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STFI: Lightweight construction innovations at JEC World in Paris (c) silbaerg GmbH and STFI (see information on image)
23.02.2024

STFI: Lightweight construction innovations at JEC World in Paris

At this year's JEC World, STFI will be presenting highlights from carbon fibre recycling as well as a new approach to hemp-based bast fibres, which have promising properties as reinforcement in lightweight construction.

Green Snowboard
At JEC World in Paris from 5 to 7 March 2024, STFI will be showcasing a snowboard from silbaerg GmbH with a patented anisotropic coupling effect made from hemp and recycled carbon fibres with bio-based epoxy resin. In addition to silbaerg and STFI, the partners Circular Saxony - the innovation cluster for the circular economy, FUSE Composite and bto-epoxy GmbH were also involved in the development of the board. The green snowboard was honoured with the JEC Innovation Award 2024 in the “Sport, Leisure and Recreation” category.

At this year's JEC World, STFI will be presenting highlights from carbon fibre recycling as well as a new approach to hemp-based bast fibres, which have promising properties as reinforcement in lightweight construction.

Green Snowboard
At JEC World in Paris from 5 to 7 March 2024, STFI will be showcasing a snowboard from silbaerg GmbH with a patented anisotropic coupling effect made from hemp and recycled carbon fibres with bio-based epoxy resin. In addition to silbaerg and STFI, the partners Circular Saxony - the innovation cluster for the circular economy, FUSE Composite and bto-epoxy GmbH were also involved in the development of the board. The green snowboard was honoured with the JEC Innovation Award 2024 in the “Sport, Leisure and Recreation” category.

VliesComp
The aim of the industrial partners Tenowo GmbH (Hof), Siemens AG (Erlangen), Invent GmbH (Braunschweig) and STFI united in the VliesComp project is to bring recycled materials back onto the market in various lightweight construction solutions. The application fields "Innovative e-machine concepts for the energy transition" and "Innovative e-machine concepts for e-mobility" were considered as examples. On display at JEC World in Paris will be a lightweight end shield for electric motors made from hybrid nonwovens - a mixture of thermoplastic fibre components and recycled reinforcing fibres - as well as nonwovens with 100% recycled reinforcing fibres. The end shield was ultimately manufactured with a 100% recycled fibre content. The tests showed that, compared to the variant made from primary carbon fibres using the RTM process, a 14% reduction in CO2 equivalent is possible with the same performance. The calculation for the use of the prepreg process using a bio-resin system shows a potential for reducing the CO2 equivalent by almost 70 %.

Bast fibre reinforcement
To increase stability in the plant stem, bast fibres form in the bark area, which support the stem but, in contrast to the rigid wood, are very flexible and allow slender, tall plants to move in the wind without breaking.A new process extracts the bast bark from hemp by peeling.The resulting characteristic values, such as tensile modulus of elasticity, breaking strength and elongation, are very promising in comparison with the continuous rovings made of flax available on the market.The material could be used as reinforcement in lightweight construction.At JEC World, STFI will be exhibiting reinforcing bars that have been processed into a knitted fabric using a pultrusion process based on bio-based reinforcing fibres made from hemp bast for mineral matrices.

Source:

Sächsische Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI)

Long-lived lamellas for reinforcing buildings Image: Pixabay
08.01.2024

Long-lived lamellas for reinforcing buildings

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer lamellas are an innovative method of reinforcing buildings. There are still many unanswered questions regarding their recycling, however. A research project by Empa's Mechanical Systems Engineering lab is now set to provide answers. Thanks to the support from a foundation, the project could now be launched.

The construction sector is responsible for around 60 percent of Switzerland's annual waste. The industry's efforts to recycle demolition materials are steadily increasing. Nevertheless, there are still end-of-life materials that, for the time being, cannot be reused as recycling would be too time-consuming and expensive. One of these are carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) lamellas.

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer lamellas are an innovative method of reinforcing buildings. There are still many unanswered questions regarding their recycling, however. A research project by Empa's Mechanical Systems Engineering lab is now set to provide answers. Thanks to the support from a foundation, the project could now be launched.

The construction sector is responsible for around 60 percent of Switzerland's annual waste. The industry's efforts to recycle demolition materials are steadily increasing. Nevertheless, there are still end-of-life materials that, for the time being, cannot be reused as recycling would be too time-consuming and expensive. One of these are carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) lamellas.

Making buildings "live" longer
The reinforcing method developed by Urs Meier, former Empa Director at Dübendorf, has been used in infrastructure construction for 30 years. CFRP lamellas are attached with epoxy adhesive to bridges, parking garages, building walls and ceilings made of concrete or masonry. As a result, the structures can be used for 20 to 30 years longer. The method is increasingly being applied worldwide – mainly because it massively improves the earthquake resistance of masonry buildings.

