TOKYO — March 7, 2017 — Toho Tenax Co., Ltd., the core company of the Teijin Group’s carbon fibers and composites business, announced today that its German subsidiary Toho Tenax Europe GmbH (TTE) has developed a new compound, based on recycled thermoplastic carbon fiber material and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) thermoplastic. A serial aircraft “Wing Access Panel” was manufactured as a demonstrator part.

The closed-loop-concept from production residues via Tenax®-E COMPOUND to final part was the awarded winner at JEC Asia 2016 in the category “Recycling” in Singapore on November 16, 2016. At the coming JEC World 2017, Toho Tenax will exhibit its thermoplastic recycling solutions and several application options.

Compound

Tenax®-E COMPOUND rPEEK CF30 is a reinforced material combination of waste materials generated during processing of Tenax ThermoPlastics　and recycled semi crystalline PEEK polymer, which contains 30 percent carbon fiber by weight and offers a high performance in strength and stiffness for injection molding applications.

This compound has an almost identical performance to virgin standard material in terms of tensile modulus and strength, which also includes elongation, viscosity, chemical resistance, abrasion and a very low moisture to absorption ratio, to round off the highlight characteristics of this recycled material. The created value of this compound is linked to the combination of high performance materials as well as a low-cost price of 40-60 percent compared to virgin carbon fiber reinforced PEEK compounds.

In conjunction with its partners, an OEM Aircraft manufacturer and Sintex NP Group, we have demonstrated that a serial Aircraft “Wing Access Panel“ can be manufactured to prove the performance of the recycled granules. The Sintex NP Group was selected as the partner responsible for the part manufacturing process based on Tenax-E COMPOUND rPEEK CF30 and the assessment of material processability compared to today’s virgin material standards within their production processes. It was shown that it is possible to combine best performance with full manufacturing and design flexibility without any parameter adjustments in the production chain. This way Tenax-E COMPOUND rPEEK CF30 is able to reduce the part costs significantly.

TTE and Teijin Kasei Europe will cover the European market. “By separating the market into Aerospace, Industry and Automotive, both companies can use their strengths in the corresponding market segments”, so Falk Ansorge, Sales Manager Aerospace at TTE. TTE will concentrate on creating applications in the Aerospace field. Teijin Kasei Europe already supplies PC, PC/ABS and PC alloy compounds to various industries mainly for automotive applications, so that their product range is ideally widely expanded with Tenax-E COMPOUND rPEEK CF30.

ThermoPlastic Recycling Solutions

Toho Tenax developed three different ThermoPlastic Recycling Solutions: Compound, Chips and Crushed. They are reinforced material combinations made of recycled Tenax TPCL and Tenax TPWF and recycled semi crystalline PEEK polymer to offer high performance in strength and stiffness for injection molding applications.

Toho Tenax have been active for many years in the CFRTP market and intelligently developed the product range of Tenax® ThermoPlastics (TPUD, TPCL and TPWF). These materials offer a rapid production and processing, low scrap rates, high mechanical performance, strong chemical resistance and recyclability. The TPCL are qualified for the application in primary composite structures in the A350XWB aircraft, Airbus’s new-generation extra-wide-body midsize jetliner. In consideration of the aircraft production ramp-up and the increasing material consumption of these high valuable materials, efforts have been made to develop recycling solutions with an immediate effect. Toho Tenax’s intention was to develop a closed-loop-concept for the thermoplastic materials and to reconvert the exceptional properties of this high performance material combination.

Posted March 7, 2017

Source: Toho Tenax Co., Ltd.

USTER, Switzerland — March 7, 2017 — Yarn spinners already understand the importance of preventing contamination in their products. A total of 3,500 worldwide installations of Jossi fiber cleaning systems — now produced by USTER — is proof of that. The USTER® JOSSI VISION SHIELD solutions are highly effective at removing even the smallest contaminants, including polypropylene. For nonwovens producers, however, the risk of contamination is possibly even greater: in medical and hygiene applications, for example, quality standards are super-critical and zero contamination is essential.

Contaminated yarn is one of the spinner’s biggest headaches, potentially leading to customer claims and rejects when synthetic particles such as polypropylene (PP) remain undetected in cotton until the fabric reaches the dyehouse. Today, the range of Uster Jossi systems is proven to deal with this problem with unbeatable effectiveness, detecting and removing foreign matter from cotton at the spinning preparation stage.

