Positive prospects for 2011: composites industry heading for success
The composites market is booming again. Last year the industry clocked up production volumes corresponding to the record levels of the period prior to crisis year 2009. This finding comes from the current European market report of the Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK), which was published in autumn 2010. According to the report, over one million tonnes of fibre-reinforced plastics were produced in 2010.
Glass-fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) still account for roughly 90% of production output in this sector. They are used primarily in the construction and automotive industries. However, the market report anticipates significant growth opportunities for carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP).
The important role that carbon will play in the future is also demonstrated, for example, by the cooperation agreements that major auto-makers concluded last year with the world’s largest producers of carbon. These companies are already planning to make supporting structural elements and large bodyshell components out of composite materials.
Automotive industry: CFRP components for electric cars
This development is opening up a new dimension for the automotive industry. Although carbon components have been used for decades in racing – for example, to produce especially light and stable monocoques for racing cars – CFRP components have rarely been used in high-volume vehicle production. One reason for this is their complicated production. Carbon-fibre reinforced plastics are manufactured in a multistage high-tech production process. Nevertheless, they are particularly attractive for development engineers designing vehicles with electric motors or hybrid engines. Structural components made of CFRP are not only especially light, which therefore enables them to compensate for the high weight of batteries, but CFRP components also absorb shock energy particulary well. In this context, the American industry research organization Automotive Composites Consortium says that composites can absorb approximately 100 kilojoules of shock energy per kilogram, compared with a total of only 25 kilojoules for steel. The intelligent use of composites in vehicles can therefore also increase passenger safety.Aircraft construction: CFRP share set to increase further
The aircraft industry is and will remain a major growth driver for CFRP. Composite materials’ share of an aircraft’ overall weight shows just how important they have become in this sector. It is currently between 15 and just under 40%. This figure is expected to rise to up to 60% in coming years. Vertical tails, wing surfaces and even fuselages will then increasingly be made of CFRP materials.
LMT working for “Composite Excellence”
The increased use of composite components not only in the automotive and aircraft industries, but also, for example, in the wind power sector naturally presents new challenges for the production processes involved. The reliable and efficient processing of these materials is an important factor in productivity. Alongside new techniques, such as water jet cutting and laser cutting, traditional machining continues to play a central role. Here, however, fibre delamination and overheating, for example, are major problems. Additionally, the highly abrasive character of these materials means the tools have to be optimally protected against wear and tear to achieve the required operating times. LMT offers a diverse range of powerful standard and specialized tool solutions with special blade geometries and specific cutting materials such as PCD or solid carbide in combination with diamond- and nano-coatings. At AMB 2010 the LMT Group launched its Composite Excellence initiative to concentrate its competences in this growth market and thereby present the broadest range of applications for the machining of plastic and composite materials.