#Additive Manufacturing

2020-05-14

Cooksongold AM in partnership with ITA, EOS and AMPS set to revolutionise the Glass Fibre Industry

(c) 2020 JEC Group / Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University

Cooksongold AM and Sempsa JP, part of the Heimerle + Meule Group, have announced on 13 May 2020 that they are working to innovate glass fibre production by 3D Printing (also known as Additive Manufacturing) the Tip Plates of Bushings made from Precious Metal.

Working in partnership with the Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University (ITA) and EOS GmbH (EOS), Cooksongold AM have produced a full-size Tip Plate from a Platinum/Rhodium alloy that has successfully passed its initial production trials at Johns Manville in Slovakia.

Cooksongold AM has been working with EOS for several years to industrialise their M 080 and M 100 AM machines and make them compatible with precious metals. Cooksongold AM has also developed a wide range of precious metal parameters for use in the EOS AM technology.

The ability to now print with precious metals on an industrial scale and, through innovative AM strategies, optimise applications to make them commercially viable, is proving a powerful technology enabler. Combine this with the research being carried out at ITA as well as the manufacturing expertise and history of Sempsa JP, it now becomes a seismic step forward to the Additive Manufacturing technology being rolled out, on a global scale, for Industrial Production of precious metal applications. ITA is a key partner in transferring the consortium’s additive manufacturing expertise to the glass fibre industry.

To facilitate this ‘revolution’ AMPS (Advanced Manufacturing Process Solutions) GmbH has been established. It will act as a ‘technology showcase’ for the complete new manufacturing process chain as well as provide R&D and prototyping services. Glass fibre companies from around the world were quick to join up and it has been structured to suit every participant’s individual needs. A ‘cost-sharing’ environment, free of intellectual property, sits above individual research and development ‘cells’, where all the commercially sensitive work takes place. This novel way of collaboration is identifying innovation that will continue to advance glass fibre production beyond recognition over the next decade.

As a result of this unique approach to worldwide technology implementation, the members of the collaboration were awarded the ‘JEC Composites Magazine Special Prize’ on 13 May online for the first time due to recent global health crises, recognising the true potential for AM within the glass fibre industries.

Martin Bach, Managing Director of Cooksongold says

“I am incredibly proud to be receiving the JEC Magazine Special Prize but even more proud of my team, who have managed to bring together a global collaboration in such a way that it is poised to deliver game-changing material and design innovation and efficiencies in production, that could’ve only been dreamed of a few short years ago.”

Prof. Thomas Gries, Director of ITA says

“We are excited to be receiving this prestigious award for our work in the field of additive manufacturing for bushings. We truly believe that the developments will be a key enabler for future innovations in the field of glass fibre production, and I am proud of my team of researchers and our collaborators to have made this possible. As an institute developing processes, equipment and machinery, ITA goes beyond just developing fibre and textile products. Digital manufacturing of the bushings allows us to step across existing process innovation borders and allows production and product innovation never seen before.”

Thomas Weitlaner, Director of Additive Minds & Business Development of EOS adds

“At EOS we are working every day to make industrial 3D printing a sustainable, mainstream manufacturing process. The 3D printing of tip plates is another great example, how additive manufacturing can bring real business value and innovation to the glass fibre industry. Additionally, we see a lot more promising applications that can further increase the efficiency of the glass fibre production process. The combination of such innovative applications and the setup of Additive Manufacturing in the Digital Factory will result in huge innovation potential.

I am very proud of the joint team effort so far which is confirmed by receiving this prestigious JEC award and look forward to the outcomes of the consortium project.”

Networking Day 2026: Industry stakeholders unite around textile recycling

In 2026, the Industry Research Group (IRG) Polymer Recycling once again brought together some of the key stakeholders in textile recycling for its annual Networking Day. This year, the event took place at EREMA’s premises in Ansfelden, Austria. It brought together key players from across the textile recycling value chain for a day of structured exchange and in-depth discussions.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

TERNAfil wins first place at PitchMiUp Night 2026 in Minden

The RWTH spin-off TERNAfil has developed MAXCarbon, a new high-performance hybrid fibre that combines the mechanical performance of carbon with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. For this development, TERNAfil was awarded first prize at the PitchMiUp Night in Minden on 21 May 2026.

Carbon-ceramic hybrid fibre proves its worth – NRW Minister for Science Mona Neubaur congratulates ITA start-up TERNAfil

MAXCarbon technology, a novel carbon-ceramic hybrid fibre developed by ITA spin-off TERNAfil, secured third place at the HIGH-TECH.NRW Demo Day on the TÜV NORD campus in Essen. The technology combines the strength of carbon fibres with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. Mona Neubaur, Minister for Science in North Rhine-Westphalia, congratulated the team on their success and on winning prize money of 4,000 euros.

Lenzing reports improved half-year results and advances strategic transformation

Despite a persistently challenging market environment in the first half of 2026, characterized by volatile energy and raw material prices, subdued global consumer demand and intensified competition from Asia, the Lenzing Group significantly improved its financial performance. Net result after tax more than doubled to EUR 35.6 million, compared with EUR 15.2 million in the first half of 2025. Free cash flow increased to EUR 45.8 million, while EBITDA amounted to EUR 239.2 million. Revenue totaled EUR 1.27 billion, compared with EUR 1.34 billion in the previous year.

Trützschler’s latest spinning and card clothing innovations at CAITME 2026

From September 8 to 10, 2026, Trützschler will present its latest innovations in spinning and card clothing for state-of-the-art fiber processing at CAITME in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Visitors are invited to meet the experts at Pavilion 2, Booth D50 and explore solutions designed to increase productivity, streamline processes, and ensure consistently high yarn quality. Key topics include the next-generation card TC 30i, the integrated draw frame IDF 3, the high-performance comber TCO 21XL as well as Trützschler Card Clothing’s new flat top series STEELTOP®.

BICO BCF yarn delivers impressive performance in field testing

In a joint development project with other partners, Barmag and Object Carpet have successfully tested BICO BCF yarn in the carpet manufacturing process. The results show that this innovative yarn technology offers significant performance advantages and opens up new possibilities for recycling-oriented carpet constructions.