SGL to get funds to make carbon fibre for thermoplastics
July 22, 2015 - Germany
SGL Group is set to receive funds of just under €1 million from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the development of a new type of customized carbon fibre for thermoplastic applications.
The research project linked to the funding, by the name of MAI CaFeE (Carbon Fibre with enhanced Elongation), was launched back in April this year and will run until June 2017. The goal of the project to develop a carbon fibre with significantly increased elongation and an optimized surface structure adapted to the existing sizing system.
Tilo Hauke, head of research at SGL Group said, “We are very pleased about the funding. It shows again, that SGL Group’s research and development is addressing the important issues and questions in the field of carbon-fibre-based applications.”
The total funding for the project of €2.9 million has been allocated as part of the BMBF’s Leading-Edge Cluster funding program, in which, as one of the fifteen technology networks in the Germany-wide initiative, leading-edge cluster MAI Carbon (Munich, Augsburg and Ingolstadt) supports promising projects for the development of carbon-fibre composites.
The MAI CaFeE research project under the management of SGL Group is also being promoted by the two project partners, the University of Augsburg and the BMW Group. To guarantee a timely test in a surrounding close to the final application, the newly developed carbon fibre will be tested by the BMW Group, according to a company press release.
Thermoplastic fibre composites as a new type of material class offer several new opportunities for the application and processing of carbon fibre materials. They enable, for example, shorter cycle times, weldability, reparability and re-use, thereby offering the customer cost and processing benefits. (GK)