up, construction of a new, 2,000 m2 large hall for the production of the parts was implemented in the course of the expansion.

The background of the expansion is the continuously increasing demand for advanced solutions and products made from graphite in the automotive sector. Due to its durability, high strength, low friction behavior, and high conductivity, the material is suitable for many different automotive applications. Examples include rotors and vanes in vacuum pumps for brake boosters, bearings for exhaust gas management, and sealing rings and bearings for seals in coolant pumps. These solutions include applications for vehicles with conventional combustion engines as well as for e-mobility, thereby making an important contribution to clean driving, higher energy efficiency, and lower emissions.

“Automotive components made from specialty graphite are increasingly becoming the standard in many different applications in the automotive industry. Due to their special properties, they are more and more frequently replacing the materials previously used in pumps and seals, such as plastic and metal. By investing in the modernization and expansion of production in Bonn, we are consolidating our leading position in this market and offering our customers real added value in the close partnership with each other. Through the expansion, we are also strengthening our site in Bonn,” explains Burkhard Straube, President of the business unit Graphite Materials & Systems.

• New composite e-mobility application gains momentum
• Strengthening regional footprint in North America
• Potential for further extensions

Following the production of first prototypes of battery enclosures for a Chinese automotive manufacturer in 2018, SGL Carbon has now received a contract from a North-American automaker for high-volume serial production of carbon and glass fiber-based composite top and bottom layers for battery enclosures. The serial production of the components will start end of 2020. The carbon fibers and fabrics as well as the assembled components come from SGL Carbon’s fully integrated value chain. On top of this order, there is the potential for more extensions with further substantial volumes for the shared platform business of the manufacturer.

In addition, SGL Carbon has won a smaller volume contract from a European sports car manufacturer to serially produce bottom layers made of composite as of mid-2020. The company is additionally in talks with further automakers to develop and manufacture battery enclosure solutions for their e-car platforms.

“Driven by the increasing need for e-cars worldwide and thus for new flexible chassis platforms, our composite battery enclosures are a very promising new application in our product portfolio. The recent contract wins show that our approach of developing custom-made solutions based on our integrated value chain offers an excellent value proposition”, says Sebastian Grasser, Head of Automotive Segment.

• First glass fiber based leaf spring project in series by Ford worldwide
• From development to serial production

Since midyear, SGL Carbon has produced longitudinal leaf springs made of glass fiber-based composite for Ford Transit rear axles in series. The springs are used in combination with the Transit Skeleton chassis. Thus, they are applied where high payloads play an important role, for example in caravanning models or specific commercial vehicle variants of the Transit. In comparison to conventional leaf springs, the innovative composite leaf spring weighs about 50 percent less while offering increased security standards. The serial application is supported by a one-to-one compatibility with standard steel springs.

SGL Carbon and Solvay collaborate to develop highly-competitive advanced carbon fiber composites for aerospace primary structures

SGL Carbon and Solvay have entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) to bring to market the first composite materials based on large-tow intermediate modulus (IM) carbon fiber. These materials, which address the need to reduce costs and CO2 emissions, and improve the production process and fuel efficiency of next-generation commercial aircraft, will be based on SGL Carbon’s large-tow IM carbon fiber and Solvay’s primary structure resin systems.

The agreement encompasses both thermoset and thermoplastic composite technologies. It builds on Solvay’s leadership in supplying advanced materials to the aerospace industry and SGL Carbon’s expertise in high-volume carbon fiber manufacturing.

“For Solvay, this is an opportunity to lead the aerospace adoption of a composite material based on 50K IM carbon fiber. This is a highly competitive value proposition that brings more affordable high-performance solutions to our customers. We see this as the first step in a long-term partnership,” said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, member of Solvay’s executive committee.

“By combining SGL’s carbon fiber expertise in our newly developed, unique 50K IM fiber with Solvay’s resin formulation and aerospace market expertise, both partners are aiming to develop an advanced aerospace material system. This alliance supports our strategic direction and accelerates our growth in the attractive aerospace market,” said Dr. Michael Majerus, spokesman of the management board of SGL Carbon.

Composite materials for aerospace applications represent a multi-billion-dollar market that is expected to grow strongly in the coming decade. Solvay and SGL Carbon are uniquely positioned to develop solutions to address the needs of this market.

Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG will be providing information on its extensive range of coating and finishing technologies for the production of nonwovens and technical textiles at the forthcoming Techtextil India exhibition.

“India is already a very important market for Monforts and there are exciting prospects ahead for Indian manufacturers of technical textiles, who are well positioned to capitalise on growth opportunities,” says Monforts Head of Denim Hans Wroblowski, who will be at the Monforts stand in Hall 4, booth C52 at the show. “India has one of the largest working-age populations in the world and a complete textile value chain for both natural and synthetic fibres.”

