From idea to transfer
Center for Textile Lightweight Engineering
Technical Equipment
On an area of over 1,500 m², the Center for Textile Lightweight Engineering combines classic textile technology and innovative systems for composite production. The technical equipment on a semi-industrial scale enables both small pre-trials and the production of small series. The installed equipment in the research and test field are linked with a process control system, so that comprehensive data acquisition and evaluation is possible. The combination with the recorded consumption data, such as electricity, gas and compressed air consumption, as well as the environmental conditions, enables ecological and economic assessments of the done developments.
Any questions?
Your contact
Christopher Albe, M. Sc.
Group Manager Center for Textile Lightweight Engineering
Phone: +49 371 5274-241
- A cutting and tearing machine to convert different kinds of textile waste material (consisting of high performance fibers) into processable staple fibers
- Fibre opening and blending, fibre sizing
- Web forming by use of monocharges or blends with synthetic and/or natural fibers based on the carding process or airlay process
- Inline mechanical bonding methods: needle-punching and/or stitch-bonding
- Inline quality monitoring systems
- Determination of fibre orientation by using NOS 200
- Determination of basis weight and thickness by using Qualiscan QMS-12
| Processable fiber length | 30 - 120 mm |
| Working width | 500 - 1.000 mm |
| Working speed | max. 5 m/min |
| Possible area weight | 40 bis 1.500 g/m² |
| Veprocessable materials | carbon fibers, glass-, basalt- or natural fibers and blends with PP, PA, PES, PEI, PPS, PEEK |
- Consisting of staple fibers (100 % carbon fibers or fiber blends)
- Inline bonding method to obtain a strand-like product
- Production of cylindrical tubes resp. flanged bobbins
| Processable fiber length Working speed Diameter | 60 - 100 mm 4 - 10 m/min 8/12/16 mm (Hotmelt) |
- rCF-suitable Cetex Lab-Spinning-Machine (LSE-C)
| Processable material Spinning process Number of spinning stations | Slivers or roves Ringspinning process (Siro/Core) 6 |
- carding, stretching and tape production by using fiber blends (rCF, natural fibers, thermo plastic fibers)
| Processable fiber length Tape area weight Tape width Working speed | 60 - 100 mm 100 - 600 g/m² ¼ - 12 inches 4 - 20 m/min |
- High precision circular saw
- Band saw
- NC-milling machine
- Different grinding machines
| Cut surface Cutting heads | 1.600 x 1.350 mm draw blade, active or passive roll knife, oscillating knives |
- Vacuum injection system
- RTM technology (cold or warm curing)
- Vacuum infusion incl. VAP®-method
- Up to 300 °C
- Continuous organic sheet production
- Manufacturer: Rucks Maschinenbau GmbH, Glauchau
| Working width Max. press capacity Temperature range | 610 mm 2.000 kN up to 450°C |
| 6 unwinder Position and pressure controlled or combined managment system | |
- For static pressing operations
- Manufacturer: Rucks Maschinenbau GmbH, Glauchau
| Max. press capacity Press area Max. temperature Heating rate Cooling rate | 2.000 kN 900 x 600 mm up to 420 °C up to 20 K/min up to 20 K/min |
| Press area Max. temperature | 320 x 320 mm 400 °C |
Fields of application
Research News
MC4 Project
"Multi-level Circular Process Chain for Carbon and Glass Fibre Composites" (MC4) is a European partnership having started in April 2022. It is a project consortium of 15 partners, including STFI, investigating circular approaches for the reuse of carbon and glass fibre composites. It develops process technologies and quality assurance methods that enable the economic recycling of carbon and glass fibre components. MC4 focuses on various reuse and recycling processes along the life cycle of composite components.
Contact
Dipl.-Ing. Romy Naumann
+49 371 5274-186
Email
Dipl.-Ing. (BA) Marcel Hofmann
+49 371 5274-205
Email
Art and Technology
GROUNDED – Carbon nonwovens in a different way
"Daniel Hölzl creates in GROUNDED a special link between the two worlds of art and technology by consistently implementing the idea of sustainability. With great attention to detail, he takes visitors up into the air before grounding them again with the harsh reality of recycling."
Marcel Hofmann, Head of Textile Lightweight Engineering at STFI
Apart from wax, carbon nonwovens are the main components the exhibited works are made of. The recycled materials form the basis of the raw material being reused demonstrating how circular economy can function.
Latest publication
Research report on FutureTex project HPF clothing has been published
Volume 69 of the series "Research Reports from the Faserinstitut Bremen" has been published. It shows the results of the HPF Garnitur project which was completed in 2022. In addition to the presentation of the results, there is further information on publications and short descriptions of the partners involved.
The book is now available under ISBN 978-3-75624-201-6.
Contact
Dipl.-Ing. (BA) Marcel Hofmann
+49 371 5274-205
Email
Completed projects
Title | Duration | Editor |
|---|---|---|
11/2019–04/2022 | K. Heilos | |
04/2020–03/2022 | M. Hofmann | |
Unidirektional verstärkte Thermoplaste | 11/2018–02/2022 | C. Albe |
11/2018–07/2021 | C. Albe | |
09/2017–07/2021 | P. Franitza, M. Hofmann | |
11/2018–04/2021 | M. Hofmann | |
04/2020–03/2021 | N. Preßler |
Cooperations & Networks
