Aus der Branche

Am 12. und 13. April wird der Campus Mönchengladbach der Hochschule Niederrhein einmal mehr zum Treffpunkt der deutschen Textil- und Bekleidungsbranche.
Die 4. MG Open Spaces stehen an, in diesem Jahr unter der Überschrift „Textile Visionen“. Dabei veranstaltet der Fachbereich Textil- und Bekleidungstechnik der Hochschule Niederrhein die Open Spaces erstmals zusammen mit einem internationalen Master Congress.
Dort stellen Studierende ihre Forschungs- und Masterarbeiten vor.

Schwerpunktthemen sind Grüne Logistik, Produktentwicklung to go, Nachhaltigkeit und Digitaldruck. Dies sind auch Forschungsthemen am FTB (Forschungsinstitut für Textil und Bekleidung), dessen Leiterin Prof. Dr. Maike Rabe zugleich Tagungsleiterin der MG Open Spaces ist. „Wir freuen uns, dass wir mit diesem umfangreichen Programm die nationale und internationale Bedeutung der Textile City Mönchengladbach in Bezug auf Nachhaltigkeit in der Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie unterstreichen können“, sagt Rabe.

Los gehen die Open Spaces am 12. April um 17.30 Uhr bei einem Food-for-thought-Dinner im Foyer der Firma van Laack GmbH und dem Restaurant „la Cottoneria“. Joachim Hensch von der Hugo Boss AG spricht zum Thema „Industrie 4.0 in der Bekleidungsindustrie“. Und Bernd Werner von dem Beratungsunternehmen Gruppe Nymphenburg Consult AG referiert über das Thema Neuromarketing „Dem Kunden in den Kopf geschaut? Modeeinkauf stationär oder online aus neurophysiologischer Sicht“.

Am nächsten Tag geht es um neun Uhr auf dem Campus Mönchengladbach der Hochschule Niederrhein nach einer Begrüßung durch Hochschulpräsident Hans-Hennig von Grünberg und Vizepräsident für Studium und Lehre Berthold Stegemerten mit den einzelnen themenbezogenen Spaces weiter. Partner aus Industrie, Handel, Politik, Lehre und Wissenschaft haben dabei die Chance sich zu vernetzen. Parallel findet der internationale Master Congress mit englischsprachigen Vorträgen der Master-Studierenden des Fachbereichs Textil- und Bekleidungstechnik statt.

Sie präsentieren Forschungsprojekte und Masterarbeiten, zu denen sie im Anschluss kontaktiert werden können. Über die Plattform NRW.International werden entsprechende Matchinggespräche für Unternehmen und Studierende organisiert.
Ergänzt werden die MG Open Spaces durch eine Ausstellung textiler Objekte, die 17 „Social Development Goals“ demonstrieren. Außerdem gibt es geführte Rundgänge durch die Labore und Technika des Fachbereichs.
Anmeldungen bis zum 23.03.2018 unter: www.hs-niederrhein.de/mg-open-spaces-2018

Nach drei Tagen dynamischen Networkings und Know-how-Austausches schloss die JEC World 2018 ihre Tore am 8. März mit einem neuen Besucherrekord.

Mit dieser Messe konnte JEC-Gruppe, Spitzenreiter im Bereich der Förderung und Entwicklung der Verbundwerkstoffindustrie, erneut ihre führende Position unter Beweis stellen. So begrüßte die JEC WORLD 2018 mehr als 1.300 Aussteller aus allen Kontinenten und zählte 42.445 Fachbesucher aus 115 Ländern.

„Dass die JEC-Gruppe in der Lage ist, die gesamte Verbundwerkstoffindustrie drei Tage lang unter einem Dach zu versammeln, hat sicherlich damit zu tun, dass wir immer wieder neue Vorreiterprogramme im Dienste der Composite-Industrie auf den Weg bringen“, erklärt Frédérique MUTEL, Präsidentin und CEO der JEC-Gruppe.
„In diesem Jahr haben wir beispielsweise neue Programme wie die „Composite Challenge“ eingeführt, die 10 Doktoranden die Möglichkeit bot, ihre Doktorarbeit den Teilnehmern aus der Industrie in großen Zügen zu präsentieren. So wird gleichzeitig die Kontaktaufnahme zwischen Studierenden und der Industrie gefördert. In diesem Sinne haben wir auch unser „Startup Booster“-Programm und die Innovation Awards noch weiter ausgebaut, um die Beziehungen zwischen jungen oder innovativen Unternehmen und Investoren oder etablierten Unternehmen zu intensivieren. Darüber hinaus haben wir neben den Planeten Luft- und Raumfahrt, Automobil und Bauwesen einen neuen Planeten namens „Make it Real” eingeführt. Hier wurden ganz erstaunliche futuristische Produkte vorgestellt, wie zum Beispiel das Aeromobil, ein fliegendes Auto, das in naher Zukunft den Stadtverkehr revolutionieren könnte“, fügt sie hinzu. „Zudem haben wir unser neues Buch zum Thema Naturfasern herausgebracht: „Flax und Hemp“ (Flachs und Hanf). Wir haben intensiv zu den Themen Composites unter ökologischen Gesichtspunkten und Recycling kommuniziert.“

