– IPul technology makes the chassis 60% lighter but able to withstand high loads – high-speed production of profiles – meeting deadlines in challenging times. “We are making vehicles lighter. This will allow them to transport more with less energy. High cargo load.” This is the corporate philosophy of Carbon Truck & Trailer GmbH. The new iPul pultrusion system for lightweight structural profiles made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is one of the main reasons for the success of this company based in Stade, Germany. The newly installed pultrusion system is delivered by Pultrex (a subsidiary of KraussMaffei, UK), which produces profile parts for approximately 70,000 vehicle chassis each year.
When you choose Pultrex, the entire pultrusion system comes from a single source. The injection box is the core of iPul technology. Endless fiber roving is immersed in the matrix in the box to form a composite profile.
KraussMaffei and Pultrex demonstrated their pioneering spirit-not just by customizing system designs according to customer requirements.
KraussMaffei sales expert Wolfgang Shintz explained: “Despite all the obstacles, we managed to deliver and debug the system on time.”
When the system is ordered in mid-2020, the unpredictable political situation after Brexit and the consequences and other restrictions caused by COVID-19 are certainly unforeseen.
“The experience and dedication of the technicians and project managers helped to commission the system as planned,” Hinz added.
New location to meet growing demand
Carbon Truck & Trailer GmbH (Carbon TT) is located in the "CFK (CFRP) Valley" in Stade/Lower Saxony. This young company specializes in manufacturing carbon fiber-based chassis for light commercial vehicles. Now, CFRP experts have launched and operated a new highly automated iPul pultrusion system at their location in Buxtehude near Hamburg. The system is provided by Pultrex, a subsidiary of KraussMaffei. It produces a large series of CFRP profiles for high-load parts of vehicles such as buses, small trucks and mobile homes.
"The new iPul system allows us to manufacture components in tandem with consistently high quality. At the same time, the system provides us with another selling point of multi-axis pultrusion-a system like this has only five other systems in the world, "Carbon TT Managing Director Gerret Kalkoffen said.
Lighter weight and higher payload
"Our carbon lightweight structural solutions help meet the increasingly stringent requirements for sustainability, efficiency and safety. Especially for vehicles powered by batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, the material advantages provided by carbon fiber are more than just weight. "Kalkoffen explained. The CFRP chassis is about 60% lighter than similar steel chassis-this weight reduction reduces carbon dioxide emissions and increases payload and cruising range. In addition, the CFRP chassis can compensate for the extra weight of the electric vehicle battery and effectively protect the battery in the event of a collision.
Compared with the similar steel design produced at Carbon TT in Buxtehude, the weight of the chassis made of CFRP components is reduced by 60%. Pultrex's pultrusion technology is the technical basis for new products. (Photo: Carbon TT)
Pioneer of its kind
"Our customers are high-standard automotive original equipment manufacturers. Our own production system technology and service standards are also high," Kalkoffen said. "At Pultrex, we found a partner with decades of experience in the field of pultrusion. They cooperated with KraussMaffei to provide fast and reliable service."
The innovative gripper concept of the Pultrex system left a particularly positive impression.
“The gripper operates accurately and does not slip. This is necessary to ensure the consistent high quality of our complex CFRP profiles,” Kalkoffen said.
Successful startup: After initial commissioning, the CFRP substrate can be removed from the new iPul system in just a few minutes. Roving reforming, molds, grippers and system technology reliably produce high-quality parts. (Photo: Carbon TT)
When you do business with Pultrex and KraussMaffei, all system components-including mixing and metering technology, as well as injection and pultrusion technology-come from a single source. When service is needed, there is a central contact.
High-speed production-just in time
Carbon TT's customers set the production rhythm according to their order quantity and process requirements. This is where iPul technology can unleash its full performance potential. With a pulling force of 20 tons, the production speed can be as high as 2.25 m per minute. For large and complex profiles, pultrusion can even be operated in parallel up to 40 tons.
Pultrex's iPul pultrusion system is now in use at Carbon TT in Buxtehude near Hamburg. It produces heavy-duty CFRP profiles for the chassis of light utility vehicles.
In order to achieve wrinkle-free reforming of multi-axial rovings, Carbon TT developed its own roving guide and used it for the first time in a new system. The injection box can quickly and perfectly impregnate super-large materials with high wall thickness and fiber volume fraction. The fiber is immersed in an injection box with a polyurethane matrix, and then shaped into an approximate final contour shape. At the same time, the closed box can prevent any undesirable odors during the production process using the open bath.
The mold was adjusted and designed by Carbon TT, and the final geometry took into account spring-in and shrinkage. The profile is automatically trimmed to the final size by the system and then processed further.
Carbon TT develops and produces heavy-duty structural components made of carbon fiber reinforced plastics for the automotive industry, as well as corresponding production and assembly methods, to manufacture them cost-effectively. In cooperation with Volkswagen, StreetScooter and Daimler, various chassis designs have been successfully launched on the streets. Since 2019, the company has established a partnership with the Rheinmetall Group, with the goal of quickly and safely industrializing the developed components and processes. Here, Carbon TT has utility models and patents in component design, connection technology and automated production.
For more information about Kraussmaffei, please visit kraussmaffei.com.
The Carbon TT team, including Managing Director Gerret Kalkoffen (left), is proud of their new Pultrex iPul pultrusion system. (Photo: Carbon TT)
Vice President of New Machine Sales
KraussMaffei www.kraussmaffei.com 7095 Industrial Road | Florence, Kentucky 41042 | United States Phone: 1-859-240-4929 Email: [Email Protection]
Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter your email address.
Please select at least one newsletter subscription.
Plastic news is sent directly to your inbox for free, allowing you to easily grasp the latest information.
Plastic News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, collect data and provide timely information to provide our readers with a competitive advantage.
1155 Gratiot Avenue Detroit MI 48207-2997