Press Releases

Essen. CRP as a high performance material for pioneering industries is booming. This trend is being specifically dealt with by the COMPOSITES EUROPE Trade Fair, which will take place in Essen from 23 to 25 September 2008. Numerous companies will display their innovative production technologies and processing procedures for the manufacture of CRP components there.

The processing of fibre compounds continues to be given top priority over the customary pre preg process. The innovative Vacuum Assisted Process (VAP) will also be a topic at the fair. The infusion technology for the infiltration and curing of fibre composite components under vacuum conditions, developed and patented by EADS Military Air Systems in Augsburg, achieves a 20 per cent saving of time by comparison with earlier pre-preg processes. In addition, it is more cost effective, requires less energy and consequently is also more environmentally friendly. A subsidiary of EADS, Flugzeug-Union Süd GmbH (FUS), from Ottobrunn, will also be present at Composites Europe.

Saertex GmbH & Co. KG from Saerbeck (North Rhine-Westphalia), which specializes in stitch bonded constructions, will also be an exhibitor at the fair in Essen, and will be offering the injection process worldwide as the general licensee. In the method which is also known as membrane-supported low-pressure infiltration engineering, the component to be infiltrated is covered by a gas and air permeable, micro porous membrane constituting a resin barrier. The pore size of the membrane is selected so that gas and air can pass unhindered to a chamber outside the membrane, in which there is a vacuum, from where they can be removed. The resin supplied within the membrane is held back and thus remains in the so-called injection chamber.

The production process increases flexibility during mass-production.  Exactly one year ago, the EADS factory in Augsburg supplied the first loading ramp for the new A400M military transport aircraft to Airbus in Bremen, which with seven times four metres is currently the largest aircraft component worldwide to have been produced to date with VAP technology. In addition, the process is used during the production of Flap Track components for the large A380 Airbus. In the meantime, VAP technology is also becoming popular worldwide where rotor blades for wind energy systems are concerned.

Increase in the production of fibre reinforced plastics
In their latest market survey, the experts of the German Association for Reinforced Plastics (Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e.V.) and Carbon Composites e.V. – both taking part in COMPOSITES EUROPE – state that there has been a noticeable increase in the production of fibre reinforced plastics. The consumption of CRP has thus increased considerably. As in previous years it was once again impossible to fully satisfy the demand.  At present the main demand originates from the manufacturers of wind power plants.  It is said that despite the rising demand for fibres, production is only growing slowly worldwide, so that bottlenecks will have to be expected for some time to come.

According to a survey by Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, the manufacturers of carbon fibres expect high growth rates. An annual increase in demand for CRP of 14 to 16 per cent is forecast until 2010.  This is due to the development of new applications over and above the previous use in the sports and leisure industries and in the defence sector.  The aerospace and wind energy industry are increasingly making their presence felt in the markets.

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