MOSCOW (MRC) -- Injection molding technology group Engel Holding GmbH has signed a partnership agreement with fiber preform machinery group Fill GmbH to cooperate on composites manufacturing, said Plasticsnews.
The two companies, both based in the Upper Austrian region, will work together to produce "turnkey solutions for the industrial manufacturing of fiber-reinforced plastic components," they said in a news release. "The aim of our partnership is to meet the demands of the market even more effectively and drive the industrialization of composite processes forward even faster," said Franz Fureder, vice president of Engel Austria’s automotive business unit. "We are delighted that in Fill we have found a partner whose technologies are also the world's best and who, like Engel, prioritizes research and development."
Fill, based in Gurten, Austria, makes a wide range of machinery, including metal machining and polyurethane processing equipment. For the automotive sector, it has developed resin transfer molding (RTM) technology as well as its Preformliner technology which converts two-dimensional fiber textiles into three dimensional forms. BMW AG uses Preformliner and high pressure RTM equipment from Fill in producing carbon fiber-reinforced plastic components for its BMW i3 and i8 cars.
Engel indicated the key role that fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) is playing in development of automotive lightweight construction. "At the moment, the biggest challenge is developing economic processes for the mass production of innovative composite parts," it said.
Injection molding could be a means to achieving lower process costs, and Schwertberg-based Engel said its system and automation expertise will now be enhanced by Fill’s expertise in the area of preform manufacturing and processing.
Engel has been involved in collaborative work with partner companies, universities and other research institutes in the field of automotive lightweight construction for a number of years. In 2012 it set up its own technology centre for lightweight composites at its large-scale machine factory in St. Valentin, Austria.
As MRC wrote before, Engel Holding GmbH announced a partnership with PME fluidtec GmbH of Germany in the field of water injection technology (WIT). The companies will work together on client-specific systems and worldwide sales.
Engel is, as a single brand, the largest producer of injection moulding machinery worldwide and a leader in the field of injection moulding technology. Engel"s integrated systems solutions include injection moulding machinery, automation, process technology, tool design, training and service. Engel supplies 50% of all large-scale machines and 35% of the small to medium-sized machines with automation included, and the figures are still rising.
MRC