"By significantly extending the lifespan of buildings and infrastructure, CFRP lamellas make an important contribution to increasing sustainability in the construction sector. However, we need to find a way how we can further use CFRP lamellas after the buildings are being demolished," explains Giovanni Terrasi, Head of the Mechanical Systems Engineering lab at Empa. To achieve this, he wants to develop a method for recycling CFRP lamellas. Convinced by this idea, a foundation supported it with a generous donation. The project officially launched in October.

Gentle separation
First, a mechanical process will be developed to detach the CFRP lamellas from the concrete without damaging them. Initial tests at Empa are encouraging: After the lamellas were separated from the concrete, they still had a strength of 95 percent – even if they had already been used for 30 years.

Then, the demolished CFRP lamellas shall be used to produce reinforcement for prefabricated components. Terrasi's goal: saving thousands of tons of CFRP lamellas from ending up in landfills after the demolition of old concrete structures and reuse them in low-CO2 concrete elements. After completion of the project, Giovanni Terrasi and his team – consisting of Zafeirios Triantafyllidis, Valentin Ott, Mateusz Wyrzykowski and Daniel Völki – want to produce railroad sleepers from recycled concrete, which will be reinforced and prestressed with demolition CFRP lamellas. This would give the "waste-to-be" material a second life in Swiss infrastructure construction.

Source:

Empa

17.11.2023

Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp: Flax fibres for Sailing boats

The adoption of composite parts based on flax fibres by the Marine Industry continues to grow, with major OEMs as well as smaller shipyards now aiming to take advantage of the reduced carbon impact and impressive mechanical properties they can provide.

“Over the last ten or fifteen years, several innovative flax fibre boats have been built and the fibre has started to gain significant traction,” says Julie Pariset, Innovation & CSR Director at the Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp. “In addition to the environmental benefits, manufacturers are realising significant technical and processing gains with flax fibre composites.”

“Flax is a very low-density fibre, with a high specific stiffness,” she explains. “It can be used to manufacture composite laminates with mechanical properties not dissimilar to typical E-glass composites and the coefficient of thermal expansion of a flax fibre epoxy part is also quite close to that of a carbon fibre part.” This allows the materials to work well in combined assemblies with carbon fibre composites and the flax parts are also highly impact resistant.

The adoption of composite parts based on flax fibres by the Marine Industry continues to grow, with major OEMs as well as smaller shipyards now aiming to take advantage of the reduced carbon impact and impressive mechanical properties they can provide.

“Over the last ten or fifteen years, several innovative flax fibre boats have been built and the fibre has started to gain significant traction,” says Julie Pariset, Innovation & CSR Director at the Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp. “In addition to the environmental benefits, manufacturers are realising significant technical and processing gains with flax fibre composites.”

“Flax is a very low-density fibre, with a high specific stiffness,” she explains. “It can be used to manufacture composite laminates with mechanical properties not dissimilar to typical E-glass composites and the coefficient of thermal expansion of a flax fibre epoxy part is also quite close to that of a carbon fibre part.” This allows the materials to work well in combined assemblies with carbon fibre composites and the flax parts are also highly impact resistant.

Flax fibres also provide acoustic and vibration damping in composite applications, as well as providing a warm and aesthetically pleasing appearance below decks.

ecoRacer30
As a member of the Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp, Bcomp, headquartered in Fribourg, Switzerland, has this year been working with Northern Light Composites (nlcomp), based in Monfalcone, northern Italy, on the creation of what is billed as the first fully recyclable nine-metre-long sailing boat – the ecoRacer30.

The boat is based on nlcomp’s proprietary rComposite technology – a combination of thermoplastic resins and BComp’s ampliTex high-performance natural fibre reinforcement fabrics and patented powerRibs technology.

It was built in a collaborative effort with the help of Barcelona-based Magnani Yachts, which took care of the composite manufacturing, and Sangiorgio Marine, which provided technical assistance as the boat was being assembled at its shipyard in Genova, Italy.

Magnani Yachts has subsequently become the first shipyard to hold an rComposite license and others are now being encouraged to adopt the technology.

The second ecoracer30 is currently under construction and has already been sold and nlcomp is planning to build a fleet of eight of these boats in time to enter a series of regattas in the summer of 2025.

Flax 27 Daysailer
Greenboats, based in Bremen, Germany, is another specialist in building boats from natural fibre composites and has this year launched the Flax 27 daysailer.

