LEHVOSS to Present Flame-Retardant Solutions in Transportation at JEC World 2024

Key Highlights:

• LEHVOSS offers innovative flame-retardant solutions as well as finished materials for various processing methods, including pultrusion and injection moulding.
• LEHVOSS has announced its recent membership in the European Pultrusion Technology Association (EPTA), effective January 1, 2024.
• The company presents LUVOTRENT facilitating fast, precise, and reliable production, ensuring efficiency throughout the manufacturing process. 

One focus of this year's JEC trade fair appearance of the LEHVOSS Group are solutions in the field of flame protection. Special applications in the transport sector place high demands on the materials used. A relevant standard here is ISO 45545 for flame protection in rail transport. Here, LEHVOSS offers high quality and innovative flame-retardant solutions as well as finished materials for various processing methods. These include pultrusion, injection moulding, and 3D printing. 

News from the Composite Materials business unit 

The LEHVOSS Group, has announced its recent membership in the European Pultrusion Technology Association (EPTA), effective January 1, 2024. This strategic move reinforces the company's dedication to contributing to the advancement of pultrusion technology within the industry.  

Among its offerings, LUVOTRENT products support with their ability to elevate fibre wetting, fillers, and resin flow, thereby optimising line speed, and enhancing surface finish. These solutions facilitate fast, precise, and reliable production, ensuring efficiency throughout the manufacturing process. 

LUVOGARD products provide an effective solution. Their liquid and transparent state aids in viscosity adjustment and dosing, supporting the production of advanced materials with high flame resistance. 

Additionally, LUVATINE products offer a cost-effective solution with highly functional wetting and dispersing agents. These agents improve the dispersion of pigments and fillers in resin systems, ultimately contributing to the development of efficient and high-performance products. 

LUVOCOM 3F - 3D printing for demanding end-use applications 

LEHVOSS has long been offering highly resilient materials for industrial 3D printing. Applications include directly printed structural components as well as moulds for injection moulding and thermoforming of thermoplastic materials, or laminating fibre composite materials. LUVOCOM 3F is based on many different thermoplastics like PC/ABS, PA, PET, PPS and PEEK and is dedicated to respective 3D printing technologies as Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) and Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF).

The materials are specially designed. In addition to high mechanical values, chemical and temperature resistance, they also offer specially adjusted flame resistance. This is an important property when using plastics in public transport.

The European railway industry relies primarily on the ISO 45545-2 standard, one of the most demanding fire testing standards in the world. LUVOCOM 3F PEI 50236 GY, based on polyetherimide (PEI), already meets the EN45545-2 R1 HL3 certification for 3D-printed specimen that are only 2 mm thick. The test specimens made from LUVOCOM 3F PEI 50236 GY achieved previously unattainable test values ​​and thus position the material as one of the best in its class for railway applications. This enables the use of 3D printed parts in sensitive applications in public transportation.  

LUVOCOM 3F for production of 3D printed concrete formwork 

The production of concrete formwork is in many cases complex, time-consuming and cost intensive. This is where 3D printing can offer solutions. At JEC, LEHVOSS is presenting an example of 3D printed concrete formwork. With the help of 3D scanners, parts can be reproduced more easily for restorations, even if the old forms are no longer present. After scanning, the forms can go straight into the printing process. The production of complex designs is also made easier by 3D printing. In addition, the overall use of materials is reduced. 

LUVOCOM 3F for production of 3D printed lamination forms 

Tools manufactured in 3D printing for the lamination of prototypes or small series represent a technically high-quality and economical alternative to conventional mould making, since complex and time-consuming roughing processes are replaced by near-net-shape 3D printing and the subsequent fine finishing process.

LUVOCOM 3F enables high strength end parts. Additional benefits are low warpage, very good machinability, recyclability and lower weight of the tools compared to aluminium and steel. Depending on the polymer base, it can be used for low and high consolidation temperatures and a wide variety of resin systems. At JEC LEHVOSS will present a lamination mould made by FGF technology using LUVOCOM 3F.