Plastic processing

Process hybrids – hybrid composites based on wood

The plastics industry has so far been working with bio-based fibers made from bast (e.g. flax, kenaf) and is pursuing the goal of replacing conventionally used fibers and conserving resources. However, a disadvantage of these natural fibers is the strong fluctuations in fiber quality and harvest quantities. In addition, these fibers are not regionally available everywhere in Europe, which limits the sustainability of these raw materials.

Subproject 1 therefore deals with bio-based composite structures based on wood, in particular with the use of regenerated cellulose fibers, which are obtained from the raw material wood via a chemical process. These fibers can be extracted and produced regionally and are available in large quantities.

The use of regenerated cellulose fibers is seen as a promising approach to compensating for many of the disadvantages that other fibers based on renewable raw materials bring with them. Compared to natural fibers, production using a spinning process offers constant fiber quality, the ability to set a defined fiber geometry (length and diameter) and to specifically influence the fiber properties during production.

The fibers therefore have the potential to open up the market for high-performance plastics. This leads to a greater variety of applications. These wood-based fibers are to be impregnated with wood-based polymers and thus form a bio-based, long-fiber-reinforced high-performance plastic.

The particular challenge in implementing the project idea is primarily the processing of the fibers in various plastics processing processes such as injection molding and compression. Subproject 1 is to be carried out with the help of the innovative MUNACU (Multifunctional Natural Fiber Plastic Composites) research facility at the TH Rosenheim, in particular an injection molding compounder ( DCIM and IMC).