The lower hull of this vessel is also made from Bcomp’s ampliTex technical fabrics in combination with a sandwich core of recycled PET bottles. Using a vacuum infusion process, the fibres were integrated with a plant-based epoxy resin in order to further reduce the CO2 footprint of the vessel.

The light structure and modern shapes of the lower hull of the boat result in very fast, sharp and agile handling on the water.

Greenboats has also recently announced significant new backing from alliance member Groupe Depestele, which manages 13,000 hectares of flax land in Normandy, France.

Blue Nomad
A project in Switzerland has meanwhile proposed the use of flax fibre composites in solar-powered habitats designed for comfortable living on the oceans – as the world grapples with the frightening implications of climate change and rising sea levels.

As envisaged by students from Institut auf dem Rosenberg in St Gallen, Switzerland working with Denmark-based SAGA Space Architects, Blue Nomad structures would form modular blocks to establish large communities and oceanic farms.
 

Source:

Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp

(c) POLARYSE
18.11.2022

Grand Largue Composites and Sicomin enable flax-fibre-built Racing Yacht

Fibres, fabrics, epoxy resins and adhesives from Sicomin have been used by Grand Largue Composites (GLC) to construct the first Class40 racing yacht to feature a significant quantity of flax-fibre reinforcements.
The yacht, called Crosscall, won the Class40 World Championships in June 2022 and is a prototype of the new Lift V2 design by Marc Lombard, one of the leading naval architects in this field.

Class40 is one of the most competitive fleets in yacht racing. The hulls of Class40 yachts must be light in weight, strong and stiff, and durable in the most extreme of conditions. Furthermore, to keep costs down, they cannot be reinforced with carbon fibres. The quality and reliability of the resins used for the infusion and lamination of the hulls are therefore of paramount importance.

Fibres, fabrics, epoxy resins and adhesives from Sicomin have been used by Grand Largue Composites (GLC) to construct the first Class40 racing yacht to feature a significant quantity of flax-fibre reinforcements.
The yacht, called Crosscall, won the Class40 World Championships in June 2022 and is a prototype of the new Lift V2 design by Marc Lombard, one of the leading naval architects in this field.

Class40 is one of the most competitive fleets in yacht racing. The hulls of Class40 yachts must be light in weight, strong and stiff, and durable in the most extreme of conditions. Furthermore, to keep costs down, they cannot be reinforced with carbon fibres. The quality and reliability of the resins used for the infusion and lamination of the hulls are therefore of paramount importance.

Crosscall's cockpit was designed to be effectively non-structural, with the mainsheet, which can generate huge shock loads, supported separately. This would allow the cockpit to be made from a hybrid biaxial fabric comprising 50% flax fibres. Other parts of the boat that incorporate flax fibre include the tunnel, the engine cover, the ballast tanks and the cap. The rest of the boat is reinforced with 100% glass-fibre fabrics.

To help it realise this ambitious design, GLC, an infusion specialist, turned to its long-time material supplier, Sicomin. The hull was moulded and infused in one piece and the deck – including the hybrid flax-fibre cockpit – was also infused as a single part. The internal structure was then laminated into the hull by hand before the hull and deck were finally bonded together.

The infusion resin selected was Sicomin’s SR 1710, a high-modulus structural epoxy. Designed specifically for use in infusion and injection processes, it has exceptionally low viscosity and its low-reactivity hardener makes it suitable for the production of large parts. Composites components made from SR 1710 possess high interlaminar shear-strength and the resin retains its mechanical properties in wet environments.

Sicomin’s low-toxicity SR 8200 was used to laminate the internal structures onto the skin of the hull. Ideal for hand laminating, this system includes a choice of hardeners with a wide range of reactivities, which makes it equally suitable for making large or small parts. The hull and deck were joined together with Sicomin’s Isobond SR 7100, which demonstrates high fatigue strength and is very resistant to microcracking.

An epoxy bonding primer – called Undercoat EP 215 HB+ and supplied by Sicomin’s sister company, Map Yachting – was applied to the moulds first to make demoulding easier. It also serves as an undercoat in the polyurethane exterior paint system that is used instead of gelcoat to protect the epoxy hull from UV damage.

Since the launch of Crosscall, GLC has started building a second Lift V2 Class40 and a third one is now planned, both for which Sicomin will supply the materials.

Source:

Sicomin / 100% Marketing

04.10.2022

Hexcel HexPly® M9.6 Prepregs receive Bureau Veritas Type Approval

Hexcel Corporation has received Type Approval for its HexPly® M9.6GF prepreg products from Bureau Veritas (BV), a leader in testing, inspection, and certification services.

