Organo sheets have become established in several industrial sectors for the series production of highly stressed lightweight components. The utilization of waste material is a promising recycling approach.

Even with a highly optimized production of organo sheets, considerable amounts of scrap occur

16:9

20:7

Feeding Mechanically Recycled Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastics Back to Production

Faserverarbeitung

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Mahlgut

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Organobleche (gewebeverstärkte Thermoplast-Halbzeuge)

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Mahlen

Organo Sheet Recycling

Continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites have also become established with thin-walled housings for consumer electronics and information technology. Not only do they offer high stiffness and help to reduce weight, but also enable the integration of classy appearance and functions. What is more, if the housings are produced using the hybrid molding process, costs, processing steps, and cycle times can be reduced.

The Carbon 1 Mark II smartphone from Carbon Mobile was developed in Germany. The matt-black carbon fibers lend the smartphone a classy high-tech look

Composites Reduce Weight and Simplify Production of Electronics Housings

Composite-Halbzeuge

Glasfasern / -matten

Verstärkungsstoffe

Kohlenstofffasern / -matten

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Kunststofffasern

Lightweight to Fit in a Pocket

Continuous fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP), based on flat sheets, benefit from excellent weight-specific features. These include the possibility of load path optimised design and the option of functional integration. Consequently, FRP offer a high potential for lightweight design. Materials using thermoplastic-based polymers (so-called „organic-sheets“) allow fully automated and fast manufacturing based on their physical processing and are environmentally sustainable because of their recycling capability. Additionally, through improved optical and aesthetic characteristics, new applications can be developed for a mid to high scale production range.

Leichtbau

Oberflächentechnik

Surface optimisation of continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastics

Lightweight design with fiber-reinforced plastics saves energy resources in the use phase of automobiles and aircraft. However, the savings are often offset by higher consumption in production. Therefore, the focus is increasingly shifting to sustainability in manufacturing. The Research Institute Neue Materialien Bayreuth has conducted a corresponding sustainability analysis for the processing of thermoplastic UD tapes into functionally integrated components.

Fig. 4. The demonstrator component “2D-MultiMat” was manufactured with laminates of woven fabric organosheets and UD tapes (CF or GF/CF hybrid) based on PP and injection-molded functional integration (PP-GF) with the FORCE process chain.

Evaluate the Environmental Impact of the Production of FRP Components

Fasern

UD-Tapes

Nachhaltigkeit

Schnüre, Bänder, Tapes

How Sustainable Is  Lightweight Design Really?

The Circular Economy is not only the theme topic at the K 2019. It is also the “green” thread running through the fair exhibit by Engel, the provider of injection molding machines and integrated system solutions. Industry 4.0 is turning out to be a driving force for recycling. This is a most timely insight, since the branch is in for several economically cool years.

Dr. Stefan Engleder, CEO of the Engel Group: “The plastics industry bears a  global responsibility.”

Engel Supports Strong Involvement by the Plastics Industry in a Circular Economy

Spritzgießen

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Folientechnik (IMD, IML, FIM, u.a.)

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Spritzgießmaschinen

Co-Injektion (Barriere-/Sandwich-Spritzgießen)

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

A Second Life for Plastics

Infrared heating technology has become established as the standard in the processing of thermoplastic composite materials. The focus is on process control. On the one hand, it is important that the heating process is fast, on the other hand, the material must not be overheated. It is also important to achieve excellent temperature homogeneity. Simultaneous processing of blanks with different thicknesses is a particular challenge.

Three organo sheets of different thickness are heated in two IR ovens in the production of a door structural part

Efficient and Precise Heating up of Thermoplastic Composites

Steuern, Regeln

Software

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Infrarotstrahler

Software-Based Control of IR Ovens

In the injection molding process, the screw-in blind rivet is one joining element with adequate one-sided accessibility, high strength properties and good economic efficiency. But what factors influence the strength of the bond between the semi-finished product and the molded-on blind rivet?

Fig. 1. The three steps of the joining process for a screw-in blind rivet connection

Study of the Factors Influencing the Strength of the Bond between a Thermoplastic Composite and a Screw-in Blind Rivet

Verbindungstechnik

Chemisches Fügeverfahren

Verbindungstechnik Verfahren

Universal-Prüfmaschinen für Zug, Druck und Biegung

Messtechnik

Werkstoffprüfung

Molding on a Joining Element

For efficient lightweight construction fiber-reinforced plastics with a thermoplastic matrix are increasingly being used. How can these so-called organo sheets be optimised?

Polyamide

Thermoplaste

Gewebe, technisch

Flammschutzmittel

Additive

Short fiber modification of matrix-rich zones of fabric-reinforced thermoplastic composites by in-situ melt impregnation – influence on quasi-static properties

Experts and researchers from Halle-Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt, Bayreuth, Nanchang and Zurich have managed to produce unique polymer fibers that are distinctive for being extremely resilient while also very lightweight.

Drawn a multifibrillar polyacrylonitrile fiber

Sekundärfasern

Lehrstühle und Institute

Dienstleistungen

Hochschulen

Polyacrylnitril

Werkzeuge für Faserverarbeitung

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Scientists from Saxony-Anhalt Create Super Polymer Fibers

Optics play an increasingly important role in plastic components. Glossy and even surfaces are decisive for an attractive appearance. With glass fiber-reinforced polyamides (PA), these requirements can usually only be achieved with an additional coating. A PA specially developed for surface design offers an alternative approach.

