In cooperation with the Bavarian leading-edge cluster MAI Carbon of Composites United e.V., SGL Carbon invited partners and guests from industry and research to an Innovation Day at its site in Wackersdorf, Germany, on February 1. In addition to around 100 guests from research and industry, representatives from regional politics also took the opportunity to gain an insight into current developments in the field of economical and sustainable fiber composite production and the SGL Carbon site in Wackersdorf.
Focus on sustainable production
The Innovation Day focused on the production of carbon and glass fiber fabrics as well as glass and carbon nonwovens. Natural fiber fabrics are also increasingly being used for the production of fiber composite parts. "Components made of fiber composites combine enormous robustness with low weight and thus offer unique advantages, for example in the production of modern automobiles," explains Adam Drozny, Site Manager of SGL Carbon in Wackersdorf. "As in all areas of daily life and industry, the focus is increasingly shifting to sustainability in addition to the economic efficiency of production."
In his keynote speech, Thomas Dippold, CFO of SGL Carbon SE, placed this development in the context of SGL Carbon's overarching strategy. "Innovative strength creates access to new markets. This is demonstrated by the development of our Business Unit Carbon Fibers from an automotive supplier to a partner for innovative fiber composite products for a wide range of applications. For us, innovation always means combining technology and sustainability," he emphasizes.
Presentations by partners Bcomp Ltd, Hightex Verstärkungsstrukturen GmbH, Polynt Composites Germany and the Thüringisches Institut für Textil- und Kunststoff-Forschung e.V. also focused on the question of how fiber composite components and their preliminary products can contribute to sustainability.
The SGL Carbon site in Wackersdorf in the spotlight
The SGL Carbon site in Wackersdorf in Bavaria's Upper Palatinate region is part of the Business Unit Carbon Fibers. Here, around 140 highly qualified employees are dedicated to the production of fabrics and nonwovens made of carbon, glass or natural fibers. The diverse product range of more than 150 product variants is rounded off by the further process step of stacking. Here, different layers of scrims are laid on top of each other according to customer specifications, cut into stacks and joined together. These stacks are then processed by customers into preforms or finished components.
Every year, SGL Carbon produces around 8,000 tons of carbon, glass and natural fiber fabrics at the Wackersdorf site. Three stacking machines with a capacity of more than 2 million stacks per year are added. The products from Wackersdorf are used in a wide variety of sectors, but primarily in the automotive and aerospace industries.
Several recycling plants enable the reuse of production residues that cannot be avoided due to the process. All plants run on green electricity.
