Carbon – What Is It?
Carbon is one of the fundamental materials in modern industry. At Schunk, it forms the basis for high-performance solutions in areas such as bearing technology, sealing systems, and inductive heating systems. As a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6, carbon is extraordinarily versatile: it occurs in various modifications and forms the foundation of countless compounds. Whether as graphite in tribological applications or in complex composite materials – carbon is a key element for material solutions under extreme conditions.
Advantages of Fiber-Reinforced Composites at a Glance
The key advantage of fiber composites lies in their tailorability. By selecting appropriate fiber types – such as carbon fibers, glass fibers, or hybrid weaves – and combining them with a suitable resin system, customized composite materials are created that are precisely tailored to specific application requirements. The resulting materials offer an ideal ratio of stiffness, strength, and weight. Thanks to flexible shaping capabilities, components can be freely designed while remaining highly load-bearing. Of particular note are tailor-made composite systems, such as CFC (carbon-fiber-reinforced carbon) or C/C-SiC. These systems provide superior thermomechanical stability in high-temperature environments or under exposure to aggressive media.
Development & Processing
Whether CFRP (carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer) or GFRP (glass-fiber-reinforced polymer) – fiber composites are highly flexible in both composition and processing. Depending on the application, manufacturing methods such as autoclave processing, filament winding, or pultrusion are used. The matrix – typically a high-temperature-resistant resin – ensures the necessary thermal and chemical stability. Mechanical properties can be precisely predicted using laminate theory and advanced simulation techniques. This enables the development of customized composite materials that are performance-optimized at the material level. Schunk also employs techniques such as Tailored Fiber Placement (TFP), textile preforming, RTM (Resin Transfer Molding), and automated lamination to ensure precise fiber orientation and load path optimization.
Typical Applications of Our Fiber Composites
- Mechanical and plant engineering
- Energy technology
- Medical technology
- Aerospace
- Automotive industry
Our fiber composite solutions are particularly used in the aerospace sector for highly stressed structural components and thermally loaded parts. The combination of low density, high temperature resistance, and electrical conductivity is critical in this field.
With Schunk fiber composites, you can realize components that are lightweight, robust, and cost-efficient – engineered to the point.
Schunk Group – Your Partner for Fiber Composite Materials
As a materials supplier with decades of experience, we deliver fiber composite materials of the highest quality – individually adapted to your technical requirements.
Our strengths:
- Expert consulting for the optimal combination of fiber, resin, and processing technology
- Delivery of semi-finished products or preforms
- Project support from material selection to series production readiness
Thanks to PAVE (Process Added Value Engineering), we combine material development with efficient series production. This includes surface modifications (e.g. CVD coatings) and precise material property engineering – for maximum performance in your application. Fiber composites from Schunk stand for performance, precision, and partnership-based development.