Die Messe wurde darüber hinaus zur ersten Plattform für die Förderung der neuen Initiative „French Fab“, ein Programm der französischen Regierung, mit dem die französische Industrie und Produktion international gefördert werden sollen. Auch begrüßte die JEC World die französische Staatssekretärin im Wirtschafts- und Finanzministerium, Delphine GÉNY-STEPHANN; ein Besuch, der die zunehmende Bedeutung der Verbundwerkstoffe in der Industrie deutlich zum Ausdruck bringt.

Beeindruckende Vorträge zur Förderung des Composite-Durchbruchs
Dirk AHLBORN, CEO von Hyperloop, eröffnete die Startup-Booster-Zeremonie und hob den Einfallsreichtum in der Industrie hervor. Dayton HORVATH, Branchenexperte und Consultant im Bereich Additive Fertigung, stellte seine Vision davon vor, wie künstliche Intelligenz bei Verbundwerkstoffmate-rialien und herstellung zum Einsatz kommen könnten. Yves ROSSY, auch bekannt als Jetman, der die neuesten Flugzeug-Tragflächen aus Kohlefaser einsetzt, eröffnete schließlich die Verleihung der JEC Innovation Awards. Er ermutigte das Publikum an, die eigenen Träume nicht aufzugeben, und erklärte, wie Verbundwerkstoffe ihm die Verwirklichung seiner Träume ermöglichten.

Die Gewinner der Publikumswahl
Ein Novum auf der diesjährigen Ausgabe der Messe war die Publikumswahl, bei der die Teilnehmer ihren Favoriten unter den beiden JEC-Programmen zur Innovationsförderung wählen konnten. „Mit der Einführung des Publikumspreises wollten wir die gesamte Branche ansprechen und mit einbeziehen, um deren Innovationen eine Plattform zu verschaffen. Unsere Vision bei JEC ist es, die große Bandbreite an Möglichkeiten, die Verbundwerkstoffe bietet, einem breiteren Publikum gegenüber deutlich und verständlich zu machen“, so Anne-Manuèle HÉBERT, Direktorin der JEC World und Europäischen Veranstaltungen der JEC-Gruppe.

Publikumspreis für Startup Booster:
Inca-Fiber (Deutschland) mit 62,36% von 2.221 Stimmen

Publikumspreis für die JEC Innovation Awards:
Infusionstechnik für einen Tragflügel von AeroComposit JSC (Russland) mit 20,96 % von 4.126 Stimmen

• New collaboration of sustainable viscose suppliers formed in China

Digital Printing Zone debuts at Spring Edition
Despite the economic ups and downs in China over the last few years, demand for premium European textiles remains high.
Whether it be premium wool for the flourishing suiting market, ladieswear fabrics, lace & embroidery for high-end domestic brands each with hundreds of stores across the country, innovative yarns & fabrics for the booming sports and activewear sectors, or original pattern designs for the thousands of new online fashion brands, European suppliers remain the go-to option for Chinese buyers looking for quality and style.

As one of the undisputed leaders in the European textile scene, Italy is always a good bellwether of the trends between Europe and China. After a less than stellar 2016, Italy’s fabric exports to the Mainland China and Hong Kong markets grew by 12.4% in the first 10 months of 2017[1]. The expected demand for European brands at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will be most evident in the SalonEurope zone, which features exhibitors from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK, as well as country pavilions & zones from France, Germany, Italy and Turkey.

There is also continuing demand for overseas expertise when it comes to more technical areas such as sustainability and digital printing, solutions to which can be found in the fair’s All About Sustainability area and Digital Printing Zone.

