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Plastics Discovery Tour

Fakuma

The demands placed on electric car batteries are high. In one project, function-integrating, lightweight solutions for the components were developed.

The battery reference system in a Mercedes-Benz EQS platform design.

16:9

Antriebsbatterien

Elektromobilität

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Flammschutzmittel

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Designing the Car Battery of Tomorrow

Engineering meets freerider: OST develops virtual model for the development of alpine skis.

The right mix of flexibility, weight and rigidity is essential for a freeride ski to cope well with difficult terrain. The geometry determines the lift in deep snow.

Messtechnik

Finite Methoden

Sportgeräte

Simulation instead of Field Tests

The composite materials currently used in cars are often not recyclable. Mercedes has therefore recently started using mono-material sandwiches.

As a reference part for the natural fiber-based multi-material approach used in series production and the recyclable PET mono-material sandwich, the bending-loaded door pocket of the door panel of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was used.

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Leichtbau

Polyethylenterephthalat

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Not Only Lightweight,  But Also Recyclable

Circular economy with CFRP: strategies for recycling carbon fiber waste as holistically as possible.

Examples of various carbon fiber materials, including fabric, short fibers and recycled carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (rCFRP) compounds.

Recycling

How the Circular Economy Works with Carbon Fibers

Wood can also be used as a basis for plastics and can be processed into reinforcing fibers. But are these fibers also suitable for technical components?

The reinforcing effect of the fibers was investigated on wood fiber nonwovens, among other things.

Fasern

Holz

Renewable Reinforcement Fibers

Artificial intelligence methods and digital material characterization are revolutionizing process simulation for composite materials.

Particularly in the field of material and process development, there is an increasing shift of experimental work into the virtual space. The combination of conventional numerical methods with machine learning techniques offers great potential. Click for full view.

Simulation Produkt- / Formteildesign

Prozesssimulation

Machine Learning

Analysetools, FEM

Digitalisierung

KI (Künstliche Intelligenz)

From Fiber to Component – the Vision of Digitized Process Development

Three processes for the functionalization of thermoplastic profiles.

In-situ pultrusion (left) is used to produce profiles (top right), which are then functionalized (bottom right). 

FRP profiles / lightweight construction / e-mobility for special vehicles with small series

Kunststoff-Profile

Automotive

Fügen / Verbinden

Modular Battery Kit for a Fire Engine

New simulation method for the production of fiber-reinforced plastics: why the IKT relies on phased array ultrasound technology (PAUT).

Resin Transfer Molding

Ultraschallprüfgeräte

To Know What Happens in High-Pressure Resin Transfer Molding Tools

FRPs are more difficult to recycle than unreinforced polymers. This changes when they are reinforced with polymer fibers instead of conventional fibers.

A major advantage of self-reinforced plastics is that they can be used in the morphology best suited to the application.

Additive

Lightweight Design with  Just One Material

Combination of 3D-printed polymer structures and near-net-shape organic sheets for complex, high-performance mono-material components.

Examples of 3D-printed lightweight components with and without NNS structures.

Combination of 3D-printed polymer structures and near-net-shape organic sheets for complex high-performance components.

Verfahren für die additive Fertigung

Additive Fertigung

Only the Component Is Complex

The life cycle assessment of FRP metal components is often moderate. This can be improved by using bioplastics and natural fibers.

As a demonstrator for the bio-hybrid components, a composite beam with an integrated metal insert with an omega profile (left) was manufactured. This was connected to the bio-FRP and a rib structure made from the bio-injection molding compound was molded on (right).

Biokunststoffe

 Sustainable Lightweight Design  with Bio-Hybrids

The European composites market 2023 – AVK presents developments, trends, challenges and outlook

AVK‘s Composites Europe 2023 market report highlights developments, trends and challenges. It‘s a look into the future.

AVK presents current developments and trends for the European composites market.

Faserverarbeitung

Markt & Wirtschaft

The Market Is Declining

With more than 200 exhibitors and six regional pavilions, Germany is taking a prominent position at JEC 2024 – we provide an small overview.

With over 200 exhibitors, Germany is one of the major lightweight construction nations at JEC 2024.

Composites Solutions “Made in Germany“

Large quantities of textile waste are generated every year. Part of it could be used as low-cost and bio-based reinforcement fibers.

Textile Waste Becomes Plastic Composites

Material composition in view: Compounder Akro-Plastic has developed a method for quantifying warpage in additive manufacturing.

3D printed: Friederike Schwartz and Michael Rieck from Akro-Plastic checking the quality of a part made of a flame-retardant compound.

Compounder Acro-Plastic explains how fiber reinforcement can help.

Polyamide

Polypropylen-Compound

Compoundieren

Staying Grounded

One challenge in the product and process design of UD tape-based components is the exact knowledge of the drape behavior. At IKV, a guideline was developed.

UD-Tapes

Targeted Characterization of UD Tapes for Forming Simulation

Good mechanical properties, heat dissipation and EMI shielding are required for electrical equipment. This can be achieved with special fibers, for example.

AluCoat metal-coated basalt fibers are available as chopped fiber, yarn, fabric and fleece. 

Functional Sheath for Reinforcing Fibers

In new joining processes for FRP, their matrix is heated. Predicting the effects of this process is possible with the appropriate simulation.

The prediction of the heating behavior of FRP is very interesting for modern joining techniques.

Simulation of Composites’ Heating

Freudenberg Performance Materials to present extended range of solutions for the composites industry at JEC 2023 in Paris.

Kunststoff

Enka Solutions Additions to Portfolio

The K 2022 offered an immense range of innovations and application examples for – and with more – sustainable materials. Interestingly hereby was that bio-based versions were extremely popular.

Shoes made from waste gas: genetically modified bacteria produce ethanol from waste gas, which is then used to create plastic, e.g. for the Cloudprime shoes from On.

Thermoplastische Elastomere

Silikone

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

Masterbatches

Polyethylen

Streifinger, Florian

Polylactid

Effektpigmente

Polypropylen

Silikonkautschuk

Is Bio the New Standard?

Asahi Kasei, Kitakyushu College and Tokyo University of Science have developed a new technology for recycling carbon fiber plastic compounds.

Kohlenstofffasern / -matten

Closed-Loop Recycling System for Carbon Fiber

At the Institute of Polymer Materials and Plastics Technology at the Technical University of Clausthal the requirements of the process were investigated, especially with regard to the necessary preparations and conditions of the plant periphery.