For visible components, an even, glossy surface is often desired, which is often difficult to achieve with glass fiber-reinforced PA. PA Grivory G7V from EMS now solves this problem

Aliphatic High-Performance Polyamide for Plastic Surfaces

Glossy Components without Painting

Thermoplastic tapes are expected to shape the next generation of thermoplastic composites. This calls for highly accurate tape stacking. Engel contributes this technology to achieve a breakthrough by combining high-precision control software with camera technology in tape stacking.

For high production efficiency, a tape stacking unit is best equipped with two robots and one camera station

Software-Based Tape Stacking with the Aid of Camera Technology Paves the way for Thermoplastic Composites

Anlagen zur Composite-Herstellung

Kameras

Fertigungsautomation

Bildverarbeitung

Automatisierungstechnik

Optische Mess- und Prüfverfahren

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

An Eye for the Essential

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are being used in more and more components. Their production is also becoming more and more effective. In the event of damage, however, business continues to be carried out manually. For this reason, greater automation is desirable when repairing CFRP. Automated laser processes could be one way of doing this.

Stepped scarfing on slat demonstrator: scarfing is a challenging step in CFRP repair

Automated Repair of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastics

Laserschweißen

Thermisches Fügeverfahren

Lasertechnik

Laser Substitute Manual Work

Threaded inserts ensure a secure connection of hybrid components. Under continuous load, effects can occur with thermoplastics due to pressure and temperature, which means that a durable screw connection is no longer guaranteed. Such effects can be prevented by thread inserts with a special surface structure.

Metal thread insert with surface structuring on both sides prevent settling behavior of thermoplastic polymers in multi-material components

Structuring of Surface Ensures Reliable Anchoring of Thread Inserts in Organic Sheets

Automotive

Elektronik

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Reduced Settling Behavior in Multi Material Components

A number of examination methods can be used to identify weaknesses caused by incorrect fiber orientation. In particular, the fiber volume content and fiber distribution permit conclusions to be drawn regarding the stiffness and tensile strength behavior. A new ultrasound method offers the flexibility to capture these parameters on the finished component.

Ultrasound coupling: a shear wave probe contacts a glass fiber-reinforced plastic test specimen via a viscous couplant

Methods for Determining the Fiber Orientation in Reinforced Plastics

Ultraschall-Sensoren

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Computer-Tomografie-Systeme

Optische Mess- und Prüftechnik

Ultraschallprüfgeräte

Röntgenprüfgeräte

Software für Optische Messtechnik

Groundbreaking Ultrasound  Shear Waves

Many people have good ideas and intentions. Few have the courage and determination to put them into practice. The young rezemo entrepreneurs Julian Reitze and Stefan Zender are one successful example. In 2019, some three years after their start-up was founded, the company was already producing well over one million compostable coffee capsules per year.

Sawdust and wood shavings from the woodworking industry, PLA as a binding agent – the recipe for ecologically compatible coffee capsules

A Start-up Produces Organic Coffee Capsules Made of Wood and Plant Starch in Millions

Biokunststoffe

Holz

Successful with Wood

Contribution to Infrared Welding of Plastics in Industrial Manufacturing

The infrared welding is a well-established process in the industrial production of parts in various applications. However, the complex emitter-material interaction, which influences the meltdown behaviour of the plastic parts, results in a high effort for the process setup. A smoking of the plastic parts is to observe in numerous industrial infrared welding processes. The correlations between the smoking of the plastic, its temperature and thermal-oxidative degradation as well as the mechanical properties of the resulting welds are unidentified yet. Furthermore, in industrial infrared welding processes often high changeover times and varying joining part temperatures are existent.

Therefore, within the present work the connections between the mechanical joint properties of infrared welds and the thermal-oxidative degradation of plastics are elaborated for the first time and two approaches for the gentle infrared heating are investigated. The findings prove that the thermal-oxidative degradation of the plastic substantially decreases the mechanical weld properties and needs to be taken into account when setting up the industrial infrared welding process. The welding in argon atmosphere and the use of an active infrared emitter power control, which ensures the heating of the plastic below the degradation temperature, lead to better mechanical weld properties. In addition, the outcome of this work shows that the influence of the temperature of the joining part is negligible regarding the mechanical joint properties, whereas changeover times greater than or equal to 5 s lead to a dramatical decrease in the mechanical properties. Another challenge is the infrared welding of fibre reinforced plastics. The butt welding of fibre reinforced thermoplastics is common practice and prevents the use of fibres in the joint plane due to the fibre deflection in this area. As a result, the overlapping welding of organo sheets is investigated as well. In order to produce large and complex parts with high stiffness made of organo sheets, two process variants on the basis of the infrared welding technology are developed, which can be used at the industrial scale to manufacture hollow bodies. The overlapping welds of specimens and in hollow bodes made of organo sheets, enable the fibre utilisation across the joint plane.

plastics welding, infrared welding, thermal-oxidative degradation, thermal analysis, infrared emitter power, butt welding, organo sheet, overlap welding, fibre reinforcement, hollow body