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COBRA continues Its Partnership with Fliteboard (c) COBRA
11.07.2021

COBRA continues Its Partnership with Fliteboard

COBRA International is pleased to confirm its continued partnership with Fliteboard as the builders of the new Fliteboard Series 2.  

Conceived in 2016, the Fliteboard range of electric foiling surfboards has established a leading position in the eFoil market. In early 2021, Fliteboard announced a package of evolutionary improvements to the original award-winning design for which COBRA has installed significant additional manufacturing capacity.

With Fliteboard growing rapidly, and thousands of boards now delivered across more than 80 countries,  COBRA will continue to support Fliteboard with additional moulds and lean manufacturing production lines added to reduce customer lead times. In addition to this production capacity expansion, COBRA has successfully met the technical challenges set by the Fliteboard team to incorporate all the new Series 2 board features into the existing production processes.

COBRA International is pleased to confirm its continued partnership with Fliteboard as the builders of the new Fliteboard Series 2.  

Conceived in 2016, the Fliteboard range of electric foiling surfboards has established a leading position in the eFoil market. In early 2021, Fliteboard announced a package of evolutionary improvements to the original award-winning design for which COBRA has installed significant additional manufacturing capacity.

With Fliteboard growing rapidly, and thousands of boards now delivered across more than 80 countries,  COBRA will continue to support Fliteboard with additional moulds and lean manufacturing production lines added to reduce customer lead times. In addition to this production capacity expansion, COBRA has successfully met the technical challenges set by the Fliteboard team to incorporate all the new Series 2 board features into the existing production processes.

Fliteboard’s first composite models used a carbon fibre and Innegra sandwich laminate over a moulded EPS foam core, combining maximum strength, stiffness, and durability with a low overall board weight. The same construction concept is used for the Series 2 boards, with several new finishes added to the range along with lighter colour matched EVA deck pads and upgraded latches on the carbon fibre board lid. New wood grain and metallic paint finishes have been introduced with COBRA’s semi-transparent paint system used to save weight and display the stunning hexagonal weave pattern of the carbon and Innegra reinforcement fabrics.

Source:

COBRA / 100% Marketing

(c) BMW Group
21.04.2020

SGL Carbon receives contract for battery enclosure from BMW Group

  • New composite e-Mobility application
  • Multi-year substantial contract

After prototypes for a Chinese automotive manufacturer, a major order from a North American automaker, and yet another order for a European sports car manufacturer, SGL Carbon has now been nominated by BMW Group to produce a cover component for battery enclosures in series. This substantial multi-year order will include the production of an innovative glass-fiber-based cover plate for the battery housing for usage in a future plug-in hybrid model of BMW Group.

  • New composite e-Mobility application
  • Multi-year substantial contract

After prototypes for a Chinese automotive manufacturer, a major order from a North American automaker, and yet another order for a European sports car manufacturer, SGL Carbon has now been nominated by BMW Group to produce a cover component for battery enclosures in series. This substantial multi-year order will include the production of an innovative glass-fiber-based cover plate for the battery housing for usage in a future plug-in hybrid model of BMW Group.

Materials made of composites are suited for battery enclosures for different reasons: Besides their light weight, which enhances the electric vehicle’s range, fiber-reinforced plastics offer high stiffness. In addition, they meet high requirements for water and gas tightness and feature excellent fire protection properties. Composite materials can also help to achieve improved structural stiffness of the underbody, e.g. to protect against penetration, as well as an optimized thermal management. Carbon fibers are ideal for especially stressed structures or load-bearing elements, such as the underbody panels and side frames. For components subjected to less stress, such as battery box covers, glass fibers or a fiber mix may suffice.

In addition to the new application for the hybrid model battery enclosure, SGL Carbon will continue producing the usual components made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic for the BMW i3 and delivering materials for the Carbon Core body of the BMW 7 series, and has been nominated as the supplier for all carbon materials - fibers, textiles, stacks - for the BMW iNEXT, set to be launched in 2021.

Source:

SGL CARBON SE

(c) MECELEC COMPOSITES
03.02.2020

MECELEC COMPOSITES designs Flax fibre roofs for 550 Morris columns

At JEC World 2020, MECELEC COMPOSITES is a finalist of the JEC Innovation Awards in the Design & Furniture category. The Group announces the launch of a new sustainable development application on the urban design market. MECELEC COMPOSITES designed the first mass-produced flax fibre roofs for the 550 Morris columns installed by JCDecaux in Paris. “This is the first application of flax fibre BMC for mass production. The new solution combines all the advantages of composite materials, lightness and strength, with stringent environmental requirements and is adapted to the safety constraints of this kind of street furniture,” says Bénédicte Durand, Chief Executive Officer at MECELEC COMPOSITES.