SalonEurope showcases the continent’s full textile expertise
The best of the best from Europe will be on display in this edition’s SalonEurope, with a range of products across the whole textile spectrum on offer. Some of the highlights this edition include:

• Alumo (Switzerland): celebrating its 100-year anniversary this July, Alumo has undertaken a complete refresh of their brand, highlighting the character of their mill in Appenzell, Switzerland that has deep roots in the local textile industry. This edition, they will showcase a renewed collection of luxury shirting fabrics with intricate designs and added functions such as natural stretch and wrinkle-free, and a newly enlarged, never-out-of-stock ‘Sartorial’ collection.
• Hatfil Tekstil Isletmeleri (Turkey): a Turkish-Italian joint venture, they offer a huge range of yarns including eco-friendly options such as organic, BCI and fair trade yarns, as well as cotton, Tencel, Amicor, bamboo, cashmere, modal and other varieties.
• Hohenstein Textile Testing (Germany): offering testing services, OEKO-TEX® services and certifications, the Hohenstein Quality Label and more.
• Ricamificio Paolo Italy SpA (Italy): an embroidery manufacturer, they have developed a new technique using very thin embroideries to produce a lace-like effect, which can also be customised to the customer’s requirements in no more than four weeks. They have also produced a quilt-like fabric suitable for spring / summer garments which is made from materials such as silk organdie, cotton yarn or lurex to produce a shiny effect.
• Teseo Tessitura Serica Di Olmeda SpA (Italy): for their summer 2019 collection, Teseo is inspired by the natural elements with increased attention to sustainability with GOTS-certified bio silk and eco-friendly yarns. New articles are lighter and enriched with yarn-dyes, include jacquard stripes and checks, gauze and devoré bands to add transparency, and more.

New collaboration of sustainable viscose suppliers formed in China
While the textile industry in China still has a long way to go in terms of sustainability, genuine progress is being made at both a government and company level. January of this year saw the implementation of a new environment protection tax, with companies charged for noise, air & water pollution and generating solid waste[2]. Replacing a pollutant discharge fee that had been in place for 40 years, the new tax is set by local governments – with some of the regions suffering from worse pollution setting higher rates – and also incentivises companies with lower emissions.

In another encouraging move, 10 leading global viscose producers in China have come together to form the Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose (CV) to promote the sustainable sourcing and responsible production of viscose. These 10 producers collectively account for over 50% of the world’s viscose staple fibre production, and have partnered with two trade associations to adopt a sustainability roadmap for the viscose industry. Built around credible international sustainability standards and programmes, the CV Roadmap aims to provide guidance to viscose producers on sustainable sourcing and production practices.

The CV collaboration will make its debut appearance in the fair’s All About Sustainability zone, where visitors can learn more about this initiative, as well as sustainable developments in the Chinese textile industry. Apart from an educational programme and garment display area, the zone will also feature a number of exhibitors other than CV.

Digital Printing Zone debuts at Spring Edition
While digital printing is rapidly gaining traction in the global textile industry, this is especially so in China due to its potential to reduce pollution during the production process. Amongst the exhibitors looking to take advantage of this in the fair’s new Digital Printing Zone is MS Italy, a market leader in the design, development and distribution of innovative digital ink-jet printing systems and associated consumables, which serves the high-end, roll-to-roll textile printing and specialty material markets. Also exhibiting is DIGITEX which will introduce the latest digital- and inkjet-printed natural and manmade fabrics.

Apart from digital printing exhibitors, a day-long forum will inform fairgoers on the exciting possibilities of digital printing. Held on day 2 of the fair, the Fast Fashion and Digital Printing Application Forum features sessions on fast fashion technology & trends and digital printing applications. These are followed by a series of discussions on topics such as flexible supply chains, business opportunities created by digital printing and IP protection. The forum also includes a presentation on the findings of a six-month study conducted by Fashion Print, a Chinese publication, for which they visited hundreds of textile companies, printing and dyeing enterprises, as well as their suppliers to produce a research paper on the digital textile printing market and technology.

In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, four other textile fairs also take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center: Yarn Expo Spring, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, fashion garment fair CHIC and knitting fair PH Value.

• Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition 2018 is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre. For more details on this fair, please visit: www.intertextileapparel.com. To find out more about all Messe Frankfurt textile fairs worldwide, please visit: www.texpertise-network.com.

[1] http://hk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Italian-textile-industry-back-on-growth-track-in-2017,944760.html
[2] http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/china-imposes-environment-protection-tax-beginning-jan-1-239965-newsdetails.html

• Innovative Textile Processes

Innovations are welcome. Based on innovations, many changes in textile processing are leading to more efficiency in process workflows. At the International Cotton Conference in Bremen on Wednesday, March 21st, Session IV Textile Processing, which takes place from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, is dedicated to this subject area and attractive examples.

Sustainable
Michael Tuschak, Mayer & Cie., Germany, informs about the 3-in-1 concept of Spinitsystems. Spinning, cleaning and knitting are all combined in one machine. This enables the production process of high-quality single jersey knitwear to be shortened significantly, which saves energy costs and reduces CO2 emissions.

Indigo.
An old dye returns to glory. Dr. Dean Etheridge of Texas Tech University, USA, talks about a new, innovative indigo dyeing process for cotton yarns using foam. This saves large amounts of water and is now increasingly being used by major brands in jeans production.