This certification enables carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy prepregs to be used in the production of parts for all BV-approved marine vessels. It also guarantees the quality, performance and consistency of the prepregs for ship and boat builders.

BV-approved HexPly M9.6GF prepregs can be reinforced with unidirectional, non-crimp and twill-weave fabrics. They are particularly suitable for use in the manufacture of masts and other large structural components for wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP). To reduce reliance on engines and cut fuel usage, WASP vessels harness the power of ocean winds often using large carbon fiber-reinforced masts flying durable composite solid sails.

Hexcel Corporation has received Type Approval for its HexPly® M9.6GF prepreg products from Bureau Veritas (BV), a leader in testing, inspection, and certification services.

This certification enables carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy prepregs to be used in the production of parts for all BV-approved marine vessels. It also guarantees the quality, performance and consistency of the prepregs for ship and boat builders.

BV-approved HexPly M9.6GF prepregs can be reinforced with unidirectional, non-crimp and twill-weave fabrics. They are particularly suitable for use in the manufacture of masts and other large structural components for wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP). To reduce reliance on engines and cut fuel usage, WASP vessels harness the power of ocean winds often using large carbon fiber-reinforced masts flying durable composite solid sails.

HexPly M9.6 prepregs were recently used to manufacture the mast for the Chantiers de l’Atlantique Silenseas project. The HexPly M9.6 prepregs satisfied all the requirements of the Silenseas consortium’s mast-section manufacturers for quality, mechanical performance, and processing characteristics, while also proving to be cost effective.

Source:

Hexcel Corporation / 100% Marketing

Natural fibers combined with bio-derived epoxy resins provide sustainable options for Industrial markets (c) Hexcel
Hexcel HexPly® Nature Range
11.05.2022

Hexcel Launches HexPly® Nature Range

  • Natural fibers combined with bio-derived epoxy resins provide sustainable options for Industrial markets

Hexcel has developed a new product range that combines Hexcel resin systems made with bio-derived resin content with natural fiber reinforcements to create material solutions for Automotive, Winter Sports, Marine and Wind Energy applications.

HexPly Nature Range includes proven resins such as HexPly M49, M78.1-LT and M79 but with bio-derived epoxy resin content. The excellent resin characteristics remain unchanged in the new Nature Range products, maintaining high mechanical performance and consistent processing properties.
In addition, the HexPly Nature Range provides prepreg options with natural fiber reinforcements that can be seamlessly integrated into existing production processes.

Hexcel worked with TÜV Austria to provide independent, high-quality measurement and assessment of the bio-content of HexPly Nature Range products. TÜV Austria’s OK biobased certification uses a standardized measurement of the biobased carbon content enabling transparency and easy like-for-like comparison between products.

  • Natural fibers combined with bio-derived epoxy resins provide sustainable options for Industrial markets

Hexcel has developed a new product range that combines Hexcel resin systems made with bio-derived resin content with natural fiber reinforcements to create material solutions for Automotive, Winter Sports, Marine and Wind Energy applications.

HexPly Nature Range includes proven resins such as HexPly M49, M78.1-LT and M79 but with bio-derived epoxy resin content. The excellent resin characteristics remain unchanged in the new Nature Range products, maintaining high mechanical performance and consistent processing properties.
In addition, the HexPly Nature Range provides prepreg options with natural fiber reinforcements that can be seamlessly integrated into existing production processes.

Hexcel worked with TÜV Austria to provide independent, high-quality measurement and assessment of the bio-content of HexPly Nature Range products. TÜV Austria’s OK biobased certification uses a standardized measurement of the biobased carbon content enabling transparency and easy like-for-like comparison between products.

At JEC World in Paris on May 3-5, Hexcel presented an alpine ski produced by the Tecnica Group Ski Excellence Center which produces skis for Blizzard and for Nordica using HexPly Nature Range M78.1-LT UD flax fiber prepreg. In addition to providing a bio-based material solution, the natural fiber-reinforced prepreg also offers the potential to improve impact performance and vibration damping in the ski.

Claude Despierres, VP of Sales and Marketing – Industrial at Hexcel, said, “Our new HexPly Nature Range forms an important part of providing customers with biobased, TÜV-certified material options based on our established prepreg resin systems. Marine, winter sports, wind energy and automotive manufacturers can now have the choice to switch from petroleum-based material solutions to Hexcel HexPly Nature Range with no compromise in performance or process efficiency.”

