• International Textile Conference 2016 to be held November 24 & 25 at the International Congress Center Dresden.
• Carbon Researcher nominated for Federal President’s German Future Prize 2016 – winner to be announced November 30.
• Cluster HP-Fiber-Structures and Research Center Carbon Fibers Saxony (RCCF) – Unique High- Performance fibers for mass applications.

Unique high-tech textiles set trends for innovation in numerous application areas, and on November 24 and 25, about 650 materials experts from 27 countries will attend the Aachen- Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference 2016 at the International Congress Center Dresden. These experts will be exchanging their newest research findings and applications. Key topics will be fiber composites, polymer materials, and the functionalization of textile structures for fiber composites, protective textiles, and the sector’s current mega trends. The event will also focus on sustainability and recyclability. This year’s partner countries are Austria and Switzerland; and the host city for this important European textile conference is Dresden, which is Germany’s center for lightweight engineering and one of the leading German locations for new materials.

Experts from the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) and the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM) of Dresden University of Technology (TU  Dresden) will speak on the institutes’ key research topics, like the potential of custom-tailored carbon fibers for mass applications. Hubert Jäger, Professor of Lightweight Systems Engineering and Multi-Material Design         at the ILK, and ILK Board spokesman, will give the plenary speech, and lecture, “Hybrid lightweight  engineering; is Carbon Composite becoming a veteran?”  In addition, Martin Kirsten and his team at ITM will discuss, “The requirements for the processes and materials for the manufacture of carbon fibers with adjustable properties.” The institutes and TU Dresden are part of the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

High-Tech Textiles offer new Mechanical Properties and Functionalities
Technical textiles such as fiber-based high-performance materials, lightweight engineering materials, and ‘intelligent’ fibers are characterized by improved mechanical properties and new functionalities. Low weight makes multiple novel applications possible, for instance, in the textile, aerospace, and building industries, engineering, and automobile manufacturing.

Germany holds Leading European Position in Technical Textiles
“Concerning technical textiles, Germany holds the top position in Europe and world-wide with 13 billion Euro in annual sales,” Chokri Cherif, Director of the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM) at TU Dresden says. “We need to make use of this competitive advantage. The Aachen- Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference, which we host with the German Centers for Technical Textiles Dresden, Aachen and Denkendorf, intensifies the exchange of technological expertise, experience, and unique ideas among companies, research institutes and universities.” The strong interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers and industry representatives in Dresden proves to be a compelling advantage in technical textiles.

“Revolutionary and unique materials, in particular, will emerge at the interface of different research areas,” Robert Franke, Head of the Office for Economic Development of the State Capital Dresden says. “A current example is the nomination of the Dresden Carbon Concrete Cluster C³ - Carbon Concrete Composite for the German Future Prize 2016. At the moment we are awaiting the decision, due next week, and we hope this important award will go to Dresden.”

Carbon Concrete Experts nominated for German Future Prize – Winner to be announced Nov. 30
The Dresden Carbon Concrete researchers are part of the ‘Circle of Best’, the three best research teams nominated for the German Future Prize 2016. This prestigious award is one of the most important science awards in Germany and will be awarded by the Federal President Joachim Gauck on Nov. 30. The award will honor individuals who are getting outstanding technological, engineering, and natural sciences’ innovations market-ready. The nominees are Manfred Curbach, Director of the Institute of Concrete Structures at TU Dresden; Chokri Cherif, Director of the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology at TU Dresden; and, Peter Offermann, Chairman of the Board of the TUDALIT Alliance and member of the advisory board for the German Center for Textile Reinforced Concrete.

 Composite Material Carbon Concrete commences new Era of Construction
With the development of the composite material carbon concrete, a combination of specialized concrete and carbon fibers, the 145 syndicate partners of C³ - Carbon Concrete Composite, have designed an alternative to steel concrete, which is commonly used in construction. Carbon concrete is four times lighter and six times more stable than steel concrete and invulnerable to corrosion. This unique material makes it possible to build slimmer and more delicate structures that have a significantly longer life span than those built with steel concrete. Since 2014, the research syndicate lead by TU Dresden has received funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of up to 45 million Euro, with an additional 23 million Euro from its own resources.

Pooled Expertise: Largest Research Platform for High-Tech Fiber Materials Worldwide
Dresden research institutes are increasingly pooling their materials expertise. One example is the Dresden Research Center for High Performance Fibers, Structures, and Textile Machine Technology, short HP-Fiber- Structures, which was founded several weeks ago. HP-Fiber-Structures, the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM), TU Dresden’s Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK), the Fraunhofer Institutes for Material and Beam Technology IWS, and Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS are pooling their expertise in the sector of fiber and textile based high-performance materials. The goal is to develop novel, additive-generatively produced and function-integrated textile constructions, which will be produced by manufacturing technologies that are suitable for use in both individual and mass production.

High-Tech Cluster RCCF: Custom-tailored Composite Materials for Mass Applications
Another example for the cluster formation at the materials location Dresden is the Research Center Carbon Fibers Saxony (RCCF), where, since April 2016, the ITM and ILK institutes have collaborated in the manufacture of custom-tailored carbon fibers. The researchers are working on the development of future-oriented functional  and structural materials, such as carbon fibers for mass applications that feature outstanding mechanical, thermal and electrical properties.

“The lightweight potential that comes with these materials will lead to a new generation of custom-tailored carbon fibers with a polymer, ceramic and metallic matrix,” Hubert Jäger, Professor for Lightweight Systems Engineering and Multi Material Design and ILK Board spokesman says. “With the RCCF and its focus on the technology of custom-tailored composite materials that will dominate the markets of the future, we are further expanding the leading position of Dresden as a lightweight engineering location.”

Additional information about the conference and registration: http://www.aachen-dresden- denkendorf.de/itc/

Information about C³ Carbon Concrete Composite: http://www.bauen-neu-denken.de/

Images for download (For media representatives free of charge; additional images about the conference upon request.) http://datas.weichertmehner.com/addtc.zip

Dresden - City of Excellence – nine reasons why it is an excellent business and research location:  http://www.dresden.de/invest

Media inquiries:
Kim-Astrid Magister
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