Efficient.
Amin Leder, Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, presents a technique in which the stretching process for rotor yarn production does not take place in a separate machine, but is integrated into the carding. This makes it possible to efficiently process even cotton with a higher waste content.

Overview.
Harald Schwippel, from Rieter, Switzerland, summarises all four major spinning technologies for cotton – ring spinning, compact spinning, rotor spinning and air-jet spinning. His talk provides an overview of the possibilities that each of these processes currently offers for the manufacture of different yarns and the most efficient options for different applications.

More to know
In the run-up to the International Cotton Conference, the Fibre Institute Bremen and the Cotton Exchange are organising a specific seminar for spinning mills on Tuesday, dealing with the efficient handling of contaminants in cotton, from elimination in production to removal in winding. On Friday morning, Expert Session IX deals with the exchange of the latest research results, e.g. in the field of ginning in relation to cotton quality, or the important issue of checking the traceability of GMO-free cotton.

Exhibitor registration is open for Cinte Techtextil China, which will take place with an earlier date of 4 – 6 September this year. Asia’s largest biennial event for the entire technical textiles and nonwovens sector, the fair is held in a region that not only continues to grow strongly but is expected to do so for the foreseeable future, not least due to major government initiatives in China that are injecting billions of dollars of investment into the industry.

“It is due to the increasing opportunities in the Asian market that we are expecting more European exhibitors to feature at Cinte Techtextil China this year,” Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd outlined. “As the fair attracts a diverse range of trade buyers, including from 12 different application areas such as Buildtech, Clothtech, Geotech, Medtech, Mobiltech and Protech, it is a unique opportunity within Asia for suppliers to meet with the entire industry and maximise the potential of their products across various end-uses and sectors.” While many new European companies are expected this year, some of the returning big brands already confirmed include Trützschler, Dilo and Barnet from Germany, Andritz from France, Stahl from the Netherlands, Itema from Italy and Picanol from Belgium.

Chinese and Asian technical textiles and nonwovens markets continue their upward trajectory
When it comes to technical textiles and nonwovens, the Asian region, and China in particular, is displaying impressive growth, which will remain the case in the coming years.

China overall

•  The total output of technical textiles and nonwoven products is estimated to reach over 22 million tons in 2020, accounting for 30% of global production, and double that of 2013.
•  In 2016, China’s technical textile exports were worth USD 23.61 billion. Nine major products surpassed USD 1.5 billion worth of exports each: medical & hygiene textiles, coated textiles, nonwovens, canvas & tarp textiles, ropes, synthetic leather substrates and package textiles.
• Growth will be seen especially in the following sectors in the coming five years               

                  Filtration & separation textiles
                  Medical & hygiene textiles
                  Geotechnical textil
                  Structural reinforcement textiles
                  Transportation textiles
                  Protective textiles

Nonwovens

• China accounted for 10.5% of global nonwovens imports in 2015.
• China alone will account for around 57% of the Asian consumption of nonwovens from 2016 to 2020.
• According to the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA), the following nonwoven sectors will experience the highest growth in this period:

                 Environmental protection
                 Medical, healthcare and elderly care
                 Emergency services and public security
                 New-energy automotive
                ‘Belt and Road’ supporting industries

Man-made fibres

• China currently accounts for 65% of world market share of man-made fibres, with demand in the wider Asian region expected to remain strong in coming years thanks to growing populations and rising living standards in China and emerging Asian countries.
• The driving force is not only clothing, but also new applications such as the filtration, construction, protection and transportation industries.

• Lectra – ESCP Europe ‘Fashion & Technology’ Chair round-table event hears panelists emphasize the need for fashion companies to embrace Industry 4.0.

Paris, February 27, 2018 – Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, the French business school ESCP Europe and their joint ‘Fashion & Technology’ Chair explored the impact of Industry 4.0 on fashion’s value chain during a recent insightful round table discussion at ESCP Europe’s London campus.
For the participants Robert Diamond, Founder and CEO, Fernbrook Partners; Dan Hartley, Global Head of Digital Commerce, AllSaints; Laëtitia Hugé, Vice-President, Product Marketing, Lectra; Pierre Mercier, Senior Partner and Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group; and Evelthon Vassilou, CEO, Alison Hayes, there was consensus. Industry 4.0 represents unparalleled opportunities to take the fashion industry forward.

From brand to manufacturer, panelists from across the value chain emphasized the necessity for the industry to embrace the alliance between man and machines to leverage massive benefits, from quicker decision-making to cost-reduction.
Exploring the advantages of Industry 4.0 technology, Evelthon Vassilou commented: “Interpreting the data of what is, and isn’t, selling should help to speed up decisions. You can react very quickly across the entire supply chain, and either stop producing something unsuccessful or ramp up production if successful. Data and data analytics is not sufficient, to succeed this also requires a high degree of trust and integration between retailers and suppliers.”