More information:
Hexcel’s HexPly® JEC World
Source:

Hexcel

(c) Cobra International
26.04.2022

COBRA International: Highlights Diversification into New Market Sectors at JEC World 2022

Cobra International, a leading manufacturer of advanced composite products for the watersports, automotive, marine, and industrial sectors, will highlight recent diversification into new composite markets at JEC World 2022, with exhibits ranging from VTOL drones to carbon fibre prosthetics.  Cobra will also demonstrate how it is working alongside automotive and water sports customers to further enhance the sustainability of products in these sectors.

High Volume Production Capacity for the UAV sector
Cobra will display a wing from the Swiftlet UAV. This compact tactical fixed wing UAV platform has a 5.5m wingspan and was developed by the Royal Thai Air Force and National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) for survey, monitoring and search and rescue operations. Cobra manufactured the 32kg Swiftlet composite airframe using a combination of CNC cut carbon sandwich internal structure and PVC foam sandwich skins using both high grade glass fibre and carbon fibre reinforcements.  

Cobra International, a leading manufacturer of advanced composite products for the watersports, automotive, marine, and industrial sectors, will highlight recent diversification into new composite markets at JEC World 2022, with exhibits ranging from VTOL drones to carbon fibre prosthetics.  Cobra will also demonstrate how it is working alongside automotive and water sports customers to further enhance the sustainability of products in these sectors.

High Volume Production Capacity for the UAV sector
Cobra will display a wing from the Swiftlet UAV. This compact tactical fixed wing UAV platform has a 5.5m wingspan and was developed by the Royal Thai Air Force and National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) for survey, monitoring and search and rescue operations. Cobra manufactured the 32kg Swiftlet composite airframe using a combination of CNC cut carbon sandwich internal structure and PVC foam sandwich skins using both high grade glass fibre and carbon fibre reinforcements.  

Sustainability Options for Automotive and Watersports
Sustainability has a been a key focus for the Cobra Waterports division and CAC, the Cobra automotive business unit. At JEC World 2022, Cobra will showcase the increasing material and process options it has developed with both bio-resin and natural fibre reinforcements variants presented alongside more traditional carbon fibre parts.

Visitors will be able to get up close to a new Bio SUP Wingfoil board featuring a basalt, flax, bamboo and GreenPoxy bio-epoxy construction created for partners NSP, as well as state-of-the-art compression moulded prepreg foils. Cobra’s first fully recyclable surfboard incorporating the Recyclamine® resin technology that Cobra was recognised for in the 2020 JEC Innovation Awards will also be on display alongside a new Audi e-tron foil by Aerofoils – the world’s safest electric hydrofoil board.

The CAC team (Automotive Business Unit of Cobra) will present a set of OEM mirror cap parts that showcase a range of carbon SMC, woven visual carbon, pure woven visual flax, hybrid flax-carbon and painted flax construction options for the same component.  Clear carbon aesthetic and structural parts including CAC made M-carbon components for the BMW S 1000 RR Motorcycle will furthermore underline the high quality and eye-for-detail for which CAC is renowned.

Carbon Prosthetics
An entirely new composite application for the company, Cobra will also show two composite prosthetic devices at JEC which were productionised by the in-house design and development team. Working alongside a leading Thai university and a medical device OEM, Cobra created a rapid and cost effective series production process for a lightweight carbon fibre prosthetic foot. In another example of lightweight composites creating major quality of life improvements, Cobra has also designed and manufactured a carbon and glass fibre prepreg foot support for Elysium Industries.

More information:
COBRA Composites UAV
Source:

Cobra International

(c) HYPETEX® / adidas
07.02.2022

HYPETEX® and adidas selected as JEC Innovation Awards 2022 Finalists

Hypetex®, a leader in colouring carbon fibre materials, is delighted to announce that its Hypetex® Kromaskin™ field hockey stick for adidas has been selected as a finalist for the 2022 JEC Innovation Awards.

Hypetex® was commissioned by adidas to develop a market leading hockey stick differentiated from existing equipment not just by its unique pigmented carbon fibre finish, but also by its game changing hitting power and consistency. The patented range of Kromaskin™ sticks, created with support from project partners Textreme® and Marque Makers, was found to outperform competitors in a benchmark study against eight other premium hockey sticks carried out by Loughborough’s Sports Technology Institute (STI).

Hypetex®, a leader in colouring carbon fibre materials, is delighted to announce that its Hypetex® Kromaskin™ field hockey stick for adidas has been selected as a finalist for the 2022 JEC Innovation Awards.

Hypetex® was commissioned by adidas to develop a market leading hockey stick differentiated from existing equipment not just by its unique pigmented carbon fibre finish, but also by its game changing hitting power and consistency. The patented range of Kromaskin™ sticks, created with support from project partners Textreme® and Marque Makers, was found to outperform competitors in a benchmark study against eight other premium hockey sticks carried out by Loughborough’s Sports Technology Institute (STI).

