Page 43 - Research Report 2021 - Institut für Leichtbau und Kunststofftechnik

ReCar

Development of a modular heating system made of recycled carbon fiber
nonwovens for use in forming and preforming tools

In order to open up new applications of recycled carbon fibers (rCF), the Period
project ReCar aims at the development of a novel heating system made of 01.01.2020 – 30.06.2022
rCF nonwovens. Therefore, a comprehensive characterization of the electri-
cal properties of rCF nonwovens, among other things, was performed at the Project management
beginning of the project. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Niels Modler

Based on the preliminary investigations a prototypical heating element in form Contact
of a flexible mat was developed along with the corresponding manufacturing Ron Luft
process. During this multistage method rCF nonwoven cuttings are electrically Tom Dziewiencki
contacted and embedded in silicone. The resulting heating mat shows both
high flexibility and high surface quality. Project partners
• eco2heat GmbH
Semi-finished products can be heated and formed simultaneously by applying • Plasta Kunststofftechnik
the flexible heating mat. One-sided forming and preforming tools were de- Oederan GmbH
veloped based on this method followed by the conduction of forming exper-
iments of thermoplastic sheet material as well as fixation of textile preforms Funding
by binder activation. The required shaping took place in a membrane press.
Integration of sensors into the heating mat and a costum-made control inter-
face with temperature regulation enable control of the process temperature.

As the project continues, a modular combinability of the rCF heating elements
as well as another preforming tool with permanently integrated rCF nonwov-
ens will be developed and validated. Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and
Climate Action (BMWK): Central Innovation
Programme for SMEs (ZIM)
Funding code: ZF4024716DF9
(a) heating (b) Managed by:
mat

sensor AiF Projekt GmbH, Subsidiary of the
German Federation of Industrial Research
Associations “Otto von Guericke” e. V. (AiF)
preforming tool

(c) Preforming tool with applied heating mat
inside of a membrane press (a) and flexible
rCF nonwoven heating mat with embed-
ded temperature sensors (b). Preform –
unidirectional carbon fiber non-crimp fab-
ric – manufactured by heating mat and
preforming tool (c).

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