Uster Technologies acquired Jossi AG in 2013 and now applies the Uster Jossi Vision Shield 2 and Uster Jossi Vision Shield T systems, using multiple detection principles to eject all polypropylene particles, however minute. The finest white PP contamination is reliably and efficiently detected with the Uster Jossi MAGIC EYE in combination with the Uster Jossi Vision Shield. Practically all types of foreign matter, including polypropylene and polyethylene, are eliminated by Uster Jossi Magic Eye, with a minimum of waste.

Special challenges for nonwovens producers

Compared to yarn spinning, nonwovens products and processes bring some special challenges and even more demanding requirements. Imagine, for example, a scratchy remnant of polypropylene in a make-up removal pad … or any kind of contamination in hospital products such as absorbent cotton, alcohol swabs, or nonwoven gauze. Such problems would be totally unacceptable. Not surprisingly, markets for medical and hygiene products in the USA, Europe and Asia are extremely quality-oriented.

With developments in man-made fibers, there was a trend about 25 years ago for nonwovens applications to switch from pure cotton to synthetics. Initially, consumers preferred the dry and light texture of synthetic fibers. In the last decade, however, many applications are seeing a return to pure cotton as the favored option, particularly where allergenic issues such as skin reddening and irritation are possible.

Manufacturers of nonwovens for these demanding end-uses now require an efficient contamination control system, guaranteeing a zero-tolerance standard – for defects bigger than 1 mm – in their products. In nonwovens, fiber cleaning is the only way to control contamination – unlike in spinning where yarn clearing can make a final check at the winding stage. Product quality in nonwovens therefore depends absolutely on the efficiency of the fiber cleaning system, which makes investment in the Uster Jossi Vision Shield system a logical step.

Nonwovens: Big In Japan

Most of the machinery for nonwovens hygiene products is made by Japanese companies and Japan itself plays a leading role in manufacturing goods for medical and cosmetic applications, as well as food packaging materials. “Japan is growing as a market for Uster fiber cleaning systems, thanks to these nonwovens applications,” says Oswald Baldischwieler, Product Manager Fiber Cleaning within Uster Technologies. “The combination of Uster Jossi Vision Shield and Uster Jossi Magic Eye supports the manufacturers to control contamination continuously at a high level.”

USTER at Index

The importance of the nonwovens sector for Uster Jossi systems is demonstrated by the company’s presence at the forthcoming INDEX 2017 event in Geneva (Booth no. 4418), the largest global meeting point for the nonwovens market. Uster believes that its technology which is already well known and appreciated in cotton spinning will attract wider interest at the exhibition from manufacturers of bleached cotton and other quality-critical nonwovens products. “With Uster Jossi Vision Shield and Uster Jossi Magic Eye, the whole production is checked, for every category of contaminants including synthetics,” says Baldischwieler. “Nothing can escape the detection power of these systems.”

Posted March 7, 2017

Source: Uster Technologies Ltd.

BORÅS, Sweden — March 7, 2017 — TeXtreme® is proud to announce that after several years of simulation and testing within the aero market, TeXtreme has been certified for use in commercial aero applications and qualified by a leading aircraft manufacturer.

HAECO searched for a material that would reduce weight and thereby enable significant savings in fuel costs for the airlines. HAECO turned to TeXtreme to help optimize its current seat design for weight, while still maintaining mechanical properties. TeXtreme used calculation, simulation and manufacturing support to help HAECO reduce the weight of the aircraft seat by almost 20 percent.

Andreas Martsman, vice president, Oxeon, said: “We work in close cooperation with our clients, giving them technical support, all the way from selecting the optimal reinforcement structure to making it work in the manufacturing process for the end product. When looking into the aerospace market the need for ultra-light products, that are designed to last, is growing. Together with HAECO the simulation results as well as our knowledge of advanced carbon reinforcements helped to produce a part which uses TeXtreme to achieve the desired significant weight savings.”

The TeXtreme Technology is established as the best choice for making ultra-light weight carbon fiber products. Novel TeXtreme materials are being used in aero and industrial applications, and by several major brands in the sporting goods market.

This part made of TeXtreme is now in production and is scheduled to be delivered in 2017.