“It’s about using technology to deliver continuous improvement in everyday business,” said Robert Diamond. “People are not good at making a large volume of repeatable decisions with many different data inputs”. Identifying where machines, and where people, bring value is an important part of embracing Industry 4.0. “If the business decision, or the outcome of the resolution tomorrow, is pretty much the same as what happened yesterday, then there is a chance for machine learning to help improve the situation.”
For Pierre Mercier, technology propelled by Industry 4.0 is disrupting former sources of competitive advantage, “forcing companies to rethink how they want to compete in their respective industries, and how to use data to compete differently. The common denominator in the fashion ecosystem is that everyone is facing the opportunity for a step change and need to figure out where to double down and accelerate their transformation.”

“Agility and flexibility are increasingly important for fashion players. Cutting-edge technology is supporting the fashion industry as it steps into the 4.0 era, ensuring businesses have the right solutions in their own ecosystems, to effectively harness the right data to make the right decisions,” stated Laëtitia Hugé.

At UK fashion brand AllSaints, valuable data harnessed from the net promoter score is paramount for their business. “We take customer feedback very seriously and we use it as a framework for our internal roadmap - from a tech and development point of view, through to design and fit, the customer is at the heart of everything we do,” stated Dan Hartley. In addition, he underlined that using technology across communications “will be huge going forward for AllSaints. From supply chain to store teams, we aim to use a cloud-based system that works within our own eco-system, complementing our agile model.”
The round table was moderated by the co-director of Lectra-ESCP Europe ‘Fashion and Technology’ Chair Valérie Moatti.
 

STAMFORD, February 26, 2018 - at JEC World 2018, taking place in Paris March 6-8, Hexcel will display an array of product innovations for customer applications in aerospace, automotive, wind energy and marine markets.
Hexcel’s banner at the exhibit hall entrance features the Airbus H160 helicopter and A350 XWB aircraft, both with carbon fiber livery to acknowledge the high Hexcel composites content in both programs. Hexcel’s reinforcements, prepregs, adhesives and honeycomb materials were selected for the H160’s composite fuselage structures and main rotor blades, contributing to the lightweight fuel-saving design and performance optimization. Airbus has loaned Hexcel an H160 BLUE EDGE blade to display on the booth.

Among the Aerospace promotions at Hexcel’s booth are carbon-reinforced 3D printed parts, made from Hexcel’s HexAM™ additive manufacturing technology that uses PEKK ultra-high performance polymers. Hexcel acquired this technology from Oxford Performance Materials in December 2017 to provide a weight-saving solution for intricate parts in highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. HexPEKK™ structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions, replacing traditional cast or machined metallic parts with a new technology.

Aircraft engines benefit from a number of Hexcel technologies that will be promoted at JEC 2018, including HexShield™ honeycomb that provides high temperature resistance in aircraft engine nacelles. By inserting a thermally resistant material into honeycomb cells, Hexcel provides a core product with unique heat-shielding capabilities that allows for the potential re-use of material after a fire event.
Another honeycomb innovation from Hexcel is Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb that significantly improves acoustic absorption in aircraft engine nacelles. The acoustic treatment may be positioned at a consistent depth and resistance within the core, or can be placed in a pattern of varying depths and/or resistances (Multi-Degrees of Freedom and 3 Degrees Of Freedom), offering an acoustic liner that is precisely tuned to the engine operating conditions. These technologies have been tested at NASA on a full engine test rig and meet all 16 design conditions without trade-offs. An example of this technology will be on display at JEC 2018.

Rounding off the aircraft engine exhibits is a CTi fan blade for new generation lightweight turbofan engines from Rolls-Royce, manufactured from Hexcel’s HexPly® M91 high toughness and impact-resistant epoxy prepreg. Hexcel supplies HexPly® M91 as slit tape for the automated lay-up of the complex aerodynamic shape, with a constantly changing thickness across the blade length. The blade which is thinner and lighter than titanium fan blades is currently undergoing flight tests.
Hexcel’s HiTape® and HiMax™ dry carbon reinforcements that were developed for the automated lay-up of preforms for resin-infused aerospace structures will be promoted at the show. Two demonstrator parts, one made with HiMax™ and one with HiTape®, were both infused with HexFlow® RTM6 resin to demonstrate the potential benefits of an integrated design for aircraft skins, spars and stiffeners that meets OEM requirements for production rate increases and cost effectiveness.

