Natural Fibre Composites - · PDF fileA UK-owned producer of natural fibre non-wovens 90% automotive, 5% construction, ... Fibre property Flax E glass Basalt S2 glass Carbon Density

www.ecotechnilin.com Natural Fibre Composites

www.ecotechnilin.com

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A UK-owned producer of natural fibre non-wovens

90% automotive, 5% construction, 5% aerospace

Turnover 2014: 10.5M€; 40 employees

French non-woven factory established in 1995

UK Technical Centre set up in 2007

Very innovative: several pieces of associated IP

Non-wovens are sustainable, affordable and lightweight

Expanding into Eastern Europe, Mexico & North America

EcoTechnilin

Accepted European market leader in natural fibre non-wovens


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Cultivation Fibre Preparation Consolidation into mats

Part forming by Tier1 End user applications

Process overview

Automotive Aircraft

Non-wovens made by ET Flax grown by farmers Fibres extracted by coops

Impregnation/Coating

We advise on the whole process but this is our core activity


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Yvetot, France Needle-punch plant

EcoTechnilin locations

Huntingdon R&D facility

Biocomposite expertise Group HQ

Non-woven expertise + fibre knowledge


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Non-woven production

EcoTechnilin deliveries

Non-woven distribution Current automotive projects

Today


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Thermoplastic non-wovens flax/PP or glass/PP production

Flax/PP from 600 to 2400 g/m2

• 30% lighter than injection moulding

• Cold tools => lower investment

• One-shot process => faster process

We produce FibriPlast for the following vehicles:

Door panels Trunk trim Instrument panel Parcel shelves Mercedes E class Opel Insignia Mercedes Smart Renault Megane

VW Golf Kia Ce’ed Renault Clio

Ford Kuga Mercedes C class Renault Captur

Ford Transit Nissan Qashqai Mercedes Smart

Citroen C4 Toyota Aygo

Truck cab interiors Toyota Avensis

Volvo + new Renault Magnum Audi A8


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Fibres as non-woven flax mats

• Weights from 300 to 2400 g/m2

• Very low environmental impact

We supply FibriMat direct to large building companies for use as an underlay below wooden floors

We have supplied FibriMat to some companies for use with polyurethane for parcel shelves (eg Audi and Jaguar)

We convert most FibriMat into pre-preg which we call FibriPreg

Thermoset biocomposites flax non-woven/PFA bioresin


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Study conducted for flax non-woven flooring underlay

Eco impact of flax fibres


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PFA-based Bioresin

Sugarcane Sugar

Bagasse also

Corncobs Oat, rice hulls Nut husks, shells Olive residue

Biomass-based resins

Construction

High pressure laminates

www.ecotechnilin.com Eco impact of PFA bioresin

LCA analysis

PFA BioResin

Calculated using the CML2 shadow price method Comparison to a phenolic and a polyester resin

PFA BioResin


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Previous developments with flax/PFA sugar-based bioresin have excellent properties:

• Lightweight

• Low cost

• Fast process

• Formable material

• Good impact resistance

• Mechanical performance

• Good Fire Smoke Toxicity

Door trim Flax/bioresin

Seat back Flax/bioresin

Load floor Flax/bioresin

Ceiling tile Flax/FR bioresin

FibriPreg - thermoset flax / PFA sugar-based bioresin


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• Lightweight and robust

• Good Fire Smoke Toxicity performance

• Good mechanical performance (9G pull test)

• Fast manufacturing process

• Mouldable / formable material

• Abrasion resistance (for runners)

• Low Cost

Bonus properties requested

Ultra-fast curing time + low-energy process

100% bio-sourced (65% sustainable), very low eco-impact

Galley cart requirements


Fibre property Flax E glass Basalt S2 glass Carbon

Density (g/cm3) 1.54 2.5 - 2.7 2.6 - 2.8 2.5 1.74 - 1.8

Elastic modulus (Gpa) 70 - 80 74 75 - 100 83-86 200 - 250

Temperature range (oC) 200 460 600 300 500

Tensile strength (Mpa) 1,400 - 1,600 3,100 - 3,800 2,800 - 4,000 4,020 - 4,650 2,700 - 3,750

