Extrusion International 2-2018

18 Extrusion International 2/2018 INDUSTRY NEWS Commercial Production of Composites started Covestro begins commercial production of a novel light- weight, high-strength and aesthetically powerful material. The continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite material (abbreviated to CFRTP) can be produced efficiently and is attracting interest from many customers and indus- tries. To leverage this market potential, Covestro has significantly expanded its production capacity and developed the Franco- nian town of Markt Bibart into a location for high-tech mate- rials. It is located in the vicinity of renowned universities that conduct intensive research into the further development of composite materials. Covestro now employs 50 people in Markt Bibart, and further expansion is planned. Overall, the company has invested a mid-double-digit million euro sum. The demand for strong and light materials is growing world- wide. Composite materials (composites) made of fiber-rein- forced thermoplastics play an important role. They contrib- ute to climate protection and resource conservation, by that reducing energy consumption and offering powerful sus- tainability opportunities. The composite material of the future is based on continu- ous carbon or glass fibers impregnated with polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or other thermoplastic resins. From this, Covestro produces uni-directional rein- forced tapes and sheets for further processing by customers. These products can be tuned to infinite combinations, giving designers completely new creative opportunities. Another special feature of CFRTPs is that they feel and sound like metal, but offer the design freedom of plastics. CFRTPs are attracting interest in such diverse segments as the electrical and electronics industry, the automotive business, household appliance manufacturers and furniture produc- ers, medical technology, sports goods manufacturers, shoe producers and the luggage industry. The tapes and sheets products are delivered to customers all over the world for further processing. As the demand for new materials increases, value chains are quickly adopting the skills and know-how required to work with composite materials. The Covestro composite team works across this broad range of industries and helps to transfer knowledge from one industry to another, for enabling faster growth in this exciting sector. Dr. Michael Schmidt and David Hartmann are leading the CFRTP business of Covestro as Co-CEOs. Covestro AG www.covestro.com Subsidiary in China established Following the successful market entry of Evosys Laser GmbH in Germany, Europe and the USA, Evosys Laser GmbH was able to establish its own branch office in Asia. Managing Director Frank Brunnecker: “It was planned from the outset to provide our customers in China – mostly from the automotive and con- sumer electronics sectors – with on-site support. Due to the posi- tive business development, this step has now been implement- ed together with our partner DCT Co. Ltd.” Under the leadership of GM Andreas Kraus and COO Frank Sun, the subsidiary was officially launched on January 1, 2018 as Evosys Suzhou Laser System Co. The team of five employees is mainly responsible for sales and service, while a laser plastic welding machine of next generation is available for sampling in the own on-site technical centre. The new premises were opened on March, 13 as part of a small celebration ceremony. Evosys Laser GmbH Evosys Suzhou Laser System Co. Ltd. www.evosys-laser.com Evosys Erlangen, Evosys Suzhou and DCT celebrate the opening of the new premises of Evosys Suzhou Laser SystemCo. Ltd. together with customers and business partners