At JEC World 2020, MECELEC COMPOSITES is a finalist of the JEC Innovation Awards in the Design & Furniture category. The Group announces the launch of a new sustainable development application on the urban design market. MECELEC COMPOSITES designed the first mass-produced flax fibre roofs for the 550 Morris columns installed by JCDecaux in Paris. “This is the first application of flax fibre BMC for mass production. The new solution combines all the advantages of composite materials, lightness and strength, with stringent environmental requirements and is adapted to the safety constraints of this kind of street furniture,” says Bénédicte Durand, Chief Executive Officer at MECELEC COMPOSITES.

A COMPOSITE ROOF THAT IS BOTH INNOVATIVE AND GREEN
The dome of the Morris columns is composed of 23 different parts, 14 of which are made from composite materials. To design the roof, MECELEC COMPOSITES developed a new RTM complex and a new BMC material, that is reinforced exclusively with a flax mat. “Today it is the only BMC with a 100% flax fibre reinforcement, which uses a partially recycled ABS resin. It was created specifically for this project and we had to work on the processes in order to adapt them to this new material,” explains Bertrand Vieille, Head of sales.
In the design, MECELEC COMPOSITES replaced the bonding process with a time-saving mechanical assembly process using an invisible fixing system.

AN ECO-FRIENDLY APPLICATION IN LINE WITH THE GROUP’S ECO-DESIGN CSR APPROACH
MECELEC COMPOSITES creates scalable, sustainable and environmentally-friendly street furniture. The Group is committed to developing a sustainable production process and reuses all its waste materials. MECELEC COMPOSITES R&D laboratory promotes eco-design with a process of characterisation and mechanical sizing of parts. “For this project, we imagined, created, produced and delivered a mass-produced composite application with a low environmental impact within less than a year. At the end of its lifecycle, the product completely breaks down, leaving no fibre residue,” Bénédicte Durand concludes.

More information:
fiber-reinforced composites
Source:

AGENCE APOCOPE

(c) KLULE/Unsplash
Composites offer design freedom and exceptional mechanical properties at low weight for furniture applications
22.10.2018

Composites are opening up new horizons for the furniture industry

What does the furniture market look like and what potential composites offer for the furniture of today and tomorrow? The AZL is investigating this question together with companies from the composite and furniture industry. The result will be an overview of the current market and the materials used to date as well as an outlook on future mass applications for fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP). The study is open to interested companies and starts with a kick-off meeting at Composites Europe in Stuttgart on November 7th, 2018.

Furniture, its design and function have undergone major changes in recent decades: From robust lifelong companions to trend-setting models, from handmade one-of-a-kind pieces to mass products, from storage objects to multi-functional and “smart” all-rounders. This goes along with an increased diversity in terms of design and the materials used – and high potential for composites that offer additional design freedom and exceptional mechanical properties at low weight.

Study provides overview of furniture market and unique selling points of composites

What does the furniture market look like and what potential composites offer for the furniture of today and tomorrow? The AZL is investigating this question together with companies from the composite and furniture industry. The result will be an overview of the current market and the materials used to date as well as an outlook on future mass applications for fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP). The study is open to interested companies and starts with a kick-off meeting at Composites Europe in Stuttgart on November 7th, 2018.

Furniture, its design and function have undergone major changes in recent decades: From robust lifelong companions to trend-setting models, from handmade one-of-a-kind pieces to mass products, from storage objects to multi-functional and “smart” all-rounders. This goes along with an increased diversity in terms of design and the materials used – and high potential for composites that offer additional design freedom and exceptional mechanical properties at low weight.

Study provides overview of furniture market and unique selling points of composites
In order to systematically identify the potential of fiber-reinforced composites and to use them in future furniture applications, the AZL is starting a study together with companies from the furniture and composite industry. Within four and a half months the market for furniture will be segmented, design and technology trends will be identified and the technical requirements for furniture and furniture components will be broken down to identify applications with high potential for composites. The overall goal is to understand the selection process and needs of the furniture designer in order to bring composites to the market as a targeted alternative to conventional materials.

Virginia Bozsak, Technical Manager Composites at ARKEMA Innovative Chemistry is participating in the study: “The ever-growing population number requires environmentally friendly material and a solution for the end of life treatment to recollect and reuse materials. For fast changing markets such as the furniture market, these materials also need to offer an enormous freedom of design. Arkema already answers this demand with the only liquid thermoplastic resin Elium® used as a thermoset resin to produce composite structural or aesthetical parts. With the joint study, we aim to identify specific applications in the furniture market to make use of material which is not limiting creativity or design specifications but rather enabling the future to be revolutionized.”