#Composites

2024-02-22

STFI presents lightweight construction innovations at JEC World in Paris

At this year's JEC World, STFI will be presenting highlights from carbon fibre recycling as well as a new approach to hemp-based bast fibres, which have promising properties as reinforcement in lightweight construction. Visit us at the joint stand of the Saxony Economic Development Corporation and talk to our team of lightweight construction experts.

Green Snowboard

At JEC World in Paris from 5 to 7 March 2024, STFI will be showcasing a snowboard from silbaerg GmbH with a patented anisotropic coupling effect made from hemp and recycled carbon fibres with bio-based epoxy resin. In addition to silbaerg and STFI, the partners Circular Saxony - the innovation cluster for the circular economy, FUSE Composite and bto-epoxy GmbH were also involved in the development of the board. The green snowboard was honoured with the JEC Innovation Award 2024 in the “Sport, Leisure and Recreation” category.

VliesComp

The aim of the industrial partners Tenowo GmbH (Hof), Siemens AG (Erlangen), Invent GmbH (Braun-schweig) and STFI united in the VliesComp project is to bring recycled materials back onto the market in various lightweight construction solutions. The application fields "Innovative e-machine concepts for the energy transition" and "Innovative e-machine concepts for e-mobility" were considered as examples. On display at JEC World in Paris will be a lightweight end shield for electric motors made from hybrid nonwovens - a mixture of thermoplastic fibre components and recycled reinforcing fibres - as well as nonwovens with 100% recycled reinforcing fibres. The end shield was ultimately manufactured with a 100% recycled fibre content. The tests showed that, compared to the variant made from primary carbon fibres using the RTM process, a 14% reduction in CO2 equivalent is possible with the same performance. The calculation for the use of the prepreg process using a bio-resin system shows a potential for reducing the CO2 equivalent by almost 70 %.

Shield for drive motor in the rail vehicle sector © 2024 STFI

Bast fibre reinforcement

To increase stability in the plant stem, bast fibres form in the bark area, which support the stem but, in contrast to the rigid wood, are very flexible and allow slender, tall plants to move in the wind without breaking.A new process extracts the bast bark from hemp by peeling.The resulting characteristic values, such as tensile modulus of elasticity, breaking strength and elongation, are very promising in comparison with the continuous rovings made of flax available on the market.The material could be used as rein-forcement in lightweight construction.At JEC World, STFI will be exhibiting reinforcing bars that have been processed into a knitted fabric using a pultrusion process based on bio-based reinforcing fibres made from hemp bast for mineral matrices.

Meet STFI in Paris

The green snowboard from silbaerg, the bearing shield for the electric motor and the bast fibre reinforce-ment can be seen together with other STFI research highlights from 5 to 7 March 2024 at the JEC Group in Paris in Hall 5 at Stand D107 of the Saxon Textile Research Institute e.V. (STFI).Together with its partners Cetex Institut gGmbH, Chemnitz University of Technology - Institute of Lightweight Structures (IST), LSE-Lightweight Structures Engineering GmbH, it will be at the joint stand of Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH and looks forward to seeing you there!

The region of renewable raw materials: Central German Alliance for Bioplastics

The development of sustainable plastic solutions is rapidly gaining importance in light of global environ- mental pollution, dwindling fossil resources and ambitious climate protection targets. As part of the re- gional alliance RUBIO, which brings together 18 partners from central Germany and the Berlin-Branden- burg area, the bio-based and biodegradable plastic polybutylene succinate (PBS) was comprehensively investigated, starting with the raw material, through the manufacturing process, to industrial application.

17th Colloquium on Recycling for Textiles with accompanying trade exhibition in Chemnitz

On 3 and 4 December 2025, the 17th colloquium on recycling for textiles will take place at the Hotel Chemnitzer Hof. The event brings together experts from industry, science and research to present and discuss current developments, technologies and business models for a sustainable circular economy in the textile industry.

Kendyr as a climate-friendly cotton alternative: STFI explores new value chains for salinised land in Central Asia

In large parts of Central Asia, decades of cotton irrigation have led to severe soil salinisation, with serious consequences for soil fertility and the future of cotton cultivation. An international research consortium, including the Saxon Textile Research Institute (STFI), has therefore investigated the potential of alternative fibre plants. The focus was on Apocynum spp. (kendyr), a bast fibre plant that can thrive on saline soils. The aim: to restore the agricultural use of former cotton fields and establish new textile value chains in the region.

Tour de LOOP Exclusive specialist trip to Chemnitz – textile art and design in the European Capital of Culture 2025

The European Capital of Culture 2025, Chemnitz, opened its doors to textile designers, textile artists and experts from the fields of fashion, art and textiles: the Tour de LOOP on 26 and 27 May 2025 took participants on an exclusive professional tour of one of Europe's most traditional and innovative textile regions. 19 visitors from Europe explored Chemnitz and its textile region. They came from the Nether- lands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and Germany.

MEL Composites delivers advanced hull infusion for Técnico Solar Boat’s hydrogen-powered São Gabriel 01

MEL Composites has reinforced its partnership with Técnico Solar Boat through the successful hull infusion of the São Gabriel 01, an 8m long, 2.4m wide, hydrogen-powered hydrofoiling vessel. Designed to compete at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge in July 2026, the São Gabriel 01 is the team’s most technically demanding project to date and showcases the future of sustainable marine engineering by combining advanced composite manufacturing with clean energy systems.

Sicomin appoints CS Kompozyty as exclusive Distributor for Poland

Sicomin is pleased to announce the appointment of CS Kompozyty as its exclusive distributor for Poland. The partnership will provide Polish composite manufacturers with comprehensive access to Sicomin's broad range of performance epoxy resins, green epoxies, hardeners, and adhesive solutions, supported by local technical expertise and rapid delivery capabilities.

JEC World 2026 reveals the list of finalists for the Innovation Awards

Each year, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards recognize collaborative, innovative, and ambitious projects that illustrate the potential of composite materials. Created in 1998, this benchmark program aims to identify, promote, and reward the most innovative composite solutions worldwide. In 28 years, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards have attracted more than 2,200 participating companies from around the world. A total of 269 companies and 811 associated partners have been recognized for the excellence of their innovations.

VIATT 2026 announces inaugural lifestyle Trend Forum: Unified vision for S/S 2027 across fashion, home, and tech

The Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) is set to host its first Trend Forum, offering a forward-looking, industry-wide perspective for Spring / Summer 2027. With the show scheduled from 26 – 28 February 2026 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), VIATT’s trend curators – NellyRodi™ Agency and MUSEATIVE – will provide comprehensive insights across the interconnected realms of Apparel Fabrics & Fashion, Home & Contract Textiles, and Technical Textiles & Technologies.

Precision jet dyeing moves towards industrial scale as Alchemie partners with Acatel

BTMA member Alchemie Technology, the pioneer of precision jet dyeing solutions based in Cambridge, UK, is partnering with Acatel, the Portuguese leader in sustainable textile manufacturing. The two companies will work together to validate and optimise Alchemie’s Endeavour system for knitted cellulosic fabrics.