Miniature version of an industrial plant ideal for experimentation
First carbon fiber demo plant in Germany with complete process steps Rudolstadt: The carbon fiber technology is one of the hottest technologies in the field of high-performance composite materials worldwide. Especially for applications in the aerospace and space industry, Formula 1 or in high-performance machines, PAN precursor with high- & constant qualities are essential as raw material in carbon fiber production. Carbon fiber experts and potential plant operators will for the first time have the opportunity to conduct tests as well as to develop new innovative possibilities for the production of carbon fiber at the new miniature carbon fiber plant. Engineers at the German plant engineering company EPC Engineering Consulting GmbH have successfully designed a large number of research and pilot plants in different fields of applications. The most recent example is the first carbon fiber demo plant in Germany with complete process steps: a miniature version for hands-on experience and experimentation. The complex offers exciting opportunities for the research and development of new possibilities in the field of carbon fiber – before an industrial plant is built. The demonstration plant has been designed and built to simplify the scaling process, that is, the process changes depending on the plant’s size. Here, extensive tests were preceded before all the processes were mapped out reliably. The demo facility consists in small scale of all the steps involved in the production of carbon fiber, such as polymerization, precursor production, oxidation and carbonization. Jörg Hamann, the technical director of EPC, looks forward to customers from around the world, as he thinks that the plant has many specialized technical features to offer: “The system provides the ability to run tests and experiments on the entire system or individual sections. Carbon fiber production can be offered as a complete process chain or in individual sections to order. We are pleased to present this extraordinary demonstration facility to all interested parties and support them during their individual experiments and developments,” said Hamann about the mini carbon fiber plant.