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Daimler, Toray develop carbon fibre parts
BUSINESS
Daimler, Toray develop carbon fibre parts
MAG establishes renewable energy unit
JAPANESE CARBON fibre producer Toray Industries Inc and German car maker Daimler AG have signed a joint development agreement (JDA) to develop automotive parts made of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP). The companies want to start using the carbon composite parts in Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz models within the next three years.
MAG INDUSTRIAL Automation Systems is forming a new Renewable Energy Business unit to design and build automated manufacturing systems for solar panels and wind turbine components. The business’s operations are based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and Kentucky, USA, and are headed by Dr Siegfried Schmalzried in Europe/Asia and Joe Jones in the Americas.
Under the agreement, Toray and Daimler plan to develop automotive components using High Cycle Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM), a CFRP moulding process developed by Toray. Toray will develop optimal CFRP materials, and handle the design and moulding processes. Daimler is responsible for developing technologies for joining of the
parts. By combining their respective technologies, the companies plan to develop a moulding method with significantly shorter moulding times. Toray has identified the expansion of its Carbon Fiber Composite Materials Business in the automotive market as one of its top priorities. Daimler has set a target of reducing the weight of the body-in-white up to 10% for all models under its Mercedes-Benz series compared with existing models, with the aim of improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. Daimler intends to expand the use of CFRP parts and the range of vehicles using these parts. Toray; www.toray.com Daimler; www.daimler.com
Ashland teams up with Turkish firm ASHLAND PERFORMANCE Materials has announced a toll manufacturing and distribution agreement with Boytek Resins of Turkey. Boytek currently distributes Ashland’s Derakane® epoxy vinyl ester resins in Turkey. Under the proposed agreement, Boytek will produce Ashland’s Aropol™ unsaturated polyester resins at its manufacturing facility in Cerkezkoy Tekirdağ, Turkey. Boytek also will add Ashland’s Maxguard™ gel-coats, Aropol pultrusion resins and Hetron™ fire retardant resins to its distribution portfolio in Turkey. Ashland will add Boytek’s resins to its resin and gel-coat portfolio to customers throughout Europe, with a specific focus on Central Eastern Europe.
www.reinforcedplastics.com
“With manufacturing capabilities central to strategically important growth markets in the region, this is a major step forward in supporting Ashland’s strong commitment to serving composites manufacturers, specifically in Central Eastern Europe,” says Stefan Osterwind, commercial director, Ashland Performance Materials, EMEA and India. Boytek is a private enterprise based in Istanbul. Its products include unsaturated polyester resins, gel-coats, vinyl ester resins and pigment pastes. Boytek; www.boytek.com.tr Ashland Performance Materials; www.ashland.com
“While our business unit is new, MAG itself is already firmly established in the renewable energy sector, having quietly built
a worldwide leadership position in automated manufacturing systems for solar panels, not to mention composites processing,” Jones says. “In recent years, we have pivoted our composites and machine tool automation businesses to concentrate on wind turbine components, too, allowing us to bring to market new systems for automated lay-up of composite wind blades, finishing, and root-end drilling, all of them based on proven technologies and modules.” MAG; www.mag-ias.com
3B focuses on value COMING OUT of the recession, European glass fibre manufacturer 3B says it is ready to pursue plans to globalise its business, focusing on markets where it can provide products with added value. The company was formed in November 2007 following Owens Corning’s sale of its glass fibre manufacturing plants in Battice, Belgium, and Birkeland, Norway, and in 2008 it was acquired by private equity firm Platinum Equity, which has invested in the business. Two and a half years on, 3B is in a good position, says Jean-Francois Santicoli, the company’s President: “We have demonstrated the credibility of our technology in the marketplace and have gone through a difficult financial time.” Last year was very difficult, Hugues Jacquemin, CEO of 3B, tells Reinforced Plastics, but the company has come out of the economic crisis very strong financially. Its focus during the recession has been to invest, in both technology and people.
3B offers a range of high quality glass fibre products for the reinforcement of thermoset and thermoplastic resins. It uses the Advantex® boron-free glass and HiPer-tex™ high performance fibre technologies. The company’s focus is on finding areas where it can add value. Recent examples of this include a new agreement with Nanocyl to develop carbon nanotube-based sizing for glass fibre reinforcements, and a continuous filament mat designed to produce pultruded parts with a better cosmetic appearance. Going forward, 3B’s strategy is focused on three business areas: thermoplastics; wind energy; and a number of speciality areas where it can provide added value - ballistics, high pressure pipes, electric, transportation, pipe relining, and fibre optics. The company also plans to globalise, supporting the growth of its global customers. This is likely to involve establishing manufacturing outside of Europe. 3B; www.3b-fibreglass.com
MAY/JUNE 2010
REINFORCEDplastics
Daimler, Toray develop carbon fibre parts
MAG establishes renewable energy unit
JAPANESE CARBON fibre producer Toray Industries Inc and German car maker Daimler AG have signed a joint development agreement (JDA) to develop automotive parts made of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP). The companies want to start using the carbon composite parts in Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz models within the next three years.