Hexcel is also introducing its new range of HiFlow™ advanced liquid resins for aerospace structures manufactured by liquid molding technologies. Based on novel proprietary chemistry, the new resin family will enhance the performance of composites and ease processing when combined with HiTape® and HiMax™ dry carbon reinforcements. HiFlow™ HF610 is the first resin in the range.
Hexcel’s range of high performance adhesives has expanded considerably following the company’s acquisition of Structil last October. Hexcel is relaunching the acquired products under the new HexBond™ brand name at JEC World. This fast-growing range of pastes, liquid shim and film adhesives has a wide spectrum of operating temperatures and is in qualification with a large number of aerospace and industrial OEMs.
In the Planet Aerospace area at JEC, Daher and Hexcel will jointly display an aircraft spar manufactured from HexPly® M56 prepreg. Hexcel’s Neil Parker and Daher R&T Director Dominique Bailly will give a joint presentation focusing on the materials used and the benefits for the finished part. The aircraft spar was designed and manufactured by Daher using Hexcel’s HexPly® M56 prepreg, in slit tape format, that was developed for automated deposition and out-of-autoclave curing. The spar was manufactured using only the vacuum bag process and demonstrates very low porosity levels. It is currently undergoing testing and validation through CORAC funding.

Hexcel’s Automotive promotions at JEC World 2018 include a new prepreg for composite leaf springs, HexPly® M901. In contrast to steel leaf springs used for suspension on vans, trucks and SUVs, newer composite versions offer many advantages including weight savings of up to 70%, high corrosion resistance, optimized system integration and superior performance. Hexcel’s HexPly® M901 prepreg raises the bar further, reducing mold cure time below 15 minutes, a 50% reduction compared to standard industrial prepregs. HexPly® M901 provides 15% higher mechanical performance, with enhanced fatigue properties. It also operates at high temperatures, providing a Tg of up to 200°C following a post cure. Hexcel’s expertise in manufacturing heavy weight glass UD prepregs, with fiber areal weights of up to 1600gsm, allows the company to offer a highly cost-competitive solution for the rapid manufacture of these safety critical components.

Hexcel is constantly seeking ways to ensure that customers obtain the maximum benefit from composites and has recently acquired state-of-the-art simulation technology that accurately predicts how HiMax™ non-crimp fabrics will drape in a mold. Working in collaboration with Nottingham University Hexcel has created a car seat shell, for which the material selection was optimized using this new drape simulation technology. Visitors to Hexcel’s stand at JEC will see an on-screen demonstration that illustrates how the simulation tool operates, predicting process and performance and ensuring that the optimum fabric architecture is quickly identified, reducing the need for expensive trial programs.
Hexcel’s HexMC®-i 2000 carbon fiber/epoxy molding compound has been successfully used by Audi to manufacture a high-performance engine cross brace. HexMC®-i is a fast curing high-performance molding material, suitable for the series production of complex shaped parts and providing excellent mechanical properties. The Audi cross brace covers the engine, providing torsional stiffness for enhanced drive dynamics.

Hexcel’s product offering for customers in the Marine industry has expanded following the acquisition of Formax in 2016 and Structil in 2017. At JEC World, Hexcel will promote its enhanced portfolio of carbon fibers, prepregs, woven reinforcements and multiaxial fabrics for builders of racing catamarans and luxury yachts.
Marine customers have supplied a number of parts for display to illustrate their expertise in manufacturing composite structures from Hexcel materials. These include part of a Diam 24 yacht mast made by ADH Inotec from Hexcel’s HexPly® M79 fast curing, low temperature cure prepreg. ADH Inotec purchased the prepreg from Composites Distribution, a Hexcel Official Distributor that also supplied HexPly® M9.6 prepreg to Lorima for the Outremer 5X catamaran mast section on display. Part of Lorima’s 42m wing mast for a multihull racing boat made with HexPly® prepreg from Vert-Le-Petit (formerly Structil) will complete the marine display.

Hexcel’s innovations for Wind Energy include Polyspeed® pultruded laminates for load-carrying elements in wind blades. These continuous cross-section profiles, made from a polyurethane matrix reinforced with unidirectional carbon fiber, provide consistently high mechanical properties, including high stiffness, fracture toughness and shear strength, combined with low weight and durability. Visitors to Hexcel’s stand will see a 2m diameter coil of pultruded carbon laminate that contains 255m of material in a single roll. This technology offers an economical way of reinforcing large-scale composite structures such as wind turbine blades. Hexcel will also launch its surface finishing prepreg for wind turbine blades and components. This provides a tough, durable and ready-to-paint blade surface without the use of gel coat and results in faster blade manufacture, saving time in production and reducing material costs. The benefits of the new surfacing prepreg will be demonstrated via a wind blade exhibit that has been given four different treatments across the blade surface. These include a section with gel coat, a section of standard prepreg without gel coat, and a section where a fleece has been added to improve surface quality but still requires preparation before painting due to pin holes. The final section made with new HexPly® XF2P surfacing prepreg has a ready-to-paint surface, straight from the mold, without any requirement for gel coat, fleece or finishing operations.