Posted March 7, 2017

Source: Oxeon AB

STAMFORD, Conn. — March 6, 2017 — At JEC World 2017 taking place in Paris March 14-16, Hexcel will promote a number of composite innovations for aerospace, wind energy, automotive and recreation industries at Stand J41 in Pavilion 5A.

Among the aerospace displays will be an Airbus A320neo fan cowl for the LEAP-1A engine manufactured by Airbus Defense and Space using Hexcel HexPly® 8552/AS4 slit tape prepreg, HexFlow® resin and HexForce® woven carbon reinforcements. Hexcel is a major supplier of composite materials for the A320neo airframe and for both engine options, supplying carbon prepreg and engineered core components for the Pure Power PW1100G-JM engine. For the LEAP-1A engine by CFM International, Hexcel supplies HexTow® IM7 carbon fiber for all the fan blades and containment cases, in addition to HexPly carbon prepreg for the nacelles and engineered core for the inner trans cowl.

Later this year, Hexcel will start production at a new engineered core plant in Casablanca, Morocco, adding to existing engineered core facilities in the U.S. and Belgium. Engineered core is flat honeycomb that Hexcel forms, shapes, machines and/or bonds to create high quality core details and assemblies to precise customer specifications. Hexcel will promote engineered core at JEC World by displaying a main landing gear door by Daher for Gulfstream that demonstrates Hexcel’s expertise in splicing, forming and numerically controlled machining of honeycomb.

Hexcel has more than 25 years of experience in developing out-of-autoclave (OOA) technologies for aerospace, and vacuum infusion is now a key technology for future aerospace programs, helping to meet the cost targets and production rate challenges for large structures.

To meet the required performance for aerospace structures, Hexcel developed HiTape® carbon fiber reinforcements for the automated lay-up of dry preforms for resin infusion. At JEC World, Hexcel will display a C295 outer wing box demonstrator panel manufactured with HiTape® reinforcements by Airbus Defence and Space as part of the APOLO-Cleansky2 project. After the automated lay-up of HiTape® preforms for the panel stringer and spars, they were co-infused with Hexcel HexFlow epoxy resin in a cost-efficient, out-of-autoclave process. This part demonstrates that HiTape technology is an efficient composite solution for primary aircraft structures and a viable option to meet production rates and cost requirements for new aerospace programs.

Hexcel’s HexMC® molding composite is a high performance carbon fiber/epoxy material designed for compression molded parts, and Hexcel will display a single aisle wing access panel demonstrator manufactured from HexMC in a one-step process. HexMC technology enables the rapid manufacture of production parts with a fast cure cycle and net shape molding. The material accommodates thickness changes and allows the incorporation of an integrated stiffener.

Hexcel’s other promotions at JEC World will focus on a number of automotive technologies including a suspension knuckle made by Saint Jean Industries in which the aluminum structure is stiffened with HexPly M77 prepreg stacks. The addition of prepreg results in a 26-percent increase in stiffness compared to the aluminum-only knuckle, without any increase in part volume. The aluminum/CFRP hybrid version can be incorporated in the existing space restrictions, allowing just one part design to be used across all models in the range.

The CFRP increases the maximum strength before failure of the part, with optimum load distribution determined by Hexcel’s FEM calculations. Hexcel produces the net shape 2-D preform in less than one minute. The prepreg stacks are bonded to the aluminum with Redux® 677, Hexcel’s new fast curing film adhesive for the high volume processing of metal/CFRP hybrid structures. Redux 677 is designed for automated compression molding and is ideal for bonding metals, thermosets and thermoplastics with HexPly M77 prepreg.

Hexcel’s composite materials portfolio now includes HiMax™ multiaxial fabrics manufactured in Leicester, U.K. Hexcel will display a composite floor demonstrator manufactured for Jaguar Land Rover using HiMax carbon fiber multiaxial fabrics specifically optimized for high-volume composites manufacturing processes.

For this part, Hexcel created a non-crimp fabric with the optimum balance between drape, stability and permeability, using an automotive-grade standard modulus, high tow count carbon fiber. The high drape HiMax reinforcement conforms to the complex mold geometry of the part, minimizing the defects typically seen with standard materials, while its permeability is optimized to enable fast resin injection and cure times required for high volume manufacturing.