MAG INDUSTRIAL Automation Systems is forming a new Renewable Energy Business unit to design and build automated manufacturing systems for solar panels and wind turbine components. The business’s operations are based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and Kentucky, USA, and are headed by Dr Siegfried Schmalzried in Europe/Asia and Joe Jones in the Americas.
Under the agreement, Toray and Daimler plan to develop automotive components using High Cycle Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM), a CFRP moulding process developed by Toray. Toray will develop optimal CFRP materials, and handle the design and moulding processes. Daimler is responsible for developing technologies for joining of the
parts. By combining their respective technologies, the companies plan to develop a moulding method with significantly shorter moulding times. Toray has identified the expansion of its Carbon Fiber Composite Materials Business in the automotive market as one of its top priorities. Daimler has set a target of reducing the weight of the body-in-white up to 10% for all models under its Mercedes-Benz series compared with existing models, with the aim of improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. Daimler intends to expand the use of CFRP parts and the range of vehicles using these parts. Toray; www.toray.com Daimler; www.daimler.com
Ashland teams up with Turkish firm ASHLAND PERFORMANCE Materials has announced a toll manufacturing and distribution agreement with Boytek Resins of Turkey. Boytek currently distributes Ashland’s Derakane® epoxy vinyl ester resins in Turkey. Under the proposed agreement, Boytek will produce Ashland’s Aropol™ unsaturated polyester resins at its manufacturing facility in Cerkezkoy Tekirdağ, Turkey. Boytek also will add Ashland’s Maxguard™ gel-coats, Aropol pultrusion resins and Hetron™ fire retardant resins to its distribution portfolio in Turkey. Ashland will add Boytek’s resins to its resin and gel-coat portfolio to customers throughout Europe, with a specific focus on Central Eastern Europe.
www.reinforcedplastics.com
“With manufacturing capabilities central to strategically important growth markets in the region, this is a major step forward in supporting Ashland’s strong commitment to serving composites manufacturers, specifically in Central Eastern Europe,” says Stefan Osterwind, commercial director, Ashland Performance Materials, EMEA and India. Boytek is a private enterprise based in Istanbul. Its products include unsaturated polyester resins, gel-coats, vinyl ester resins and pigment pastes. Boytek; www.boytek.com.tr Ashland Performance Materials; www.ashland.com
“While our business unit is new, MAG itself is already firmly established in the renewable energy sector, having quietly built
a worldwide leadership position in automated manufacturing systems for solar panels, not to mention composites processing,” Jones says. “In recent years, we have pivoted our composites and machine tool automation businesses to concentrate on wind turbine components, too, allowing us to bring to market new systems for automated lay-up of composite wind blades, finishing, and root-end drilling, all of them based on proven technologies and modules.” MAG; www.mag-ias.com
3B focuses on value COMING OUT of the recession, European glass fibre manufacturer 3B says it is ready to pursue plans to globalise its business, focusing on markets where it can provide products with added value. The company was formed in November 2007 following Owens Corning’s sale of its glass fibre manufacturing plants in Battice, Belgium, and Birkeland, Norway, and in 2008 it was acquired by private equity firm Platinum Equity, which has invested in the business. Two and a half years on, 3B is in a good position, says Jean-Francois Santicoli, the company’s President: “We have demonstrated the credibility of our technology in the marketplace and have gone through a difficult financial time.” Last year was very difficult, Hugues Jacquemin, CEO of 3B, tells Reinforced Plastics, but the company has come out of the economic crisis very strong financially. Its focus during the recession has been to invest, in both technology and people.
3B offers a range of high quality glass fibre products for the reinforcement of thermoset and thermoplastic resins. It uses the Advantex® boron-free glass and HiPer-tex™ high performance fibre technologies. The company’s focus is on finding areas where it can add value. Recent examples of this include a new agreement with Nanocyl to develop carbon nanotube-based sizing for glass fibre reinforcements, and a continuous filament mat designed to produce pultruded parts with a better cosmetic appearance. Going forward, 3B’s strategy is focused on three business areas: thermoplastics; wind energy; and a number of speciality areas where it can provide added value - ballistics, high pressure pipes, electric, transportation, pipe relining, and fibre optics. The company also plans to globalise, supporting the growth of its global customers. This is likely to involve establishing manufacturing outside of Europe. 3B; www.3b-fibreglass.com
MAY/JUNE 2010
REINFORCEDplastics