On Febuary 20, 2018 – Hexcel congratulated Airbus on delivering the first A350-1000 to Qatar Airways earlier today, following successful FAA and EASA Type Certification on November 21.
Hexcel is a major supplier of advanced materials for the A350 XWB program, and composite materials make a significant contribution to the weight savings, performance and fuel efficiency of both aircraft in the family, the A350-900 and the A350-1000. This stretched version of the aircraft is 7 meters longer than the A350-900, carries an additional 40 seats, and offers similar unrivalled comfort and efficiency. Both versions are powered by latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

Hexcel’s HexPly® M21E/IMA carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg is used to manufacture all composite primary structures of the aircraft, including the fuselage panels, keel beam, wing and empennage. The lower wing cover is the biggest single civil aviation part ever made from carbon fiber and spans 32 meters long.

A further advancement is the introduction of CFRP in other structural components such as the pylon upper spar and door surround. For the first time on an Airbus aircraft, Hexcel’s HexMC® carbon fiber/epoxy molding compound has also been used for the A350-1000 fuselage crutches.

“I send my congratulations to Airbus on delivering the first A350-1000 to Qatar Airways,” said Nick Stanage, Hexcel Chairman, CEO and President. “Hexcel is proud to be a partner-supplier to Airbus and to have Hexcel carbon fiber and composite materials incorporated into so many structural parts in the A350 XWB family.”

Technische Textilien treffen Leichtbau beim internationalen Messe-Duo mtex+ und LiMA am 29./30. Mai 2018 in Chemnitz
Tschechien und Österreich stark vertreten / Kooperation von mtex+ und SALTEX Dornbirn vereinbart

„Exzellente Verbindungen – Technische Textilien treffen Leichtbau“ lautet künftig der gemeinsame Slogan des am 29./30. Mai 2018 in Chemnitz (Deutschland) stattfindenden Messe-Doppels mtex+ und LiMA. „Er bringt das auf der jüngsten gemeinsamen Beratung von den Fachbeiräten befürwortete engere Zusammengehen beider Messen auf den Punkt. Ein folgerichtiger Schritt, denn die Themen Technische Textilien und Leichtbau weisen eine ständig wachsende Schnittmenge auf, die Grenzen sind fließend“, erläutert André Rehn, Leiter Messen der C³ GmbH, Chemnitz. „Zudem existiert in der sozusagen gastgebenden mitteldeutschen Industrieregion ein überdurchschnittlich stark ausgeprägtes Forschungs- und Entwicklungspotenzial auf den genannten Gebieten. Die Akteure hier spielen wahrlich Zukunftsmusik. Nicht minder wichtig für Aussteller wie für Fachbesucher sind die von uns so bezeichneten ‚exzellenten Verbindungen‘. Wer zu unserem kleinen aber feinen Messe-Duo der kurzen Wege und erschwinglichen Preise kommt, weiß: In Chemnitz habe ich mehr Zeit und Gelegenheit für den Aufbau und die Pflege vertrauensvoller Geschäftskontakte als bei kaum überschaubaren Großveranstaltungen, auf denen eilige Betriebsamkeit herrscht. Wir schaffen die Basis für die langfristig tragfähige Qualität solcher Kontakte. Die nahezu parallel, am  28. und 29. Mai, auf unserem Messegelände stattfindende 16. Chemnitzer Textiltechnik-Tagung ist ein zusätzlicher Anreiz, uns zu besuchen. Auch sie schlägt thematisch die Brücke zwischen moderner Textilherstellung und vielfältigen Leichtbau-Anwendungen.“ Die 7. Int. Messe für Technische Textilien mtex+ und die Leichtbaumesse LiMA präsentieren sich künftig im Internet gemeinsam unter: www.mtex-lima.de.

Wie Projektleiterin Katja Bauer berichtet, haben sich zum Messe-Doppel bereits interessante Aussteller aus Deutschland, Frankreich, Österreich, der Schweiz und Tschechien angekündigt. Insgesamt elf Firmen präsentieren sich am umfangreichen Kollektivstand des in Prag ansässigen Textilverbandes ATOK und des tschechischen Techtex-Cluster CLUTEX.  Die in Österreich wirkende Smart-Textiles Plattform hat die Teilnahme von sieben Firmen angekündigt. „Wir waren bereits die letzten Jahre mit einem Gemeinschaftsstand auf der mtex+ dabei und wollen unsere seinerzeit geknüpften Kontakte erweitern“, erläutert Smart-Textiles-Koordinater Günter Grabher. „Wir freuen uns, dass die Messegesellschaften von Chemnitz und Dornbirn vor wenigen Tagen offiziell die Kooperation zwischen der mtex+ und der SALTEX vereinbart haben.“  Kernstück der Übereinkunft ist die gegenseitige Gewährung von vorteilhaften Bedingungen für die Präsentation von Firmen aus den Textilregionen Vorarlberg und Ostdeutschland.  „Aus unserer Sicht ergänzen sich die Profile beider Veranstaltungen in optimaler Weise“, sagt Dr.-Ing. Jenz Otto, Hauptgeschäftsführer des Verbandes der Nord-Ostdeutschen Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie e.V. (vti), Chemnitz. Er kündigte an, dass sich mehrere Mitgliedsfirmen des vti am 12. und 13. Sept. 2018 erstmals mit einem Kollektivstand auf der SALTEX präsentieren werden. 

