Double award for the SAERTEX Group at the AVK Innovation Award 2020.

SAERTEX® Group shines with double AVK Innovation Award 2020

Saerbeck, November 12, 2020 – This year, the AVK (Industrial Association for Reinforced Plastics) awarded two innovation prizes to the SAERTEX Group. Both SAERTEX and SAERTEX multiCom were honored for their innovations in their respective categories. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's award ceremony was held as an online event for the first time. The globally active fabric manufacturer SAERTEX, together with its partner Hyconnect GmbH, received an award for fire-resistant composite metal hybrid structures in the „Products and Applications“ category. The award-winning combination is a SAERTEX LEO fire protection sandwich with an integrated Hyconnect steel-glass hybrid connector. The 3D-reinforced SAER foam composite sandwich structure has structural properties and fire protection layers integrated into the component. Vacuum infusion is used to integrate a hybrid glass-metal structure into the process, which enables welding with classic metal components. This creates an innovative fireproof connection. In contrast to classic metal composites, the weight of the product can be reduced by up to 55 percent. The product can be used in areas such as shipbuilding, rail vehicles, and the automotive industry. This project was awarded third place. The subsidiary SAERTEX multiCom was awarded first place in the "Research and Science" category for its collaboration with Dr. Moritz Stuck on his doctoral thesis. As part of his doctoral thesis on "District heating liners: Possibilities and limitations of district heating pipe rehabilitation using in-situ curing hose liners," Dr. Stuck worked closely with the research and development department at SAERTEX multiCom. For the rehabilitation or repair of district heating pipes, technologies that have already been successfully used must be qualified for significantly higher thermal-mechanical stresses. With the new high-temperature UP resins and toughness modifiers, a glass transition temperature (Tg) of almost 250°C is possible. Until now, the highest measured HDT value (heat deflection temperature) was 180°C. Tests at SAERTEX multiCom showed that the photochemical and thermal reactivity is significantly higher than that of comparable high-temperature-resistant vinyl esters and urethanes. The toughness modifier was developed on the basis of styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers and increases toughness at temperatures between 100 and 160°C. At the same time, reactivity is increased and the surface quality of the laminate is improved.

"We know that exciting and innovative projects are submitted for the AVK Innovation Award every year. We are therefore delighted that our innovative achievements have been recognized and would like to thank our project partners for their cooperation," says Christoph Geyer, CEO at SAERTEX.