Germany
Fibre-reinforced
composite solutions with non-crimp fabrics as reinforcement layers offer many
advantages in lightweight construction and are therefore in demand in a wide
range of applications, particularly when the price is right.
KARL
MAYER Technische Textilien offers the BIAXTRONIC® to produce biaxial non-crimp
fabrics highly efficiently. The high-performance warp knitting machine
processes textile glass fibres and makes it possible to incorporate mats made
from chopped textile glass fibres or other substrates directly into the
reinforcement structure. This results in high-quality composite reinforcements
that are firmly established in the transport, marine, construction and
renewable energy sectors.
At
the end of last year, the proven composite machine underwent a generational
change. The new BIAXTRONIC® II is characterised by a clear focus on the
mid-range market and even more customer benefits.
The
new BIAXTRONIC® II is based on the technically mature concept developed for its
predecessor. Building on this technology, the machine was further tailored to
the needs of the commodity market in terms of its price-performance ratio, and
changes were made to the weft insertion. Unlike before, the BIAXTRONIC® II can
work with both course-oriented and non-course-oriented weft-insertion. A
conversion kit – available as an optional extra – makes a variable change
possible, thus increasing flexibility. “In the event of significant market
changes, the machine can be converted, thereby offering a real advantage,†says
Jochen Schmidt, President of KARL MAYER’s Technical Textiles business unit.
The
new weft-insertion system processes textile glass fibre material with a gauge
of up to 2,400 tex into reinforcement structures with a maximum weight per unit
area of 500 g/m². Glass mats weighing up to 600 g/m² can therefore be
integrated by means of a chopping unit, while maximum output of 1,100 m²/h can
be achieved thanks to intelligent technical solutions and a coherent overall
concept. Despite the high working speed, the BIAXTRONIC® II handles the fibre
material extremely delicately.
Other
innovations include a state-of-the-art operator interface for simple, intuitive
handling, as well as KAMCOS® and connectivity features from the latest KARL
MAYER machine generation.
With
its extended performance potential and sharper pricing profile, the BIAXTRONIC®
II has been well received by the market. The first machine has already been
sold in Europe, and in-depth project discussions are currently underway with
various Chinese customers.
The
BIAXTRONIC® II was most recently presented to selected manufacturers in China
as part of a presentation at KARL MAYER (CHINA) in spring 2021. The performance
demonstrations in Changzhou attracted significant interest. “We had many
excellent conversations. In particular, our guests from the areas such as of
shipbuilding, sports and leisure and construction wanted to know more about the
technical details and new possibilities. This should result in some promising
projects,†says Zhang Bin, Head of the Technical Textiles Machinery department.