#123 Interview with Antefil Zurich during JEC World 2024 on Fibrecoating
03.05.2024 10 min Staffel 5 Episode 80
Zusammenfassung & Show Notes
Melted Swiss chocolate on a biscuit rod, what a great metaphor for coating thermoplastics on glassfibres, I thought. And was indeed confirmed.
Well, I am certainly also not free of confirmation bias, but see yourself in the video how chocolate flows.
Are you ready to revolutionize the composite industry with advanced fibre polymer coating technology?
Join us on a journey with Antefil Composite Tech an ETH Zürich spin-off as we explore the future of composites at JEC World 2024 (JEC Group) in Zurich.
Discover how Antefil is pioneering unprecedented advancements with their hybrid fibers coated with thermoplastic matrix, enhancing structural integrity and high-quality results.
Listen to Christoph Schneeberger when he explains to Ilkay Özkisaoglu the benefits of coating fibres rather than non-crimp fibreglass fabrics with thermoplastics. Also watch how the production and final parts looks like made from pre-coated fibreglass.
While Antefil's customer is the fibreglass manufacturing industry they are not only looking deep into automotive, wind and aerospace applications, but also for example the sporting goods industry.
We cordially invite you to seize on the chance to learn more about this cutting-edge technology and taste some Swiss chocolate while you're at it! 🚀🌐
YouTube Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO849SZvVrw&feature=youtu.be
Well, I am certainly also not free of confirmation bias, but see yourself in the video how chocolate flows.
Are you ready to revolutionize the composite industry with advanced fibre polymer coating technology?
Join us on a journey with Antefil Composite Tech an ETH Zürich spin-off as we explore the future of composites at JEC World 2024 (JEC Group) in Zurich.
Discover how Antefil is pioneering unprecedented advancements with their hybrid fibers coated with thermoplastic matrix, enhancing structural integrity and high-quality results.
Listen to Christoph Schneeberger when he explains to Ilkay Özkisaoglu the benefits of coating fibres rather than non-crimp fibreglass fabrics with thermoplastics. Also watch how the production and final parts looks like made from pre-coated fibreglass.
While Antefil's customer is the fibreglass manufacturing industry they are not only looking deep into automotive, wind and aerospace applications, but also for example the sporting goods industry.
We cordially invite you to seize on the chance to learn more about this cutting-edge technology and taste some Swiss chocolate while you're at it! 🚀🌐
YouTube Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO849SZvVrw&feature=youtu.be
Transkript
Wonderful. Good evening.
Now, meanwhile, at JEC World,
dear LinkedIn community
and composites experts.
I'm now continuing
our #composites360ontour coverage
here on JEC World 2024.
Of course, as you know, I'm inclined
towards the German speaking countries,
although we are here international
and speaking in English.
Now we are here in Zurich.
We are in Switzerland at JEC World
with Antefil Composites,
and together with me
is Christoph Schneeberger.
Thank you for being part of our tour.
-Thank you very much for joining us.
So we will have in a few moments
here hot chocolate, Swiss chocolate.
Swiss chocolate from Zurich.
-Can't wait for for the smell
and the taste of the Swiss chocolate here.
But of course
we are not here for the Swiss chocolate,
but for learning new innovation,
new types of products.
Now, I've discussed with Christoph
several times
the fiber situation and fiber
sometimes have the problem.
They have to, of course,
get into a matrix and bond
nicely with the resins.
And in an ideal world
this functions very easily.
But there are challenges with that.
Particularly with thermoplastics.
And my mission is, of course,
to make composites safe,
high quality, no hassle, hassle free.
And therefore I want to speak
with the best experts
that can provide these technologies.
And Antefil is providing
such an option in the future.
To coat the fibers.
Maybe shortly to yourself, Christoph,
before we dive into the fiber technology,
what is your role at Antefil
and how did you come to that point?
My name is Christoph.
I am the CEO of the company,
but Antefil has only been a company
for two years,
so I'm one of four co-founders
and that team of the four co-founders.
We are three people who ran the science
essentially behind the technology
that we're now commercializing
through Antefil.
That is something that we've developed
at the Technical University ETH in Zurich.
Research there has started in 2014
on this topic of hybrid fibers,
and that we're now commercializing
through the spin-off Antefil.
Can you run us through, let's dive,
btw It will be very technical,
through your product offering.
What is it actually that your product is.
So what Antefil does
is we spin glassfibers
and we provide a thermoplastic coating
during the spinning of the glass fibers.
So we apply the matrix, the material
that's really intended
to hold the fibers
together in the composite.
We apply that directly to each
and every individual glassfiber
while it is being spun.
So it's an inline process.
And for this we are working together
with established glass fiber manufacturers
and inserting our hardware
as a coating applicator module
into their factories.
So they then produce these hybrid fibers,
which also down the line,
actually provide a lot of advantages
in terms of process ability
and quality of the final component.
