The conversion of recycled carbon fibre composites into second life products will be a key theme at the forthcoming Nonwovens for High Performance Applications conference (NHPA 2017) which takes place in Prague, Czech Republic, from March 7-8.

During 2016, ELG Carbon Fibre began manufacturing a range of nonwoven mats on a new production line at its plant in Coseley, UK. The line, Anthony Stevenson, ELG’s technical manager will explain, has been custom built to produce a variety of nonwoven materials, including 100% recycled carbon fibre mats and thermoplastic blends such as carbon fibre mixed with PP, PA, PPS fibres.

“The machine is unique in being able to use reclaimed carbon fibres that have been obtained through pyrolysis of scrap prepreg materials or cured laminates, providing important feedstock flexibility compared to existing equipment available in the marketplace which can only accept dry manufacturing waste,” Stevenson says.

The obstacles the company has overcome in creating its new Carbiso M and Carbiso TM materials will be outlined and the major opportunites offered by recycled carbon products discussed.

ELG believes its range of materials will strongly appeal to OEMs in the transportation sector seeking cost effective options for lightweighting – another key theme at NHPA 2017.

In a keynote address at the Prague conference, Dr Michael Effing, President of Composites Germany will address the current and future opportunities for nonwovens and other technical textile reinforcements in the fast-moving environment that is Europe’s composites industry. And in a second keynote, Detlev Käppel, sales director for industrial nonwovens at Tenowo will explain how his company has transformed itself from a traditional German textiles company into a 21^st Century leader in engineered nonwovens – most notably in lightweight components for the automotive sector.

Tenowo has constantly expanded and now has major manufacturing plants in the USA, India and China, as well as in Germany. In charting the company’s progress, the parallel expansion of a product portfolio of highly-engineered nonwovens and technical textiles will be detailed, and lessons learned along the way shared.

The full NHPA 2017 programme can be viewed at: www.intnews.com/NHPA/