In addition, he adds, India’s government, through its Ministry of Textiles, has been actively promoting the growth of technical textiles through various programmes based on investment promotion, subsidies, the creation of infrastructure and the stimulation of consumption.

As a result, India’s Ministry of Textiles is forecasting that the growth of technical textiles in the country will be over 18% annually in the next few years, from a value of US$16.6 billion in 2018 to US$28.7 billion in 2021.

Value addition

High value-added technical products such as wide-width digital printing substrates, carbon fabrics for high-performance composites, filter media, flame retardant barrier fabrics and heavy-duty membranes are now being coated on Monforts texCoat ranges and finished with the company’s industry-leading Montex stenters.

“Since we acquired the technology that our coating units are based on in 2015, we have made a lot of refinements,” says Hans. “All of these developments are reflected in higher coating accuracy and the resulting quality of the treated fabrics. At the same time, our latest multi-functional coating heads offer an unprecedented range of options, with a wide range of modules available.”

The texCoat user interface is now equipped with the unique Monforts visualisation system and the magnetic doctor blade has greater power reserves. Options include a carbon fibre-reinforced composite coating drum with a more scratch-resistant surface and maximum rigidity and remote control which simplifies exact adjustment for the operator.

Montex stenters in special executions are meanwhile ideal for the drying and finishing of both technical woven fabrics and nonwovens and characterised by high stretching devices in both length and width.

“The European-built Montex range of stenters has earned its leading position in the technical textiles market due to the overall robustness, reliability and economy of these machines,” Hans concludes. “Whatever the intended end-product – and we continue to discover potentially new areas in which technical textiles can be utilised all the time – we have the machine specification and know-how to turn ideas into reality. In India we also benefit from the strong sales and service support of A.T.E. Enterprises.”

Texchtextil India takes place alongside World of Composites at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from November 20-22.

• R-TWO™ plays a major role in ISKO™’s SS21 fabrics collection, featuring throughout all of ISKO™’s inspirational and forward-looking denim offer.

ISKO denim mill has recently welcomed to its family of innovations its most revolutionarily responsible yet: R-TWO™. This concept was essential to the development of the SS21 fabrics collection featuring an across-the-board employment of the “reused and recycled” program throughout ISKO™’s denim offer, confirming once again the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility.

Preventing over-sourcing, avoiding waste.

In keeping with ISKO’s Responsible Innovation™ approach, this concept deals with the most critical matter that apparel supply chains are currently faced with: using more than what actually needed. ISKO R-TWO™ reduces the amount of raw material sourced by relying on a blend of reused cotton and recycled polyester, improving sourcing efficiency throughout the entire field-tofabric production. This cutting-edge program effectively tackles over-sourcing – the leading issue when it comes to waste hierarchy.

Processing resources

During the processing of raw cotton into yarn, for every 100 kilos of cotton approximately 10% is lost. ISKO collects it and prevents it from becoming waste, adding it back into the spinning process obtaining cotton that is fully traced, documented and audited. This verification process has been invented by ISKO in partnership with its yarn supplier Sanko, offering full clarity into the traceability of reused cotton from field to fabric. It is also certified with the Content Claim Standard – or CCS – of the Textile Exchange.

On the other hand, recycled polyester comes from clear plastic bottles or, alternatively, it can come from other certified waste: in either case the source material is collected, sorted, stripped of labels and caps, and cleaned. This material is then ground into plastic pellets that can then be re-spun into new fiber filaments, which are then blended with the reused cotton to create R-TWO™ fabrics. A major asset of employing recycled polyester is the energy required to produce it, which is less than that required to manufacture virgin polyester. By using more recycled polyester, ISKO effectively reduces its dependence on petroleum as a raw material, ultimately reducing the overall carbon footprint of ISKO™ fabrics.

Depending on the content percentages, for the recycled polyester ISKO can provide either the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certifications, both of which track the recycled raw material through the supply chain from input to final product to verify its integrity.

Rethinking innovation

The R-TWO™ program was developed to keep on delivering a futuristic and innovative sustainable approach, one where ISKO rethinks its sourcing strategies and refuses to source more raw materials than what actually needed. The objective? Improving, more than ever before, the environmental performance impact of yarn to fabric production, to do better for the planet and its people. Note for pictures: R-TWO™ fabrics played a key role in the development of “Light on the Land”, the new ISKO™ x Miles Johnson collection incorporating fashion and responsibility.

For contacts and information:

Margherita Verlicchi – Menabò Group, Global Press and PR Support: margherita.verlicchi@menabo.com
Chiara Bearzi – Menabò Group, Global Press and PR Support: chiara.bearzi@menabo.com