Hauptthemen der mtex+ sind funktionalisierte Textilien, textile Verfahrens- und Prozessentwicklung  sowie Herstellung und  Recycling  von  textilen Verbundstoffen. Die Sonderausstellung „flexible.protect“ zeigt innovative Schutz- und Sicherheitstextilien. Die Themenschau „health.textil“ sowie eine Projekt-Werkstatt sind Gesundheitstextilien für Klinik, Pflege, Kur und Wellness gewidmet.

Die 2. SALTEX stellt Smart Textiles in den Mittelpunkt und führt deren Entwickler mit (potenziellen) Anwendern aus Branchen wie Bautechnik, Mobilität, Medizin sowie aus dem Sport- und Lifestyle-Sektor zusammen. Zweites Schwerpunktthema sind textile High-Performance Materials (HPM). Zum Programm gehören zudem das Smart-Textiles-Symposium sowie Besuche in Vorarlberger Textilfirmen. Die SALTEX wird erstmals parallel zur 57. Internationalen Fasertagung Dornbirn-GFC veranstaltet.

Aus TRÈVES TSC wird TESCA - Ein neuer Name setzt das Signal für neue Ziele.

Das Unternehmen „Trèves TSC“, Experte im Bereich Textilien und Komponenten für Automobil Interieur, firmiert künftig unter dem Namen TESCA. In Kooperation mit den neuen Investoren wurde eine Strategie für die Zukunft entwickelt. Hierzu gehört auch der neue Name TESCA, mit dem das Unternehmen neue Signale setzt und die Absicht unterstreicht, sich vom Markt abzuheben, um sowohl das interne als auch das externe Wachstum zu forcieren.

„Mit der Umbenennung in TESCA bringen wir unsere Werte und Zielsetzungen zum Ausdruck: Kreativität, Innovation und internationale Präsenz in der Automobilindustrie. Auch als vergleichsweise kleiner Akteur auf dem Markt der Automobilzulieferer positionieren wir uns doch als Premium-Unternehmen in Sachen Service und Dienstleistung. Mit unseren 2.800 Mitarbeitern erwirtschaften wir einen Umsatz von mehr als 200 Millionen Euro und planen eine Verdoppelung bis 2025“, erklärt Carl de Freitas, CEO von TESCA.

Eröffnung eines neuen Forschungszentrums
TESCA gibt die Fertigstellung seines neuen R&D-Zentrums bekannt. Das hochmoderne Gebäude befindet sich in der Nähe von Reims und versetzt das Unternehmen in die Lage, die Entwicklung und Innovation von Automobilsitzkomponenten noch effizienter zu gestalten und weiter voranzutreiben.

Das Forschungszentrum ist entsprechend für die Prototypentwicklung ausgestattet, so dass für die OEMs bzw. First-Tier-Kunden schnelle Lösungen und direkte Wege möglich sind.
„Aus Gründen der Kundennähe gibt es weitere Zweigstellen für Forschung und Entwicklung in Wolfsburg, Barcelona, Wuhan und Bombay, die Steuerung der verschiedenen Teams verbleibt aber in Frankreich. Mit dem neuen R&D-Zentrum, das eng mit unserem Pariser Designbüro zusammenarbeitet, stellen sich unsere Teams der Herausforderung getreu unserer Devise ‚Challenge Creativity‘ “, fügt Carl de Freitas hinzu.

Neue Niederlassungen in den Vereinigten Staaten
Dank seiner globalen Standorte ist TESCA in der Lage, in allen Regionen der Welt zu produzieren, sei es in Europa, Brasilien, Russland, Indien oder China. Seit dem Erwerb des Unternehmens CMA im Jahr 2017 ist TESCA zudem auch in den Vereinigten Staaten vertreten.

Hierdurch wurde die weltweite Präsenz um zwei Standorte erweitert: eine Niederlassung in Greenville, South Carolina und ein Forschungszentrum im Umkreis von Detroit; somit können jetzt auch die amerikanischen OEMs und Bestandskunden des Unternehmens direkt in den Vereinigten Staaten betreut werden.