THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES | INNOVATION
to 5℃, as well as a reduction in cycle times of up to 25% depending on the material and size of the
organosheet. KraussMaffei is also currently involved in the early phase of a German governmental funded project on a completely new develop- ment concerning FiberForm technology, the start of which will be in early 2022. Develop- mental work on recycling and reuse of some or all parts of a thermoplastic composite component is also ongoing. The Fibre Direct Compounding (FDC)
process developed by Arburg enables inline compounding on an injection moulding machine, which allows the use of long-fibre materials, as well as combinations with continuous reinforced fibres. The company adds that the process allows im- provement of the mechanical properties of the component, especially strength and toughness, while saving material costs. One further benefit is that the material can be customised to the applica- tion. The fibre length, fibre content and material combination can be selected to match specific needs. In addition, recycled materials can be used. Mechanical properties are improved by overmould- ing continuous reinforced fibre materials. These can be organosheets, tapes or a combination. According to Arburg, the right combination of
materials is needed to achieve the necessary solution to substitute other materials. A successful substitution will only be possible with a holistic approach. It is not only necessary to focus on weight reduction, but also consider improving the mechanical properties, as well as producing economically and sustainably. That means not only the use of recycled material, but also manufactur- ing products designed for recycling. Material substitution is primarily driven by demand from customers. However, Arburg also actively cooper- ates with universities and industry partners with the common aim to develop new possibilities for design and to meet the technical requirements. Lanxess and Kautex Textron,
a Textron Inc company, have been collaborating to research whether battery housings for electric vehicles can be designed and manufactured from technical thermoplastics. Together, they have developed a near-series technology demonstrator in a feasibility study. With a length and width of around 1,400 mm each, the system is a technically sophisticated,
www.injectionworld.com Above: The Fibre Direct Compounding process from
Arburg enables inline compounding on an injection moulding machine, which allows the use of long-fibre materials, as well as combinations with continuous reinforced fibres
large-format all-plastic housing part with a weight in the mid-double-digit kilogramme range. The goal of the project was to demonstrate the advantages of thermoplastics over metals in terms of weight and cost reduction, functional integration and electrical insulation behaviour. Felix Haas, Director Product Development at Kautex Textron, says that as a first step, it has completely dispensed with the use of metallic reinforcement structures while proving it can commercially produce these complex large components. Dr. Christopher Hoefs, Project Manager e-Powertrain at Lanxess, adds that going forward, Kautex and Lanxess want to use the results of the cooperation to enter into develop- ment projects for series production with automo- tive manufacturers. The demonstrator was developed based on the
battery housing of a C-segment electric vehicle. It consists of a housing tray with crash structure, a housing cover and an underrun (underbody) protec- tion. The housing components can be produced in a single-stage Direct Long Fibre Thermoplastic (D-LFT) moulding process. Lanxess has optimised Durethan B24CMH2.0 polyamide as the material for the D-LFT moulding com-
pound. Kautex Textron compounds the PA6 for the process with glass fibre rovings. The local rein- forcement of the housing
Left: Lanxess and Kautex Textron have collaborated in a feasibility study to develop a near-series technology
demonstrator of a battery housing for electric vehicles that can be designed and manufactured from technical thermoplastics
January/February 2022 | INJECTION WORLD 21
IMAGE: ARBURG
IMAGE: LANXESS
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