In times of continually increasing energy prices and global climate change, one catchphrase dominates public debate like no other: "energy efficiency". Whether in terms of production processes and propulsion technologies which conserve resources and reduce CO2 emissions, or environmentally friendly alternatives and possibilities for saving and generating energy, there are many who are already making a contribution for economic reasons alone, as is evident, for instance, among manufacturers of commercial vehicles and HGVs. Increasingly, these manufacturers are using lightweight materials for their superstructures, such as fibre-reinforced plastics, so as to decrease vehicles' kerb weight significantly, and thus to dramatically reduce fuel consumption. One of the major European producers of fibre-reinforced plastics is the medium-sized company LAMILUX, based in Rehau (Germany). This company's material LAMILUXplan, which is in demand among many manufacturers of HGVs, commercial vehicles, caravans and campervans worldwide, primarily stands out due to its high stability and mechanical impact resistance, while also exhibiting very low weight.

REHAU. – Naturally, the fact that these lightweight composite materials, with their extraordinary material properties, are now available and are being used ever more frequently, is good news for the purchasers of HGVs: the carriers and vehicle fleet operators who have to reach ever deeper into their pockets to fuel their vehicles, while experts expect that prices will continue to spiral in the foreseeable future. Thus, a clear trend is already becoming evident, which, for instance, is also driven by the EU's efforts to implement CO₂ emission targets in the transport industry: the role of fibre-reinforced plastics in vehicle construction is becoming increasingly important.

New, extremely firm, composite material

The most significant application of these composite materials is as robust, highly stable, and scratch-proof surfaces of sandwich panels. Foam in the panel core, with face sheets made of the material LAMILUXplan: construction elements of this type form an ideal basis for side walls, roofs and floors of HGV superstructures. LAMILUX will present a product specifically developed for these extreme applications (and for the heavy mechanical loads which they entail) to professionals and the public at the 62nd IAA Commercial Vehicles from 25 September to 2 October in Hanover (hall 27, stand D23).

LAMILUX High Strength X-treme, as the new plastic is called, is a laminate with a new composition, in which the reinforcing fibres are implemented in a multiaxial arrangement. The result is an extremely firm and rigid thermoset composite material, which also exhibits a low specific weight. Due to the high stability of LAMILUX High Strength X-treme, the layers of sandwich elements can now be made thinner, which means thinner wall thickness and thus a noticeable weight reduction. Naturally, this product also has all the other advantages of fibre-reinforced plastics: it is extremely resistant to hail and corrosion, and can be remodelled and repaired very easily.

Market stimuli from lightweight vehicle construction

Dr. Gerd Puchta, manager of the LAMILUXplan "Fibre-Reinforced Plastics" Research and Development Department emphasises what is probably the most important advantage of the product: "With regard to the face sheets, there was always a dilemma, in that the thinner the surface material is made, the denser and thicker the foam layer in the sandwich panel had to be, in order to achieve the necessary stability." But with LAMILUX materials, which are highly firm and rigid, even with low thickness, he says that it is indeed possible to make highly stable and insulative panels, even with low overall foam density. "With this new product, we have made a decisive step from the simple face sheet to the construction material," adds Stefan Bachstein, LAMILUXplan technical manager.

"Primarily fibre-reinforced materials, which comprise high-performance components in their matrix and reinforcement, are currently dominating the market due to their excellent chemical and mechanical resilience, and their long service life," continues Bachstein. Thus, he expects that on the medium to long term, the main stimuli for lightweight vehicle construction will come from the use of new materials. This is also confirmed by market surveys conducted by the German Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK), which show that the growth in production of fibre-reinforced plastics is primarily due to the unusually high increase in the proportion of GRP used in HGV manufacture. According to the AVK: "Already now, the demand from the transport industry commands one third of the market for fibre-reinforced plastics from Europe."

Noticeable fuel savings and reduced emissions

Also the Fraunhofer Society has already been addressing the subject of "saving energy with lightweight construction" for quite some time. Their conclusion is that composite fibre materials are the ideal materials for reduction of weight and for fuel savings. "Due to the lower weight, the vehicles' loading capacity can be increased in comparison to conventional materials such as aluminium and sheet steel," adds Stefan Bachstein.

For example: for an HGV in the 7.5-ton class, with a permitted payload of 3.5 tons, the use of fibre-reinforced plastics in the sandwich panels in the roof and side walls can reduce the kerb weight by around 200 kilograms. In turn, this means that the payload can be increased by 200 kilograms for each haul, so every 18th journey has already been completed in the previous ones. If a distance of 100,000 kilometres is covered per annum, fuel consumption decreases by around 1,375 litres of diesel, and CO₂ emissions drop by 3.6 tons.

Prize-winning, environmentally friendly production process

The fibre-reinforced plastics produced at LAMILUX in a continual manufacturing process, on flat conveyor plants of over 100 metres in length, are already on "the light and easy way to fewer emissions" during production. With a process that was awarded an environmental innovation prize by the German Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK), the CO₂ emissions have been reduced by 70 percent, and the energy consumption by 50 percent. The exhaust air is burnt in a thermally regenerative purification system, without any damage to the environment, and the resulting thermal energy is used for hardening the panels.

About LAMILUX Heinrich Strunz GmbH

For more than 50 years, Heinrich Strunz GmbH has been producing fibre-reinforced plastics, as well as daylight systems made of plastic, glass and aluminium, under the brand name LAMILUX. In the company division LAMILUXplan - Fibre-Reinforced Plastics, this medium-sized company is in a leading position throughout Europe due to its technologically outstanding continual manufacturing process. LAMILUXplan supplies customers around the globe, in the fields of vehicle manufacture, campervan and caravan manufacture, cold store and cold cell manufacture, the construction industry, and many other industry segments. With 400 employees, LAMILUX was again able to increase its turnover in 2007 and earned 107 million euros. The headquarters of Heinrich Strunz GmbH is situated in Rehau, Upper Franconia, Germany.


Press release as MS-Word file


Pictures:

- Picture 1, picture 2 and picture 3: pictures of the production of fiber reinforced plastics.

- Picture 4, picture 5 and picture 6: application examples for the commercial vehicle industry 

- Picture 7: Awarded purification system; reduced CO2 emissions and energy  consumption by 50%. 

- Picture 8: LAMILUX product quality with multiaxial fabric: LAMILUX High Strength X-treme 

- Picture 9: Manager of the LAMILUXplan research and development department: Dr. Gerd Puchta

- Picture 10: Technical manager of LAMILUXplan: Stefan Bachstein 


Press contact:

LAMILUX Heinrich Strunz GmbH
Michael Ertel
Press department
Zehstraße 2
95111 Rehau
Germany
Telefon: +49 9283 595-270
Telefax : +49 9283 595-290
E-mail: michael.ertel(at)lamilux.de