Goal of the project 'New Polymer Composite Materials' is the development of an inexpensive and high-quality alternative to glass-fiber reinforced plastics and engineering plastics like PC/ABS.
This goal has been prompted by an increasing demand for light-weight, inexpensive technical
plastics, particularly in the area of automotive construction. We aim at the development
of new injection-moldable fiber-reinforced composites with inexpensive thermoplastic
commodity polymers as matrix materials and cellulose man-made fibers as the reinforcing
component. Thus, we want to produce sandwich constructions for light-weight automotive
planking and use these new composite materials in higher load bearing automotive parts, e.g.
dash board carriers and breastwork parts. Simultaneously, "Cellulosic Nonwovens for
Technical and Hygienic Applications" is planned as a new business field for the Fraunhofer
Gesellschaft.
The material development orientates on technical parameters and operational areas of glass
fiber reinforced polymers and technical plastics like PC or ABS, respectively.
The Alliance of three institutes provides a unique concentration of far-reaching competences
in the fields "Cellulose Fibers, Polymer Technology, Construction Engineering' and 'Material
and Component Assessment".