FAKUMA 2024: LEONHARD KURZ and FRIMO set sustainable accents in automotive interior design with NFPP

Fürth/Germany, September 30, 2024: FAKUMA - the highlight of the trade fair year in plastics processing - will again attract numerous international industry representatives to Friedrichshafen this fall from October 15 to 19, 2024. Efficiency, resource conservation, and sustainability are the challenges for which future-proof technologies and solutions will be presented at FAKUMA and made available to a broad expert audience.

LEONHARD KURZ is also attending FAKUMA with innovative surface finishing processes. In 2024, KURZ will focus on the resource-saving use of recycled and natural materials. A fascinating product is NFPP, a composite material made of natural and polypropylene fibers. The non-woven material typically consists of 50 percent natural fibers and 50 percent PP fibers, and in the automotive sector, it has been mostly used laminated with leather or textile. With its good mechanical and insulation properties as well as its low-density, NFPP offers various advantages that are not only of interest to the automotive industry.

Stylish implementation of sophisticated interior concepts

At FAKUMA, KURZ will be showcasing a newly developed solution for the first time, which supports the implementation of sustainable and, at the same time, exceptionally appealing interior concepts. The process makes it possible to showcase natural fibers such as flax or kenaf with their characteristic appearance in an impressive way. The natural design language of the material is emphasized, while the structure of the natural fiber becomes a visual highlight due to the specific processing.

Innovative product with numerous application possibilities

The new KURZ solution can be combined with established process technology. A decorative layer in the form of a PP-based decorative film is applied to the natural fiber PP mat in the first of two work steps. Pressure and heat are then applied to the mat. This way, the PP decorative film and the PP fiber in the mat are plastically fused together at the interface. The molding pressure and compression of the mat cause the non-plastic natural fibers to migrate to the interface of the NFPP mat while being coated with the decor or design. In the second work step, the component receives its final shape in a second mold. “With its flexibility in design, our solution for NFPP represents an attractive innovation in the field of lightweight automotive construction, offering numerous design possibilities,” says Johannes Romming, Innovation & Sustainability at KURZ.

Improved material properties and great flexibility in design

Using natural fiber PP composites offers many advantages in the automotive segment. The visual integration of natural materials in the interior, combined with a tactile and individual feel, creates a new understanding of design and opens up a wide range of design options. Among other things, the intelligent integration of functional elements and reinforcements is also possible. At the same time, the components impress with their high strength and rigidity and exhibit good crash behavior. Due to their low density, they are also around 25 to 40 percent lighter than pure plastic components. In addition, they offer excellent insulation properties, which leads to energy savings and sound optimization in the interior. Last but not least, the new KURZ solution is potentially compatible with existing machines and systems, and it operates entirely without tool wear or an extension of cycle times.

Innovative partnership for premium product quality

For the development of the pressing tools and the processing method, KURZ relies on the expertise of FRIMO Innovative Technologies, a full-service provider of plastic turnkey solutions based in Lotte. “The partnership with FRIMO has enabled us to integrate the decorative film seamlessly into the process simultaneously create a reproducible, appealing appearance,” explains Johannes Romming.

Thomas Joachim, Director Sales at FRIMO Innovative Technologies, adds: “When developing the tooling technology necessary for the production of sample parts, we ensured that even with the use of different decorative films, a natural yet reproducible appearance could be achieved in combination with the respective NFPP mat. The system-side process parameters, the influences of which we have identified in extensive tests together with KURZ’s development in our FRIMO TechCenter, play a key role in this.”

The NFPP mats for the development of the decoration process were provided by Polyvlies Franz Beyer GmbH, a company that has successfully carried out various projects in the visible natural fiber sector in series production.

In addition to other innovative solutions from the thin-film specialist from Fürth, visitors to the KURZ stand at FAKUMA 2024 can expect a wide range of natural fiber composite sample components embellished with the new technology. Visitors can discover how natural fibers such as kenaf or flax, together with the decoration, create various sustainable surface effects that can be combined with smart controls or provide an attractive platform for sustainable design language.

Interested parties can find more information about KURZ’s trade fair presentation and solutions on the FAKUMA 2024 website.

At a Glance

FAKUMA 2024 from October 15 to 19 in Friedrichshafen
LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG: Hall A4, Stand 4111
Our trade fair presentation focuses on Automotive, HVAC & Home Appliances, Sustainability
FRIMO Innovative Technologies GmbH stand: Hall A1, Stand 1432