WIESBADEN, Germany — February 7, 2020 — Tailor-made large-scale fabrics production at SGL Carbon, ideally suited for highly efficient realization of rather plane components such as battery enclosures and many more.
- Composite battery enclosures for e-mobility;
- Flexible new leaf spring generation for rear axles;
- Innovative component designs for passenger airplanes, helicopters and air taxis; and
- Extremely lightweight and stable transfer beam for mechanical engineering.
At this year’s JEC World, the largest trade fair for composites held from March 3-5, 2020, in Paris, SGL Carbon will focus on the topic of serial production for the automotive, aerospace and industrial sectors. The key is customized solutions with individual component designs combined with tailored materials and production processes ready for large scale production. Under the motto “The Solution Provider,” the company will present selective innovative component solutions from all three areas in Hall 6, Booth D25.
“Thanks to our integrated value chain, from fibers to finished components, our Lightweight and Application Center, and our increasing portfolio of realized series-ready concepts, we offer our customers smart, tailor-made solutions all from a single source. In the future, we will increasingly apply our comprehensive expertise and highly efficient materials from the automotive industry into the aerospace and industrial sectors too,” explains Dr. Andreas Wöginger, Head of Technology of the Composites – Fibers & Materials business unit at SGL Carbon.
Selective applications with focus on serial production
In the field of automotive applications, SGL Carbon will present at the JEC World composite battery enclosures as a promising new application driven by increasing demand for electric vehicles and the resulting new flexible chassis platforms. The company demonstrates a prototype of a battery enclosure based on carbon fibers. However, hybrid composites with a mixture of glass and carbon fibers are also possible. In early January, SGL Carbon received a major order from a North American automotive manufacturer for the serial production of top and bottom layers for battery enclosures, with production to begin at the end of 2020.
In addition, SGL Carbon showcases for the first time a new leaf spring generation made of glass fiber composite that is used as a longitudinal leaf spring for the rear axle of the Ford Transit. In comparison to conventional leaf springs, the innovative composite leaf spring weighs up to 50 percent less while offering increased security standards and supporting a one-to-one compatibility with standard springs. The Ford leaf spring complements SGL Carbon’s large-scale production of transversal leaf springs for a great variety of Volvo models and the Mercedes Sprinter. In total, SGL Carbon has delivered more than 1.5 million leaf springs.
In the aerospace sector, SGL Carbon is also expanding its portfolio of realized projects and expertise relying on the trend to use more efficient materials and processes in this industry too.
In the area of primary structure components, the company will present a demo exhibit for the door frame of a passenger airplane realized in collaboration with external partners and based on 50k carbon fiber from the SGL Carbon, which is suitable for serial production. To further speed up its growth in the sector, the company entered into a development cooperation with Solvay at the end of last year to bring fiber materials for primary structural components based on large-tow carbon fibers to the market for the first time. Today, SGL Carbon already offers a wide range of semi-finished products for non-structural aerospace applications such as interior elements.
Additional submarkets in aerospace emerge for composite applications in small aircrafts, helicopters and air taxis. Here, SGL Carbon offers the full range of services, from engineering to finished components. On display at the JEC World is a carbon fiber-based concept for an innovative rotor arm for urban air mobility applications (air taxis) made with an innovative manufacturing technology. At the beginning of the year, the company started serial production of landing gears made of braided carbon fiber material, which will be used around the world in air taxis of an international manufacturer over the course of the next two years.
As an example for industrial applications, SGL Carbon will showcase at the JEC world a crossbeam made of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) used in automated Schuler press lines. Besides weight savings of up to 40 percent compared with conventional materials, the crossbeam made of composites features a high rigidity and strength, as well as a low thermal expansion and especially good damping performance, which in turn minimizes machine vibrations. The use of CFRP not only boosts the production efficiency of the system, it also increases lifetime, due to lower wear and tear expectancy.
Live simulations and intense exchange at the booth
On all three exhibition days, visitors to the SGL Carbon booth (Hall 6, Booth D25) can experience live how their ideas can be implemented both sustainably and cost-effectively in composites thanks to simulations. Experts from the company’s own Lightweight and Application Center demonstrate the path from the concept to virtual prototypes using simulation software, with the result visible either to the entire audience or just individual visitors. To prepare, interested parties can contact the team now at the following link: https://www.sglcarbon.com/anmeldung-jec.
On March 4, 2020, the SGL Carbon stand will host its traditional get-together for customers and friends starting at 4 p.m. – no registration necessary.
Posted February 7, 2020
Source: SGL CARBON SE