Energy consumption (kWh) 0.7 8 - 15 5.5 - 9 8 - 15 36 - 81

CO2 emission (kg) -6.4 4 - 8 3 - 5 4 - 8 20 - 45

Ultimate elongation (%) 2.4 - 4.1 4.7 2.8 - 3.2 5.3 1.2 - 1.6

Moisture absorption (%) 7 0.1 0.03 0.1 0.1

Price (€/kg) 1 1 - 2 3 - 5 10 -15 18 - 40

Fibre cost and properties


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FibriRock: Flax + basalt + PFA bioresin (30/35/35)

External panels comprise FibriRock sandwich

so FibriRock skins outside Nomex core

Drawer runner panels are moulded from a

single-thickness sheet of FibriRock

FibriRock Biocomposite


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Smartcart weighs 10.5 kg

The lightest 50kg-rated cart by 6.5 kg

1kg weight saving saves 150$/year

FibriRock sandwich panels 6mm thick 2,300 gsm

FibriRock runner panels 1mm thick 1,000 gsm

FibriRock system <8kg in SmartCart

Lightweight and robust


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Lightweight and robust

9G pull test simulates load on secured carts

SmartCart secured

with only left latch

1340 kg of force

used to pull cart

Force on rear plate 7.2kN Force on front plate 5.9kN

13,100N applied for 3 seconds

Test repeated with right latch on same carts. No visible damage


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Tests on 6mm sandwich panel for galley cart

Excellent heat release figures -> use cheaper films and finishes

First time AIM engineer had ever seen sample during smoke test!

No detectable toxins

Fire Smoke Toxicity

Test Units Result Criteria Burn length inches 2.3 < 6 Drip exiting time seconds 0 < 3 Heat release rate kWmin/m2 15 < 65 Max heat release rate KW/m2 18 < 65 Smoke emission DS max 10 < 200 Toxic gas emission v.low


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Fibres and resin flow in hot tool

Runner panel formed in 45 seconds

Edges of sandwich panels are pinched and sealed

Surfaces around fixings are recessed to improve performance

Each 4mm fixing can withstand 1300 N of lateral force

Allows SmartCart to be produced quickly… no adhesives/bonding

Mouldable / formable


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Organic fibres hold resin in position during high temp curing

FibriRock sandwich panels form in 150 seconds

Single-thickness runners formed in 45 seconds

Existing honeycomb composites take between

45 minutes and 3 hours to cure Use of natural fibre + (bio)resin as structural adhesive system -> natural fibres are hollow and hold 4x more resin

Process times


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Processing cost

Conventional cycle for aerospace sandwich composites

Load Heat/gel Cure Cool

Composites take between 45 minutes and 3 hours to cure 1 set of parts per tool heating cycle… energy inefficient FibriRock 150 second cycle Tool stays hot


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FibriRock Awards

Sustainability Award JEC Composites, Paris

10-12 March 2015

Food Service Equipment Aircraft Interiors, Hamburg

14th April 2015

Innovation in Composites Advanced Engineering, NEC, UK

4th November 2015

Materials Award Materialica, Munich 20th October 2015

www.ecotechnilin.com FibriRock summary

• Lightweight and robust Lightest 50kg-rated cart

• Fire Smoke Toxicity Class-leading heat release

• Mechanical performance Lightest to pass 9G pull test

• Fast manufacturing process 150 second cycle time

• Mouldable / formable material Sealed sandwich edges

• Abrasion resistance (for runners) No wear after 200k cycles

• Low Cost - materials Cheaper fibres/resins process Press stays hot equipment No autoclave, fast cycle operation Lightweight -> fuel saving

100% bio-sourced (65% sustainable), very low eco-impact

www.ecotechnilin.com Natural Fibre Composites

FibriRock: Harnessing the properties of Mother Nature!

Documents

Natural Fibre Composites - · PDF fileA UK-owned producer of natural fibre non-wovens 90% automotive, 5% construction, ... Fibre property Flax E glass Basalt S2 glass Carbon Density