AVK The German Federation of Reinforced Plastics (Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe) presented its Innovation Awards on Tuesday 22 October 2024. The ceremony was held in Stuttgart, Germany, at the JEC Forum DACH.
AVK ( The German Federation of Reinforced Plastics ) held its innovation awards ceremony at the JEC Forum DACH 2024, organised this year in Stuttgart, Germany. The winners were chosen for their innovations in the field of composites by an expert jury of engineers, scientists and journalists in three categories: Products and Applications; Processes and Procedures; and Research and Science.
Innovations for products and applications
First place in the ‘Innovative Products and Applications’ category went to Thoenes Dichtungstechnik, Rauch Landmaschinenfabrik and the Institute for Lightweight Construction and Plastics Technology at Dresden Technical University. Their innovation is a lightweight fertilizer spreader frame made with thermoplastic carbon-PA6 hollow profiles. As part of the Le²Gro project this frame with a span of more than 36 consists of thermoplastic, continuous fiber-reinforced hollow profiles, which are manufactured using an advanced tube blowing process. This design reduces the weight of the frame by 43% from 2000 kg to 1140 kg, which reduces both fuel consumption and the ground pressure load and increases the payload capacity. In addition, the improved manufacturing technology enables greater efficiency in production and allows the integration of functions such as material conveying directly through the boom in the end section.The frame is connected by innovative metallic node structures which, in combination with thermoplastic load introduction elements, create a rigid and durable truss structure. The overall prototype was tested in 2024 and the aim is to launch it on the market in the coming years. It was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.
The second prizewinner in this category is Mitras-Composites Systems, which has developed the Green Guard bicycle box with its partner Leichtbau-Zentrum Sachsen. This secure bicycle parking facility made of composite material is modular and weatherproof. It has a lower CO2 footprint than its metal counterparts, and its design blends seamlessly into urban and rural landscapes.
Third place went to Spin Siebert&Schörner GbR, along with project partners University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), V-Carbon, CG TEC and Schmolke Carbon, for their project on recycled carbon fibres for load-bearing components for high-end racing bike frames. The aim of the project was to study the suitability and performance of recycled and oriented carbon fibres (rCF) for structural applications. A racing bike frame was chosen as an example of a structure subjected to high dynamic stresses as part of the German-Swiss project ‘RecyWind – Recyled carbon fibres in structural applications’ led by the Swiss partners FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and V-Carbon and the German partners SPIN, CG-TEC and Schmolke-Carbon. The aim of the project was to investigate the suitability and performance of recycled and oriented carbon fibers (rCF) with regard to structural applications. As an example of a dynamically highly stressed structure, a racing bike frame was selected as a demonstrator. The suitability of recycled carbon fibers was confirmed, the frame produced has comparable mechanical properties and, with a total mass of only 1050g, has a low and absolutely tolerable additional weight compared to new fiber frames. The developed racing bike frame can be certified as having race-ready properties and the total weight just under the limit (6.8 kg) of the UCI cycling world federation underlines the quality of the project result.
Innovative processes
Rehau Industries SE + Co KG and its partners Anybrid and CQFD Composites took first place in the ‘Innovative processes and procedures’ category thanks to their submission “Processing method of thermoplastic composites in a process chain for the production of components”. The process chain, consists in the production of thermoplastic pultruded and co-extruded profiles in combination with automated frame production using assembly injection molding. The first working prototype of a window element manufactured using this process was presented at this year’s Fensterbau Frontale 24 international window construction trade fair. The thermoplastic pultrudate with up to 85 percent glass fiber reinforcement by weight enables outstanding properties in key aspects and without any steel reinforcements. For windows in particular, dispensing with steel brings considerable advantages in terms of logistics, production and thermal insulation. Due to the thermoplastic nature of the profile, offcuts left over from the mitre cuts required in window construction can be regranulated and reused for window applications. The recycled material is processed into corner connectors by injection molding, which are inserted into the profiles before automated assembly. The production of short glass fiber reinforced extruded profiles is also possible. The window frames are assembled in a highly automated process using mobile injection molding, in which the corners are joined simultaneously by up to four robots, depending on the required productivity.
