16 Jul 2014
SGL Group starts production of new thermoplastic‐compatible carbon fibers
• Focus on customers from the automotive industry
• Unique properties offer great advantages for serial production
Wiesbaden, July 16, 2014. At the end of June, SGL Group ‐The Carbon Company – started production of thermoplastic‐compatible carbon fibers at its Muir of Ord site in Scotland.
“The next generation of carbon fiber‐based products is currently emerging in the thermoplastics sector. Our new heavy tow carbon fiber SIGRAFIL® C 50k has already been exhibited with great success at this year’s JEC Composites Show in Paris and, after the Show, we received our first orders,” reported Peter Weber, Vice President Sales & Marketing, SGL Group. The new production start‐up will initially service orders from the automotive industry.
Thermoplastic carbon fiber composites combine the properties of carbon fibers with the typical processing advantages of thermoplastics. They can be shaped, recycled, and produced in short cycles. As a result, they are opening up new possibilities for serial production. Only if the carbon fibers can be firmly bonded to the thermoplastic matrix, as is the case with these newly developed fibers, can their high stiffness and strength be fully transmitted to the finished components. SGL Group has developed a special surface system (sizing) for this purpose. Other sizing systems, e.g. for high‐temperature applications, are already at the development stage.
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About SGL Group – The Carbon Company
SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products and materials. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as very good electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to industrialization in the growth regions of Asia and Latin America and increased substitution of traditional with innovative materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive and chemical industries as well as in the semiconductor, solar and LED sectors and in lithium-ion batteries. Carbon-based materials and products are also being used increasingly in the wind power, aerospace and defense industries.
With 43 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia as well as a service network covering more than 100 countries, SGL Group is a company with a global presence. In 2013, the Company’s workforce of around 6,300 employees generated sales of €1,477 million. The Company’s head office is located in Wiesbaden.
Further information on the SGL Group can be found online at: www.sglgroup.com
Important note:
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on the information currently available to us and on our current projections and assumptions. By nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, as a consequence of which actual developments and results can deviate significantly from these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not to be understood as guarantees. Rather, future developments and results depend on a number of factors; they entail various risks and unanticipated circumstances and are based on assumptions which may prove to be inaccurate. These risks and uncertainties include, for example, unforeseeable changes in political, economic, legal, and business conditions, particularly relating to our main customer industries, such as electric steel production, to the competitive environment, to interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations, to technological developments, and to other risks and unanticipated circumstances. Other risks that in our opinion may arise include price developments, unexpected developments connected with acquisitions and subsidiaries, and unforeseen risks associated with ongoing cost savings programs. SGL Group does not intend or assume any responsibility to revise or otherwise update these forward-looking statements.