Polyspeed® pultruded carbon profiles are another new technology developed by Hexcel. These pre-cured, thick-ply carbon fiber elements offer an economical way of structurally reinforcing wind turbine blades and any other industrial application requiring load-carrying performance. Carbon fiber tows are impregnated with a thermoset resin and shaped and cured in a continuous pultrusion process, resulting in perfect fiber alignment and a smooth surface. The controlled resin and fiber content result in consistent quality, weight and mechanical properties including impact performance, fracture toughness and shear strength. This technology enables very large parts to be made with no restrictions on the part length, other than their transportability.

At JEC World, Hexcel will display a 2-meter diameter carbon laminate coil made from Polyspeed® carbon fiber pultrusion for the structural reinforcement of a wind turbine blade. Other industrial promotions on Hexcel’s stand at JEC World include the latest bike model from Trek bikes. The Trek Domane SLR 10 RSL is made with Hexcel’s HexPly fast-curing carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg that was specially developed for quick cure cycles for faster production in recreational environments without any compromise. It also gives improved toughness and impact performance.

Hexcel will also exhibit a wind blade section showing the various carbon and glass materials that Hexcel supplies for this industry. These include HexPly® M79 prepregs optimized for low temperature cure and fast cycle times, HiMaxTM dry non-crimp fabrics optimized for infusion technologies, and Hexcel’s cured carbon products for load bearing applications.

Technology Investments

In 2016, Hexcel made a number of investments to expand the company’s portfolio and support the development of next-generation, advanced composite technologies that provide improved material performance and light weighting solutions for aerospace and industrial applications. Carbon Composites Incorporated (CCI), Oxford Performance Materials (OPM) and Luminati Aerospace will be promoted via a video presentation at Hexcel’s stand at JEC, and representatives from all companies will be at the show.

Carbon Conversions Incorporated (CCI) is a leader in reclaiming carbon fiber from dry, wet, and cured structures and incorporating reclaimed carbon fibers in advanced materials that are used to make new, high-performance components. Working collaboratively, Hexcel and CCI will further advance aerospace and industrial applications for reclaimed carbon fiber, enabling the widespread commercial adoption of high-performance, recycled carbon fiber reinforced products and extending their lifecycle.

Oxford Performance Materials, Inc. (OPM) applies 3-D printing technology and high performance additive manufacturing (HPAM™) to produce fully functional end-use parts that combine structural strength, enhanced performance, weight reduction and time-to-market benefits for its customer base. OPM uses Hexcel HexTow carbon fiber in the production of 3-D printed advanced thermoplastic structural parts for aerospace, satellite & defense programs. Hexcel also entered into a supply agreement with Luminati Aerospace LLC to support the development of advanced aerospace materials and systems that target high-performance and multi-functional capabilities in future high-altitude long-endurance airplane designs and aerospace where thin ply advanced systems may be required.

Posted March 6, 2017

Source: Hexcel

LÜLEBURGAZ, Turkey — March 6, 2017 — Mogul has increased its nonwoven spunlace production by adding a cross-lapped spunlace line at its plant in Luleburgaz near Istanbul. The cross-lapped product, introduced under the brand name Durell®, supplements MOGUL’s existing production of Aqualace® parallel-laid spunlace. The new cross-lapped line brings high performance products into Mogul’s range of spunlace products.

Cross-lapped spunlace technology differs from parallel laid spunlace in that the cross-lapper forms a web by laying down the carded fiber at a 90° angle to the line’s direction.  In a parallel-laid process the carded fiber is laid down in parallel to the line’s direction.  Through this cross-lapping of the web the resultant spunlace achieves similar tensile strength in both machine direction (MD) and cross direction (CD).

With MD:CD ratios from 0.8 to 1.1 Durell finds use whenever multi-direction fabric strength is needed.

Examples of Durell applications include:

• Automotive (headliners, pillars);
• Wipes (restaurant and institutional);
• Wet wipes;
• Building materials;
• Medical;
• Artificial leather filtration;
• Personal care;
• Lamination;
• Home textiles;
• Low pressure injection;
• Promotional goods;
• Epilation pads;
• Printing media; and
• Disposable linens.

Generally spunlace is a growing technology in the nonwovens field, being the preferred fabric for wipes, and is also growing in technical and durable applications.  As a further value adding feature, Mogul’s Durell cross-lapped spunlace line includes in-line dyeing and chemical impregnation to provide capability to produce dye colored or chemically impregnated (water repellent, fire retardant, acrylic binder, etc.) fabrics.

Posted March 6, 2017

Source: Mogul