Thermoplastic Composites, an invitation for co-operation Louis Jetten / Jos Lobée Neuss 15 Februari 2016
DPI Value Centre Funded by Ministry of Economic Affairs, now moving to other business model Support innovation at SME s in the polymer industry - Frequent contact with innovative SME s - We know what is going on - Build networks and clusters - Support startups - Start, support and manage joint development projects - Service on demand
Composites in The Netherlands TU Delft and TU Twente R&D centers TPRC Enschede, NLR Markenesse, BMC Geleen, DCMC Woensdrecht Multinationals and SME s Examples: - Ten Cate a range of TPC used in the aircraft industry - Stork Fokker Glare, aluminium composite laminate
Thermoplastic composites What is thermoplastic composite? What is happening in The Netherlands? How can we work together across the border?
Composites and TPC Mother Nature developed excellent composites e.g. wood Thermoplastic composites: affordable stiffness, strength and impact Major TPC developments in the 1980 s, now the innovation is the combination of the TPC materials with automated injection moulding Composite growth figures have been high in the last decade We believe TPC will boost these figures, mainly in automotive applications
Best of both worlds
Composite properties The fiber is determining factor Glas Carbon Steel Polymer Modulus (GPA) 70 200 400 200 1-2 strength (GPA) 1,5 3,5 1,6 4 0,4 2 0,05-0,1 weight (kg/m3) 2500 1700 8000 900-1300 Keep in mind fiber volume and direction
Comparing TPC with Thermosets Thermosets: - Low viscosity resin, easily penetrating fibre material - Chemical bond to the fibre surface Thermoplastics - Viscous melt, wetting is difficult - Polymer modifications needed to get adhesion => Pre-impregnated materials, allow short cycle production
Thermoplastic composites - A family of materials and processing techniques
Impregnation with thermoplastics Fabric - Solvents method - Film stacking - Double belt press UD-Tape and Long Fiber granules - Impregnator head on extruder
Thermoplastic Composites Length of the fiber is a key determining factor: - Stiffnesss, Strength, Impact - TPC has >10 mm fiber length Fibers are supplied in several materials, forms and weights/m2 - Glass, Carbon, Aramid, Basalt - Seizing - Fabric weave types: plain, twill, satin, random, Uni Directional Thermoplastic composite engineering requires composite and thermoplastic technology
Advantages of Thermoplastic composites Processing is fast: heat, shape, cool Welding vs. adhesive bonding Recycle by hacking and re-melting Combine with other processes especially injection moulding
A range of technologies A new combination of technologies and partners - Impregnation of fibers - Fiber Matrix interaction - 3 D forming of thermoplastic composit semi finished products - Heating and handling of inserts, process automation - Adjusted tooling - Engineering of a new generation of composit structures - Adhesion / welding of a melt on a semi finished product - Warpage, managing thermal expansion differences - Part testing - Maintenance and repair
Trend watching Kunststoffe Düsseldorf K2010 one supplier K2013 three suppliers Arburg, Engel, Kraus Maffei with automatic running production units K2016???
Drivers for composites and TPC - Reduce CO2, increase fuel efficiency in automotive and aircraft - Deep water oil-gas drilling - Increased comfort, reduce fysical efforts - High pressure containers for CNG and Hydrogen - Increased attention for recycling - Performance vs. weight and vs. cost
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
BMW i3 en i8
A few examples
Cato CI formed inserts and TPC projects Cato
AFPT tape placement equipment AFPT : Tape placement 10 30 kg per uur
Pipelife Soluforce: 150 mm diameter 180 bar
Airborne Oil & Gas pipe up to 2500 m depth
DTC hot shaped aircraft parts
KVE induction welding composites
Van Wees impregnation and cross ply machinery
Polytec LFT and D-LFT automotive parts
Brightlands Material Center, Geleen Open innovation center Shared R&D programmes, projects Infra structure people and equipment R&D will be based on in depth thermoplastic polymer knowlegde. Planned are 4 PhD s. Lightweight Automotive is one of the three focus area s DPI Value Center is supporting the building of BMC. OP Zuid project
OP Zuid: Cluster development project DPI Value Center in 2014 / 2015 set up Cluster project in OP Zuid, name Proeftuin Thermoplastic Composites EFRO Regional EU subsidy, aimed at sustainable infrastructure and co-operation Project budget M 5,5 Project period Q2 2015 Q2 2018
Cluster development project 11 industrial partners of which 9 SME work packages: - Injection moulding test tool for adhesion on TPC based on exchangable cavity plates in standard housing - Co-operation to form a supply chain - Recycling carbon fiber in injection moulding compounds - Bullet resistant panels car armour - Design and engineering know how, library of parts -
Possible future applications TPC Moving systems - Automotive, scooters, bicycles - Airoplanes, drones - Buggy s, wheel chairs - Machine parts Portable systemen - Measing devices, tools - Sporting goods, care market Pressurised systems Piping, couplings, storage tanks
Possible material replacement Curently used materials: Die-cast aluminium Metal assembly s Thermosets Thick wall injection moulded products
Joint development NRW NL - Europe is the global technology leader in TPC - TPC is a young industry, part manufacturing capacity is being built - Part developments are much more complex, co-operation is likely and smart - Investments are high, solid engineering know how is a must - Topic is hot, funding with subsidy is often possible - Many EU subsidies require international co-operation
Thank you!