Jun 11 2010
Within the last years, the industry has developed resins with new properties by using nanotechnology. Such resins can be microwave active, meaning, that they can be cured by irradiations of microwaves.
Using the new HEPHAISTOS-technology, thick glass fibre structures can be produced consistently and energy-efficiently. First prototypes of this black glass fibre material are now produced at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
The number of aircrafts built with plastic like materials increases. It is therefore important to find a glue that can – once cured - hold fuselages and wings together.
The use of nanotechnologically materials enables the industry to produce new microwave active resin systems. For the first time, thick glass fibre structures were cured fast, consistently and energy-efficiently using the HEPHAISTOS technology. The HEPHAISTOS technology was developed by scientists of the institutes for High Performance Impulse Techniques and Microwave Technology, Technical Chemistry and Materials Research of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) together with the partners BASF AG and Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc.
This opens up new fields of application for the HEPHAISTOS technology, such as aviation, wind power as well as boat building and automotive engineering.
It also brings new manufacturing capabilities and considerable potential for cost-saving concerning the production of glass fibre composites.