Materials: Lightweight Honeycomb Production Technology at K 2019

Known for its cutting-edge thermoplastic honeycomb technology, Belgium’s EconCore will showcase its new lightweight honeycomb solutions for various industries at K 2019.  EconCore’s patented ThermHex technology has been licensed to a number of market leading companies around the world in a wide range of applications including automotive and transportation, industrial packaging, and building and construction.

EconCore’s high-speed, high-efficiency continuous process produces honeycombs from a wide range of thermoplastics and laminates them in-line with skin materials of various types, including PP and other thermoplastics, composites and metals. The combination of thermoplastic honeycomb cores and different skin types, results in materials with excellent qualities, including superior rigidity, strength and impact resistance. Generally, for all applications the EconCore technology offers an exceptional rigidity to weight ratio. At the same time, the technology reportedly is capable of offering fast return on investment – compared to solid polymer sheets or solid polymer cored sandwich panels.

EconCore’s Germany-based subsidiary ThermHex Waben GmbH – which is co-exhibiting at K 2019 - is advancing with commercialization of Organosandwich materials. These are sandwich panels, which have continuous glass fiber reinforced polymer skins laminated over PP honeycomb cores within the continuous in-line production process. The Organosandwich materials can be used in a wide variety of applications in vehicles – from the trunk floor to underbody panels and rear parcel shelves. The Organosandwich can be short cycle thermoformed and functionalized by injection molding, accommodating for direct functionalization and insert placement.