Hypetex® lead the design, engineering, materials, and production process development for the adidas field hockey stick project. By incorporating the stick’s finish colour within the outermost carbon fibre layer, the stick mould could be adjusted outwards, placing the highly structural spread tow materials right at the outer extremities of the mould cavity, increasing mechanical performance and maximising the structural benefits of the composite materials used.

Whilst the Kromaskin™ surface provides a stunning depth of colour with minimal finishing required after demoulding, the Hypetex® technology, including an epoxy based expanding microsphere system used in the core, delivers significant performance gains on the hockey pitch. In tests at the STI, adidas Kromaskin™ sticks had up to 16% higher coefficient of restitution (COR), meaning they will return more energy and the ball will travel faster. In addition, through the production led design and materials used, the variation in COR was 70% less than the other sticks on test, a significant reduction in the production inconsistencies common with the manufacturing of performance sporting goods.

Source:

Hypetex® / 100% Marketing

(c) AVK - Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e. V.
24.11.2021

The AVK – Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe – presents its Innovation Awards 2021

The AVK – Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe – has once again presented its Innovation Awards to companies, institutes and their partners. Three composites innovations were recognised in each of the three categories – “Innovative Products/Applications”, “Innovative Processes” and “Research and Science” – at the new event JEC Forum DACH on 23 November 2021, the first edition of which was held in Frankfurt.

“As usual, the submissions included a lot of very interesting and promising products and processes this year. The Innovation Awards highlight the outstanding efficiency, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of fibre-reinforced plastics as well as the companies and institutes operating in the sector,” explains Dr. Elmar Witten, Managing Director of the AVK. The jury of leading experts from the industry honoured the following innovations this year:

The AVK – Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe – has once again presented its Innovation Awards to companies, institutes and their partners. Three composites innovations were recognised in each of the three categories – “Innovative Products/Applications”, “Innovative Processes” and “Research and Science” – at the new event JEC Forum DACH on 23 November 2021, the first edition of which was held in Frankfurt.

“As usual, the submissions included a lot of very interesting and promising products and processes this year. The Innovation Awards highlight the outstanding efficiency, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of fibre-reinforced plastics as well as the companies and institutes operating in the sector,” explains Dr. Elmar Witten, Managing Director of the AVK. The jury of leading experts from the industry honoured the following innovations this year:

Category “Research and Science”
First place in the “Research and Science” category was awarded to the German Aerospace Center (DLR) for its Bondline Control Technology (BCT). This innovative process is used for quality control and assurance of bonded joints. The core element is a porous fabric which is applied to a joining surface using an epoxy adhesive or matrix resin. Peeling away the fabric creates a chemically reactive and undercut surface and can also be used as a test to check adhesion to the substrate. BCT has potential in a variety of possible applications. For example, peel ply can be replaced by BCT fabric to produce composite components with an optimised joining surface. The cost-effective BCT peel test is suitable for coupon testing and process control. In addition, the combined adhesion test and surface pre-treatment can be used for quality assurance of bonded repairs on fibre composite structures.

Second place was taken by the Institute of Textile Technology (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University and its partners AEROVIDE GmbH, Altropol Kunststoff GmbH, Basamentwerke Böcke GmbH, TechnoCarbon Technologies GbR with “StoneBlade – Lightweight construction with granite for the wind industry”. This innovation enables manufacturers to reduce the amount of non-recyclable materials used in rotor blade construction. At the same time, it reduces the weight of these components and improves the mechanical properties relating to the stability of wind turbines. The innovative approach replaces glass-fibre reinforced plastic in the blade components with hard rock – a natural, cost-effective and recyclable lightweight material. The slabs of rock are cut and ground to a thickness of just a few millimetres and embedded in a fibre composite laminate with carbon fibre, which stabilises them for alternating load cases. The pre-stressed material is pressure-stable in the composite and can absorb tensile forces in the event of continuously alternating loads without any loss of stiffness.

Third place went to the Dresden University of Technology – Institute for Lightweight Construction and Plastics Technology (ILK) with its partner Mercedes Benz AG for the interdisciplinary development of a highly integrated inductive charging module for electric vehicles. The ultra-thin charging module was designed to make optimum use of space in the vehicle underbody without reducing ground clearance. An interdisciplinary approach was adopted for the development process. This involved the electrical, mechanical and process characterisation of high-frequency Litz wires, ferromagnetic foil and metal wire cloth as well as the creation of a simulation model. The result is a demonstrator for a charging system with a structural height of 15 mm and a total weight of 8 kg. It achieves a transmission efficiency of up to 92 percent at 7.2 kW nominal power and active air cooling. The hardware demonstrator was fabricated in a 3-step process using RTM and VARI techniques.

