Evonik Resource Efficiency plans to invest in a capacity expansion of its performance foams business at its production site in Darmstadt, Germany. The investment is said to initially increase the output of the facility by about 20%.
The Darmstadt plant is currently producing Rohacell foam products as a core material in the construction of sandwich composites. Rohacell is a rigid, lightweight structural polymethacrylimide foam used in the design and production of sandwich composites in aerospace, automotive, marine, sports equipment, electronics and medical technology. The global market has shown steady annual growth in the use of composites as multiple industries are facing the challenge of producing products for their customers that are lighter in weight, strong and dependable, the company says.
Evonik will also be adding production equipment to its operations complex that manufactures products marketed under the Rohacell brand. The expanded production capacity is expected to be operational by the second half of 2017.
‘We have experienced double-digit growth of the Rohacell brand in recent years and have indications that this success will continue,’ said Dr Matthias Kottenhahn, senior vice president of High Performance Polymers Business Line at Evonik Resource Efficiency Segment.
‘As the trend toward composite usage continues, we are prepared to respond with the lightweight solutions available in our Rohacell range of foam products,’ added Dr Andreas Hoff, vice president of performance foams. ‘Whether it is an airplane, a car, a ship, a wind turbine blade, an electronic device or even a hockey stick – all can benefit from less overall weight.’
This story is reprinted from material from Evonik, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
