Covestro and EconCore join forces for composites development

Covestro and EconCore are combining their technologies to produce Strong and lightweight honeycomb panels with excellent performance. One of the key performance targets is compliance with fire, smoke, toxicity (FST) requirements for mass transit applications including rail and aerospace.

Covestro has developed and tested various polycarbonate grades and blends to meet the required FST properties for rail and aerospace applications. In addition, the company is currently developing a range of lightweight thermoplastic composite solutions under the Maezio® brand. Econcore has developed and patented a unique manufacturing process to economically produce ultra-light honeycomb structures with a variety of material combinations that can be fine-tuned to meet customer needs.

Meet different requirements

The goal of the cooperation between the two companies is to optimize the FST performance of honeycomb panels to meet different application requirements. This should be achieved by selecting the correct polycarbonate grade and composite material combination for the honeycomb core and honeycomb skin, while adjusting the parameters in the EconCore honeycomb technology.

The results of preliminary FST trials on semi-finished laminated honeycomb panels by an independent institute are very encouraging: At an early stage of development, sandwich panels with different material and Key tests of applied EN45545 or FAR25.853 standards. Currently, the positive results of the preliminary FST tests are being verified in a detailed investigation of different material combinations.

Fully integrated, continuous production

The ultimate goal of the joint development is to provide sandwich panels that meet technical requirements, offer weight advantages, and demonstrate better economics compared to currently used composite or metal solutions. The manufacturing process developed and patented by EconCore has significant potential for cost savings as it is a high-speed, fully integrated continuous production process in which the thermoplastic polymer is converted directly into the honeycomb structure, in addition, the sandwich skin layer can be immediately laminated to the core superior.

“The superior manufacturing process of EconCore enables our materials to be tailored to our customers as lightweight sandwich panel solutions,” says Klaus Kraner, responsible for large-scale transport applications at Covestro’s polycarbonate division. “EconCore’s sandwich technology is particularly interesting for lightweight applications, and Covestro is targeting Maezio®,” adds Arne Böttcher, who is responsible for market development for the Maezio® brand in the EMEA region.

“After success in other applications, we decided to tackle the high-end market. The process has proven to work well in a variety of thermoplastic materials, including FST chemistries, and EconCore’s technology has proved its ability to deliver high-performance sandwich panels at a level of efficiency and low cost not achievable with traditional methods,” said Tomasz Czarnecki, Chief Operating Officer of EconCore N.V.

One time forming

Tomasz Czarnecki added: “We look forward to this new development and to the continued cooperation with Covestro. The combination of our partner’s polycarbonate portfolio with Maezio®’s composite solutions provides us with a satisfying The variety of materials and qualities required for the high technical demands of the mass transportation market. This journey is not only about manufacturing thermoplastic honeycomb cores. Imagine if the aerospace industry had the option of thermoforming sandwich panels into finished parts in one go, the potential What are the benefits. The industry has gravitated toward bulk thermoplastic composites and hasn’t seen an opportunity like this for decades.”