So tell us about the
the advantages of hybrid fibers.
What advantages can someone expect
that wants to have your spun fibers?
In the end, the major aspect really
is those hybrid fibers
are all about process efficiency.
It's a very efficient hybrid
intermediate material to be produced.
So if you're matching again,
what you described is bringing fibers
and the matrix together somehow.
Usually this is done
through an impregnation process.
So we need pressure. We need in case
a thermoplastics heat or a solvent.
And most crucially we need time
to put the matrix
in between the fibers somehow.
Push it or pull it in between the fibers.
And that is something
that we completely circumvent.
So by applying the material
directly to the fiber,
we don't have to go
through an impregnation step.
So this is actually the world's
first value chain for composites
with continuous fiber reinforcement,
where you don't have to impregnate
at all anywhere from the raw materials
to the final component.
So that makes it very efficient in terms
of the material
that you're getting as a product from us.
But at the same time
it can be processed very quickly.
So what we mean by that
is that you can achieve cycle times
with thermoforming,
or sometimes people are referring to this
as cold pressing,
cycle times of 20s and less,
while achieving part qualities
with fiber fillings
of 70 volume percent with a poor content
of less than half a percent.
So very high performance numbers
even with glass
and, you know, polypropylene, PA 6.
Whatever thermoplastic you would like,
we can apply that to the glassfiber.
Can you explain us, I mean,
the composite industry
has a very wide application range.
We are talking sports, energy,
the car industry, the planes.
So who would be your ideal customer
at the backend? Let's say the end user
and who is actually
your immediate customer?
-In the end, it's all of us, right?
We're trying to benefit society
as a whole.
So that's the kind of applications
that we're going for.
But you see behind us as well,
what we write here
is that we provide high performance
hybrid fibers for mass markets.
And so ultimately, what this means
is that if we're talking
about process efficiency,
it's high lot numbers.
It's very quick cycle times.
So automatically
we're in the field of mobility
and transport
especially the automotive sector.
At the same time,
obviously as a young startup,
you know, we need to make money soon
and so that's something where we're trying
to also get into more applications
that have shorter sales cycles,
but that are also marketable
in a more public environment.
And sporting goods, as you mentioned,
is a key aspect there.
We have a lot of good contacts also today
and yesterday already at JEC World 2024,
which are driving
the sporting goods market.
And you know, coming from Switzerland,
alpine sports skiing for example,
is a big, big part of that obviously.
-And also we got the Olympia
2024 here in Paris soon.
So sport is of course
an interesting topic.
Now you said you are a young company.
As a young company, I can imagine
if you want to go into mass markets
you need big, huge production plants.
How do you cope with that challenge
as a young company?
-In the end, we need to make sure
that we understand
what our role is in this entire industry.
And as a young company, we ourselves,
in terms of resources,
even on even personal resources,
we cannot provide the big picture
at this moment in time.
So we need to rely on a big network
of strong industrial partners.
And that's especially true
when it comes
to the glassfibre manufacturers.
So we can outsource the production
of these hybrid fibers.
But rather than just calling it
outsourcing, creating strong partnerships
and working with those strong partners,
because what we provide
and the value that we bring along
is really the expertise
and the coating process.
We hold a patent as well.
But, you know,
patents are their own story.
There is a certain strength in that.
But we think ultimately
the value that we do provide
is the quality of the coating
that we can produce and the expertise
in how to process it then
in the most efficient process
for the part producer,
that will also,
in the end, benefit the end customer.
Walking through your booth, Christoph,
I've seen also there is a press here.
What is it about
that you are showing a press?
With the opportunity
to represent ourselves here at JEC World,
we also may want to make
a live demonstration.
And so we talked about cycle time
and efficiency
and how quickly fibres can be processed.
That's something we want to show live.
We have a press here where
we're doing a thermal process
live demonstration. Starting out
with just a simple unidirectional
arrangement of fibers
that are then being pre-heated
using infrared and then consolidated
in a cold press tool.
If you're stopping by JEC World check
if you're stopping by any other exhibit
where we are bringing the press along,
you can come
and you get a sample
that you can take with you home.
We're coming slowly
towards the end of our interview.
What else and why should people come
and visit you?
Well, you mentioned it
in the beginning, right?
We're all about coating fibers.
And you mentioned Swiss chocolate
that we're bringing out.
So what we're bringing out
is a chocolate fountain.
So you can come and coat your own fibers.
You can create your own hybrid fibers
with Swiss chocolate
as the matrix material.
-Christoph, this video may be published
after the JEC world, most probably.
Our viewers will see it later.
Is there any chance on future events
that they will enjoy your Swiss chocolate?
Of course, that's what we're all about.
As a company from Zurich.
We feel it to be our obligation
to provide that, obviously.
Thank you so much for your time,
and I wish you a great show.
Thank you as well. And likewise.