Overview of all the winners in the three categories:
Category “Innovative Products/Applications”
1st Place: “Traffic signs from Nabasco (N-BMC)” – Nabasco Products BV and Lorenz Kunststofftechnik GmbH, partners: Pol Heteren BV and NPSP BV
2nd Place: “Novel, ultratough vinyl ester resin for the construction of large marine vessels” Evonik Operations GmbH
3rd Place: “Air intake housing with a multi-material design for gas turbines” – MAN Energy Solutions SE, Leichtbau-Zentrum Sachsen GmbH and Leichtbau-Systemtechnologien KORROPOL GmbH.
Category “Innovative Processes”
1st Place: “In-mould wrapping” off-tool, film-coated, fibre composite components for exterior applications – BMW Group, Partner: Renolit SE
2nd Place: “Adaptive automated repair of composite structural components in the aviation sector” – Lufthansa Technik AG, Partner: iSAM AG
3rd Place: “Automated surface pre-treatment using VUV excimer lamps” – CTC GmbH
Category “Research and Science”
1st Place: “Bondline Control Technology (BCT)” – German Aerospace Center (DLR)
2nd Place: “StoneBlade – Lightweight construction with granite for the wind industry” – Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University, Partners: AEROVIDE GmbH, Altropol Kunststoff GmbH, Basamentwerke Böcke GmbH, TechnoCarbon Technologies GbR
3rd Place: “Interdisciplinary development of a highly integrated inductive charging module for electric vehicles” – Dresden University of Technology – Institute for Lightweight Construction and Plastics Technology (ILK), Partner: Mercedes Benz AG

Submissions for the next Innovation Award can be made from the end of January 2022.

Source:

AVK - Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e. V.

(c) Notus Composites. Notus NE7 low temperature curing prepreg
15.09.2021

Notus Composites Launches New Low Temperature Curing NE7 Epoxy Prepreg

Notus Composites (UAE), the award-winning producer of epoxy prepreg materials, announces the latest addition to its high-performance epoxy range with the launch of its new NE7 low temperature curing prepreg system. The Notus NE7 formulation allows composite manufacturers to cure components at temperatures as low as 70˚C, reducing energy consumption and enabling more cost-effective tooling options.

Notus Composites has developed the new NE7 prepreg systems for applications across the Marine, Architecture, Industrial and Wind Energy sectors, with the novel low temperature curing chemistry delivery significant cost benefits. Existing prepreg manufacturers can now use more cost-effective composite tooling, with new prepreg users able to switch easily from existing infusion or wet laminating processes without creating expensive new high temperature tooling.

Notus Composites (UAE), the award-winning producer of epoxy prepreg materials, announces the latest addition to its high-performance epoxy range with the launch of its new NE7 low temperature curing prepreg system. The Notus NE7 formulation allows composite manufacturers to cure components at temperatures as low as 70˚C, reducing energy consumption and enabling more cost-effective tooling options.

Notus Composites has developed the new NE7 prepreg systems for applications across the Marine, Architecture, Industrial and Wind Energy sectors, with the novel low temperature curing chemistry delivery significant cost benefits. Existing prepreg manufacturers can now use more cost-effective composite tooling, with new prepreg users able to switch easily from existing infusion or wet laminating processes without creating expensive new high temperature tooling.

NE7 prepregs can be cured at temperatures as low as 70˚C, with the standard cure cycle being 12 hours at 70˚C, matching the typical cycle time for an infused part with a component Tg of 85˚C. NE7 materials have a good outlife of 30 days at 20˚C and are available in all prepreg and Notus single sided N1-Preg formats with unidirectional, multiaxial, and woven reinforcements. NE7 can also be supplied as a resin film.

Notus has recently supplied NE7 low temperature prepregs to Dubai based Aeolos Composites for the production of their new Aeolos P30 racing yacht. The P30 is a futuristic new craft created by top German sailor and designer, Hans Genthe, with a super light carbon fibre construction and large sail area that promises spectacular on the water performance for a thirty foot yacht. Notus delivered a range NE7 prepregs for the build, including woven, multiaxial, and unidirectional carbon fibre reinforcements as well as adhesive films for core bonding.

More information:
Notus prepreg material
Source:

Notus Composites.

