Ion irradiation specialist Ionisos (Dagneux / France; www.ionisos.com) is expanding its German site in Salzenforst. Construction on a 2,000 m² extension building will begin in spring 2020. A further accelerator – the third at this site – is to start production in spring the following year. The investment costs amount to EUR 10m, said Henry Mitschak, managing director of the company’s German subsidiary.

According to media reports, the expansion will create around 10 new jobs. The workforce at Salzenforst currently comprises 40 employees. Mitschak cited increasing demand as the reason for the expansion of crosslinking capacities. In the medium term, the investment would secure the indicated growth of existing and new customers. Additionally, the expansion would also grant room for a fourth accelerator in future.

Among other things, ionisation is used for crosslinking plastics. The company treats products such as cables, pipes and shrink tubing. Crosslinking improves the materials’ mechanical and chemical properties considerably – polymers, for example, can no longer melt after crosslinking. The processing of materials takes place in a shielded concrete vault at a speed of up to several 100 m/min. Electrons penetrate the materials and crosslink the polymer chains.

Ionisos acquired the Salzenforst site, originally established in 2008, from German cable specialist Leoni in autumn 2016.