Fraunhofer Pilot Plant Center for Polymer Synthesis and Processing PAZ
We develop on your order!
From monomers to tailor-made components
Under this motto, the Fraunhofer PAZ offers its industrial clients a broad range of research and services customized to your desires and needs.
Scale-up
We are specialized in the customized synthesis and processing of polymers on a pilot scale, especially the conversion of procedures to pilot-scale.
Synthesis on-order, development of procedures, development of materials
In the area of synthesis on-order, it is possible to create sample quantities as well as tons. Often times, it is then necessary to do preliminary work in the area of procedure development, especially regarding scale-up. It may also be necessary to determine underlying kinetic, thermodynamic or technical data related to security, development, and optimization of individual process steps leading to the development of new procedures. In the area of material development, structure and structure property relationships are set, polymer processing is optimized and the evaluation of polymer materials and components is performed. Modeling and simulation are important tools in all the sub-areas.
Flexible synthesis facilities
The polymerizations technical center is laid out as a flexible multiproduct-multifunction facility with reactors of up to 1 cubic meter volume. An extensive technically relevant polymerization procedure can be depicted, including but not limited to, solutions, emulsions, and suspensions polymerization, as well as polycondensation reactions. The high flexibility of the facilities has been proven to be particularly advantageous. Through the combination of devices and equipment from various lines, new client specific procedures are easily realized.
Pre-production of components
The focus of the Polymer Processing plant is the processing of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. Equipment includes, modular built extruders with flexible equipment from laboratory scale-up to pilot scale, a facility for the production of unidirectional fiber-reinforced tapes and laminates, injection molding machines including two Injection Molding Compounders. In the case of the last mentioned machines, compounding and injection molding take place in one step. Throughput, tool size and degree of automation allow the serial production of semi-finished products and components, for example for sampling processes. The newest objective of the center’s research activities is the development of hybrid technologies in which continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics are combined with injection molding process in series.