20.07.2021

Hexcel: Speeding up new Product Development Cycles for Rassini

Hexcel, a global leader in advanced composites technologies, confirms that its HexPly® M901 prepreg system has been selected by Rassini, a Mexico-based technology leader in composite vehicle suspension systems, to speed up prototype and new product development cycles, reducing overall time to market with an easy to process material solution that enables effective early-stage design screening and cost-effective production.  

As a specialist in the mass production of composite helper leaf springs for various leading OEMs, Rassini continuously develops innovative new suspension component designs. Due to cost and timing, however, these new products cannot easily be prototyped using conventional high-pressure resin transfer molding (HP-RTM) technology.

Hexcel, a global leader in advanced composites technologies, confirms that its HexPly® M901 prepreg system has been selected by Rassini, a Mexico-based technology leader in composite vehicle suspension systems, to speed up prototype and new product development cycles, reducing overall time to market with an easy to process material solution that enables effective early-stage design screening and cost-effective production.  

As a specialist in the mass production of composite helper leaf springs for various leading OEMs, Rassini continuously develops innovative new suspension component designs. Due to cost and timing, however, these new products cannot easily be prototyped using conventional high-pressure resin transfer molding (HP-RTM) technology.

With more than 15 years of experience in delivering glass fiber prepregs for the serial production of composite leaf springs, Hexcel developed its high-performance HexPly M901 prepreg system specifically for this type of application. HexPly M901 combines the right level of structural performance required with simple processing, providing Rassini with a reliable material solution optimized for rapid development and fine-tuning iterations.

HexPly M901 is a high Tg epoxy resin prepreg system specifically developed for structural components that will be exposed to harsh thermal and environmental conditions.  With short cure cycles of 10 minutes and below producing excellent green, or handling, strength of the composite part for demolding and unidirectional glass fiber aerial weights up to 1,600gsm, HexPly M901 delivers a powerful combination of benefits for suspension component applications.

More information:
Hexcel’s HexPly® Hexcel
Source:

Hexcel Corporation

GREENBOATS, Sicomin and Bcomp Selected as JEC Innovation Awards 2021 Finalists (c) JEC Group
17.05.2021

GREENBOATS, Sicomin and Bcomp Selected as JEC Innovation Awards 2021 Finalists

GREENBOATS, Sicomin and Bcomp are nominated as finalists for the JEC Innovation Awards 2021. The three project partners have been selected as finalists in the awards’ Renewable Energy category for their innovative Green Nacelle – the first offshore nacelle manufactured with natural fibre composites (NFC).

The Green Nacelle was designed by NFC innovators GREENBOATS, who were also responsible for the structural engineering, manufacturing and assembly of the nacelle.  By incorporating Bcomp’s ampliTex™ flax reinforcements, FSC certified balsa wood cores and bio-based resins, the Green Nacelle’s NFC construction saves approximately 60% CO2 equivalent and reduces the energy consumption by over 50% compared to a nacelle made with existing GFRP technology.

In addition to the lower CO2 footprint, the natural fibre composite structure also introduces viable options for the end of the nacelles’ life unlike traditional GFRP structures - an issue of increasing concern for the wind energy sector that presents a great opportunity for natural fibre composites to bring a sustainable change to this market.

GREENBOATS, Sicomin and Bcomp are nominated as finalists for the JEC Innovation Awards 2021. The three project partners have been selected as finalists in the awards’ Renewable Energy category for their innovative Green Nacelle – the first offshore nacelle manufactured with natural fibre composites (NFC).

The Green Nacelle was designed by NFC innovators GREENBOATS, who were also responsible for the structural engineering, manufacturing and assembly of the nacelle.  By incorporating Bcomp’s ampliTex™ flax reinforcements, FSC certified balsa wood cores and bio-based resins, the Green Nacelle’s NFC construction saves approximately 60% CO2 equivalent and reduces the energy consumption by over 50% compared to a nacelle made with existing GFRP technology.

In addition to the lower CO2 footprint, the natural fibre composite structure also introduces viable options for the end of the nacelles’ life unlike traditional GFRP structures - an issue of increasing concern for the wind energy sector that presents a great opportunity for natural fibre composites to bring a sustainable change to this market.

Sicomin, the formulator and supplier of the leading range of GreenPoxy bio-based epoxy resin systems, supplied its DNV GL approved InfuGreen 810 resin system that was used to infuse the Green Nacelle’s main structural sandwich panels, as well as providing intumescent FR gelcoats, bio-based laminating resins and UV resistant clear coatings for the groundbreaking new nacelle.  Materials, as well as on-site technical support, were delivered by Sicomin’s German distributor TIME OUT Composites.

The winners of the awards will be announced during JEC Connect which will be held on the 1st and 2nd June 2021.

Source:

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