Engel Showcases Advanced Thermoplastic Composite Technology at China Composites Expo

Engel’s booth at the China Composites Expo (Sept. 2‑4) will spotlight its organomelt technology with live demos, sample parts, and video presentations that emphasize thermoplastic composite structures.

The organomelt process has already proven its value in high‑volume production, notably in the fully automated manufacturing of front‑end carriers for Daimler. According to Markus Fuchs, director of the automotive Asia business unit, interest from OEMs and Tier One suppliers in Asia is growing, especially for seat shells, consoles, and interior structural components.

In organomelt, thermoplastic fiber‑reinforced prepregs—whether from thermoplastic fabrics or unidirectional (UD) fiberglass or carbon‑fiber tapes—are heated in specialized infrared ovens. A robot then places the composite into an injection mold, where it is formed and functionalised in a single step. Injection moulding also enables overmoulding of ribs or assembly elements. Because the entire structure is thermoplastic, end‑of‑life recycling remains viable.

Engel’s production cells integrate every step—from individual tapes to final functionalisation—into a seamless composite‑part workflow.

The process is continually refined. Currently, Engel is exploring the use of multiple prepreg types—varying thermoplastic fabric thicknesses or UD tapes—in a single component to create areas with tailored stiffness based on the mechanical loads they will encounter.

At the expo, a door structure developed in partnership with automotive supplier Brose will illustrate this capability. Three thermoplastic fabrics, ranging from 0.6 to 2.5 mm thick, are processed to give the door the required rigidity: stronger around the window frame and more flexible on the interior side.

For traditional thermoset composites, Engel will demonstrate continued efficiency gains. One display will feature the rear seat panel of the Audi A8, a complex carbon‑fiber structure with local reinforcements, produced on a German supplier’s Engel v‑duo 1700 using fully automated HP‑RTM.

Early U.S. Adopter

Engel’s first large‑scale organomelt production cell opened in Tennessee, producing front‑end carriers with integrated air ducts. Launched at Composites Europe 2018, the fully automated cell combines a 1900‑ton clamping‑force duo 1700 injection moulder, three easix articulated robots for handling metal inserts and organosheets, a viper 90 linear robot for finished‑part manipulation, and a size‑5 IR oven that creates two half‑shells in a single‑shot process. Bond Laminates’ Tepex dynalite organic sheets, glass‑loaded into a polypropylene matrix, are used along with glass‑fiber‑reinforced polypropylene for overmoulding.

The tape‑laying unit developed by Engel can deliver custom prepregs for organomelt in a one‑minute cycle time.