2.5 million rivets in an Airbus A320
When it comes to CFRP processing, Prof. Dr. Herrmann sees a particular need for further advancements in joining technology, which by now is dominated by riveting. “It is - when you consider 2.5 million rivets in the case of an Airbus A320, for example - a real cost driver”, explains the CTO. “That’s because we need 2.5 million holes for the rivets; drilling these into CFRP, however, is a lot slower than into metal. This also drives up production costs.” Possible long-term options include the use of weldable thermoplastics and bonded CFRP structures, but the quality of those cannot yet be checked in non-destructive ways, he says. Therefore, he adds, alternatives are not on the horizon for now, because it usually takes many years until they’ve developed into reliable, officially approved and certified processes.Despite this yet-to-be-resolved detail, Germany is the clear global leader in CFRP technology, says Hermann. “Now we should also leverage this advantage on the macroeconomic level by establishing COMPOSITES EUROPE as a trade fair whose offerings attract interested prospects and visitors from around the world. That’s one of the reasons why we support this trade fair.”
Trade fair opening event: 3rd International Composites Congress (ICC)
Kicking off COMPOSITES EUROPE 2017 on 18 and 19 September 2017 will be the “3rd International Composites Congress (ICC)” hosted by the trade association Composites Germany. Current trends, new applications and technologies, and a comprehensive overview of market developments in Europe and worldwide will be the centre of attention at the 3rd ICC. This year’s partner country, South Korea, will be represented with several exclusive speakers.About COMPOSITES EUROPE
COMPOSITES EUROPE, the European Trade Fair and Forum for Composites, Technology and Applications, will take place in Stuttgart from 19 to 21 September 2017. The trade fair will showcase the full range of fibre-reinforced plastics, from raw materials to processing methods to lightweight construction innovations in automotive engineering, aerospace, boatbuilding, wind energy and construction. COMPOSITES EUROPE is organised by trade fair organiser Reed Exhibitions in cooperation with the European industry association EuCIA and the trade association Composites Germany, a coalition whose members include the industry associations and clusters AVK, CCeV, CFK-Valley Stade and the VDMA Working Group Hybrid Lightweight Technologies.Source: Composite Europe
