#Composites

2024-02-22

STFI presents lightweight construction innovations at JEC World in Paris

At this year's JEC World, STFI will be presenting highlights from carbon fibre recycling as well as a new approach to hemp-based bast fibres, which have promising properties as reinforcement in lightweight construction. Visit us at the joint stand of the Saxony Economic Development Corporation and talk to our team of lightweight construction experts.

Green Snowboard

At JEC World in Paris from 5 to 7 March 2024, STFI will be showcasing a snowboard from silbaerg GmbH with a patented anisotropic coupling effect made from hemp and recycled carbon fibres with bio-based epoxy resin. In addition to silbaerg and STFI, the partners Circular Saxony - the innovation cluster for the circular economy, FUSE Composite and bto-epoxy GmbH were also involved in the development of the board. The green snowboard was honoured with the JEC Innovation Award 2024 in the “Sport, Leisure and Recreation” category.

VliesComp

The aim of the industrial partners Tenowo GmbH (Hof), Siemens AG (Erlangen), Invent GmbH (Braun-schweig) and STFI united in the VliesComp project is to bring recycled materials back onto the market in various lightweight construction solutions. The application fields "Innovative e-machine concepts for the energy transition" and "Innovative e-machine concepts for e-mobility" were considered as examples. On display at JEC World in Paris will be a lightweight end shield for electric motors made from hybrid nonwovens - a mixture of thermoplastic fibre components and recycled reinforcing fibres - as well as nonwovens with 100% recycled reinforcing fibres. The end shield was ultimately manufactured with a 100% recycled fibre content. The tests showed that, compared to the variant made from primary carbon fibres using the RTM process, a 14% reduction in CO2 equivalent is possible with the same performance. The calculation for the use of the prepreg process using a bio-resin system shows a potential for reducing the CO2 equivalent by almost 70 %.

Shield for drive motor in the rail vehicle sector © 2024 STFI

Bast fibre reinforcement

To increase stability in the plant stem, bast fibres form in the bark area, which support the stem but, in contrast to the rigid wood, are very flexible and allow slender, tall plants to move in the wind without breaking.A new process extracts the bast bark from hemp by peeling.The resulting characteristic values, such as tensile modulus of elasticity, breaking strength and elongation, are very promising in comparison with the continuous rovings made of flax available on the market.The material could be used as rein-forcement in lightweight construction.At JEC World, STFI will be exhibiting reinforcing bars that have been processed into a knitted fabric using a pultrusion process based on bio-based reinforcing fibres made from hemp bast for mineral matrices.

Meet STFI in Paris

The green snowboard from silbaerg, the bearing shield for the electric motor and the bast fibre reinforce-ment can be seen together with other STFI research highlights from 5 to 7 March 2024 at the JEC Group in Paris in Hall 5 at Stand D107 of the Saxon Textile Research Institute e.V. (STFI).Together with its partners Cetex Institut gGmbH, Chemnitz University of Technology - Institute of Lightweight Structures (IST), LSE-Lightweight Structures Engineering GmbH, it will be at the joint stand of Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH and looks forward to seeing you there!

The region of renewable raw materials: Central German Alliance for Bioplastics

The development of sustainable plastic solutions is rapidly gaining importance in light of global environ- mental pollution, dwindling fossil resources and ambitious climate protection targets. As part of the re- gional alliance RUBIO, which brings together 18 partners from central Germany and the Berlin-Branden- burg area, the bio-based and biodegradable plastic polybutylene succinate (PBS) was comprehensively investigated, starting with the raw material, through the manufacturing process, to industrial application.

17th Colloquium on Recycling for Textiles with accompanying trade exhibition in Chemnitz

On 3 and 4 December 2025, the 17th colloquium on recycling for textiles will take place at the Hotel Chemnitzer Hof. The event brings together experts from industry, science and research to present and discuss current developments, technologies and business models for a sustainable circular economy in the textile industry.

Kendyr as a climate-friendly cotton alternative: STFI explores new value chains for salinised land in Central Asia

In large parts of Central Asia, decades of cotton irrigation have led to severe soil salinisation, with serious consequences for soil fertility and the future of cotton cultivation. An international research consortium, including the Saxon Textile Research Institute (STFI), has therefore investigated the potential of alternative fibre plants. The focus was on Apocynum spp. (kendyr), a bast fibre plant that can thrive on saline soils. The aim: to restore the agricultural use of former cotton fields and establish new textile value chains in the region.

Tour de LOOP Exclusive specialist trip to Chemnitz – textile art and design in the European Capital of Culture 2025

The European Capital of Culture 2025, Chemnitz, opened its doors to textile designers, textile artists and experts from the fields of fashion, art and textiles: the Tour de LOOP on 26 and 27 May 2025 took participants on an exclusive professional tour of one of Europe's most traditional and innovative textile regions. 19 visitors from Europe explored Chemnitz and its textile region. They came from the Nether- lands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and Germany.

Engineering depth and diversity for composites

Airbond is the latest member of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) to receive recognition for contributions to the composites industry. The engineering firm based in Pontypool, South Wales, has just received the Make UK Energy and Sustainability Award for its Lattice 3D Printing project.

Sustainable, lightweight, and sound absorbing: Polyester-based front trunk solution for BEVs

As car manufacturers look to further reduce their carbon footprint, Autoneum has developed an innovative front trunk solution for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), made entirely from polyester-based textile. The Ultra-Silent Frunk offers significant weight reduction, improved acoustic and thermal insulation, and uses up to 70 percent recycled material, supporting sustainable and efficient vehicle design. Autoneum, global technology leader in acoustic and thermal management for vehicles, has already received orders for the new frunk from three major OEMs in Asia and Europe to be built in three BEV models. Series production for two BEVs has been underway in China and Germany since last year.

Modern testing methods for raw cotton

The 38th International Cotton Conference Bremen will take place from 25 to 27 March 2026 at the Bremen Parliament. This conference has traditionally stood for in-depth expertise and international exchange. The program will focus on technical innovations, market trends, and regulatory frameworks across the entire value chain – from agriculture to the circular economy. With high-profile speakers, the conference is regarded as the key meeting point for the global cotton industry. Today’s focus: Cotton quality and testing methods.

Rieter responds to higher raw material prices

Global political and economic developments have been leading to rising raw material and energy costs for some time. The textile machinery industry is also affected by this trend. Rieter machines and components consist to a large extent of steel, copper, aluminum and electronics. These materials in particular have seen higher demand and higher prices in recent months.