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• Bond-Laminates subsidiary expands capacity at Brilon site by 50 percent;
• Many opportunities in the automotive and consumer electronics industries.
At its site in Brilon, Germany, Bond-Laminates GmbH (bond-laminates.de) a wholly owned subsidiary of specialty chemicals company LANXESS has commissioned two new production lines for Tepex continuous-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites. “We have increased our capacity for manufacturing Tepex by around 50 percent and, in doing so, are responding to the strong demand in the mass production of highly stressable components for lightweight vehicles and consumer electronics,” says Dr. Christian Obermann, Managing Director of Bond-Laminates. To accommodate the expansion from six to eight production lines, a new hall covering around 1,500 square meters was constructed. The total investment ran to the mid single-digit millions and also comprised three cutting machines, including a new four-head waterjet cutting machine for prefabricating component cuts.
Lightweight structural construction of high-performance parts
Tepex is becoming increasingly popular in the automotive industry for the large-scale production of lightweight structural components such as frontend and bumper brackets, brake pedals and underbody paneling components. One recent example involved two electrically adjustable single rear seats for a variant of the Audi A8, whose seat shells are manufactured in a hybrid molding process using the polyamide-6-based Tepex dynalite. The seat shells are around 45 percent lighter than a comparable metal version.
Huge potential in electric vehicles
LANXESS also sees potential for Tepex to be used to produce backrests and armrests as well as seat shells for new, highly complex seating concepts in autonomous cars or for comfort seats for shuttle, VIP and family buses. Electric vehicles offer further attractive potential for Tepex. “The spectrum of applications ranges from brackets for frontends, doors and bumpers, luggage compartment recesses, battery housings and brackets for electrical and electronics modules through to structural components in the “greenhouse” section and structural trims in the underbody area to protect the battery,” says Henrik Plaggenborg, head of Tepex Automotive at LANXESS.
Typical applications of Tepex in consumer electronics include the thin-walled yet exceptionally strong and rigid structural components for cellphones, tablets, laptops and TVs components that also have to meet strict aesthetic requirements regarding design and haptics. In the sports sector, Tepex is used for example in the manufacture of shoe soles, bicycle components, ski boots, body protectors and helmets.
Forward-Looking Statements
This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions, contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person's officers, directors or employees accept any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.
LANXESS (lanxess.com) is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 7.2 billion in 2018. The company currently has about 15,400 employees in 33 countries and is represented at 60 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.
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michael.fahrig[.]lanxess.com 
