Dear Readers,

Welcome to our 10th edition of NewsLIGHT - the newsletter from the international AZL Lightweight Network. After finalizing our joint study on “Composites in Buildings and Infrastructure”, we are excited to introduce our upcoming Joint Market and Technology Studies “High-Performance SMC” and “Energy Storage Systems” (read more below), and invite you to join. Returning from two exciting B2B networking events at the automotive show IAA and in Poland, we are now looking forward to three Workgroup Meetings in November 2017, and the final meeting for the Interdisciplinary BMBF cooperation project "OPTO-Light" in January 2018.

Enjoy reading news from our Partner Companies, Partner Institutes and our joint Partner Network Activities.

Your AZL Team:
Michael Emonts, Kai Fischer, Michael Effing

Aliancys and BÜFA help Haase to make Adblue® Storage System for German Reichstag building. More...

Dyneema® Carbon: Bringing lightweight performance & improved safety to sports equipment and automotive & motor sports applications. More...

Diehl Aircabin and EconCore combine to develop aircraft interior modules based on thermoplastic honeycomb. And: Toyota adopts lightweight honeycomb solution based on EconCore’s ThermHex technology for latest hybrid model Prius PHV. More...

The “GRP-Mobil” app is available for Android and IOS and displays the most important key figures of the user’s machines on a smartphone, tablet, or Apple watch. The user can individually choose what key figures and machines he wants to see directly on his mobile device. More...

Gurit achieves visual carbon prepreg qualifications. Gurit’s SC 110 and SC 160 have been selected for their ability to obtain a perfect visual quality surface. More...

New high-temperature-stabilized polyamides | Flame-retardant thermoplastics for electric mobility | Lightweight design with hybrid technology and thermoplastic composites | New polyamides for blow-molded air ducts. More...

Mitsui Chemicals developed UD-Tapes based on CF and PP with specially developed carbon fiber sizing and modified PP compound for improved fiber matrix adhesion and higher mechanical properties. More...

mk Versamove is a modular transfer system for transporting pallets that is optimally adapted to customer requirements. It can be used in practically every area of automation and throughout the material flow. More...

Can a lightweight component add brand value to a finished product? What role plays the brand of a part in a BtoB decision making process? What strategies can suppliers develop to leverage their position? More...

Nowadays highly developed technologies support users in almost all sectors of the injection molding industry. The correct usage is a guarantee for a balanced management between cost, quality and profitability during every stage of product, tool and process development. More...

SKYi Composites, a global leader in long fiber thermoplastic materials and technologies, has introduced new product line of Long Carbon Fibre (LCF) composites pellets. More...

Aiming at more efficient production of hybrid lightweight components, Fraunhofer ILT develops in cooperation with ten partners from five countries in the European Project FlexHyJoin a fully automated production cell with integrated on-line process control. More...

As part of the EU »ambliFibre« research project, 13 international partners under the direction of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology in Aachen, are developing an Industry 4.0 compliant, highly flexible and at the same time extremely reliable control concept for production systems. More...

Tailored Prepreg - Cost efficiency through partially impregnated Tailored Non-Crimp Fabrics. And: Local Application of Binder for improved Draping of textile Preforms. And: Induction based heating system for a pultrusion process: InduPull. And: Shape-specific design of the draping process for Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) components. More...

Over 100 industry partners and faculty members met in Aachen on 5th October, 2017, to discuss exciting challenges and new ventures for smart Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). More...

1st AVK Innovation Award for the connection of fiber-reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic material – Join the Final Meeting

AZL and its project partners of the Interdisciplinary BMBF cooperation project "OPTO-Light" were awarded with the AVK Innovation Award in the category “Research and Science”. On January 18th, 2018, the project partners will present the developed photonic-enabled production of thermoset CFRP functionalized with overmoulded thermoplastic during a public final meeting in the technical laboratory of AZL in Aachen. More…

Open to join: Energy Storage Systems – Study on Technological Key Enablers

AZL Aachen GmbH, in cooperation with RWTH Aachen University and CONBILITY® GmbH, launch an international Joint Market and Technology Study which provides a detailed market insight in technologies and the variety of energy storage systems. Companies seeking new business opportunities in the field of energy storage systems are invited to join. The BVES Bundesverband Energiespeicher e.V. (German Energy Storage Association) supports the targets of the study. More…

Kick-Off Meeting: Market and Technology Study “High-Performance SMC”

AZL together with IKV has started a study to provide in-depth knowledge on SMC applications and technologies, key challenges and technological solutions for establishing High-Performance SMC. The Kick-Off meeting to this study took place on September 12th and entailed the planed project content, expectations and topics of participants, discussions of deliverables and structure for documentation, prioritization by participants and discussions about external experts and procedure for integration. The study is open to join. For more information see…

Final Report Meeting of the Market and Technology Study “New Potentials for Composite Technologies in Buildings & Infrastructure”

The market and technology study has helped to turn out 438 applications, which were allocated to 20 different market segments and 66 sub segments, to so-called technology trees which systematically document the applications for each sub segment, to a catalogue of 40 main challenges. Subsequent to the study, the AZL together with the participating companies, decided to start a Workgroup called “Composites in Buildings and Infrastructure” and working further on these topics. Read more here.

AZL Partners visiting Poland

Last week,  the AZL with its AZL Business and Premium Partners connected with Polish companies involved in composites during the AZL Composite B2B Event in Krakow. With a mixture of on-site visits and presentations with many networking opportunities, the two-day event provided a platform for exchange and networking of Polish companies and the AZL industrial Composite Network and provided insights into the European and Polish market for composites. Read more

Laser in Composites Symposium at Fraunhofer ILT

Fraunhofer ILT in collaboration with the AZL will present latest developments and state of the art applications in laser processing of composite materials. The symposium aims to bring together specialists from laser manufacturers, process engineering and the industry to exchange the newest results and future prospects. More...

3D Metrology Conference on October 9th - 11th

3DMC is a conference and exhibition dedicated to the application and development of 3D measurement technology for industrial, scientific and cultural purposes. After the successful start of the series in Aachen in 2016, the organizing committee is dedicated to open the forthcoming second event to an even broader audience. 3DMC 2017 will again be hosted in Aachen. More...

29th International Colloquium Plastics Technology in Aachen from February 28th to March 1st

For more than sixty years, the IKV Colloquium has been successfully promoting the communication and transfer of innovations in the plastics industry. Scientific assistants from the Institute will speak in 36 papers about ongoing research projects at IKV, while well-known industry experts will underline the practical relevance of the research results for the industry. The fact that the IKV papers reflect the full breadth of the Institute’s research is key here. More...