ReFrame - Recycled fiber reinforcements for advanced manufacturing and engineering

At our PuK branch in Stade, we are developing a closed-loop recycling system for mechanically shredded carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. While the partner universities focus on joining processes and production engineering design, PuK is developing a recycling strategy that allows the material to be tailored to specific applications.

One goal is the statistical analysis of the comminution process to specifically produce recycled material with different fiber lengths. In a subsequent step, the recycled material is oriented in a twin-screw extruder and compounded with matrix material and additives. This mechanically upgrades the residual materials and prepares them for reprocessing in 3D printing or in a hot press.

In the field of 3D printing, the PuK focuses on the development of core structures for sandwich components. These recycled-material-based structures enable the absorption of high compressive stresses. The hot-pressing process, in which the outer layers are bonded to the core structures, is simulated and optimized. In this way, the PuK lays the groundwork for the production of structural components from recycled material. The cycle is supported by a life cycle assessment, which quantifies its sustainability.