The second winner in this category was Netzsch Process Intelligence, in partnership with Rausch Rehab, ProKasro Mechatronik and RelineEurope. The project partners have developed a new method for the trenchless renovation of damaged sewer pipes to restore their watertightness. They have patented a process for monitoring the progress of hardening of the material along the length of the channel, which transmits the information to an evaluation unit in real time. The technology enables the active and dynamic control of the core feed speed based on the curing progress of the material in order to utilize the highest possible feed speed and avoid overheating the liner.For this purpose, a plastic layer, the so-called liner, is installed as a new pipe wall. The data of the cured liner measured in the channel enables correlation with quality assurance data such as the degree of curing, the modulus of elasticity and the residual styrene content.
Third place went to Fibron Pipe and its partners Ceyeborg and Kloos Systems, thanks to a new online quality control system based on artificial intelligence, to produce composite pipes. In their process, the existing QA systems have been supplemented using a completely new inline quality control system, the ATP (Automatic Tape Placement). In the case of using UD fiber tapes as a pressure-resistant reinforcement material, the primary concern is always the precise positioning of the tapes and the control of the tape tension during production. In addition to classic computer vision techniques, FibronPipe relies on state-of-the-art AI models which understand what the different regions in a camera image mean and how the control system must deal with them. If a gap dimension between the fiber tape layers is measured that deviates from the target value by more than 0.2 mm, the system reacts automatically and controls the axial adjustment of the drive motor, which regulates the respective fiber tape spool position.
Winners in the research and science sectors
The Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) took first place in this category with its “Processing of recyclable mono-material sandwich structures in large-scale production processes”. The award-winning research aimed to study the way of using recycled fibre-reinforced plastics in the same applications as those from which they are derived. The components were produced using the multi-morphology approach with just one thermoplastic material. The approach was implemented for recyclate-based PET and bio-based PLA. This involved optimizing commercially available, self-reinforced materials and foams and developing new joining, forming and functionalization processes suitable for large-scale production. A deep understanding of the mechanisms of action in the material, such as crystallization kinetics, cell morphology and melt viscosity, forms the basis of this approach. The developed process chain from semi-finished product to complex components was then validated using an automotive seat structure. The development was transferred from the technical center to industry through close cooperation with partners along the value chain, with potential applications in the sports and leisure sectors as well as semi-structural components in the mobility industry.
Second place went to the Faserinstitut Bremen e.V. for its ‘development of fine-fibre PEEK yarns with product-specific mechanical and thermomechanical behaviour’.The Faserinstitut Bremen has succeeded in developing fine-denier yarns made from the high-performance thermoplastic PEEK with product-specific mechanical and thermomechanical behavior. Blends of various PEEK materials with different molecular weights were developed by means of compounding. These blends were further processed by melt spinning into yarns with gauges of 50 dtex (50f18 or 50f36) and technical strengths of more than 70 cN/tex. The yarns developed were processed into twisted yarns on an industrial scale and used in the textile processes of embroidery, warp knitting and sewing. With the fine-denier PEEK yarns developed, a foundation stone has been laid for the optimal utilization of high-performance fiber composite structures – above all CFRP.
The Institute of Textile Machinery and Textiles at TU Dresden came third with its submission “Final contour-compatible multiaxial fabrics with variably adjustable reinforcement thread density”. It developed a unique retrofit module for multiaxial warp knitting machines that significantly increases the material and cost efficiency and sustainability of fiber-reinforced plastic composite (FRP) production. This technology enables the production of fabrics with locally adapted reinforcing warp yarn densities and weft yarn lengths, resulting in material cost savings of up to 35% – especially when using cost-intensive high-performance fibers such as carbon fibers. The innovation allows precise control of the thread placement so that warp threads can be specifically removed or reintegrated where they are needed. This enables near-net-shape production; waste is minimized by up to 90 %. The new modules have been specially developed so that they can be easily integrated into existing production environments. This makes them particularly attractive for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Experimental tests have confirmed the reliability and potential of this technology, which not only contributes to cost savings but also to a significant reduction in the CO₂- footprint of FRP production, particularly CFRP.
More Information at www.avk-tv.de
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