German engineering plastics producer Covestro (Leverkusen; www.covestro.com) is stepping up investment in its “Maezio” brand of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites to better respond to market trends and growing demand. At its headquarters site, the former Bayer MaterialScience has commissioned a new tape line to develop products with varying fibre and resin combinations. Production will subsequently be scaled up and commercialised on the premises of subsidiary Covestro Thermoplast Composite (Markt Bibart / Germany). The company was acquired in 2015 – see Plasteurope.com of 15.03.2018.

“To meet the needs of a growing range of applications we need a broader base of portfolio with different matrix materials and properties. The new tape line in combination with our mass production lines will allow us to do quick iterations and scaling based on market demand,” said Lisa Ketelsen, head of Covestro’s thermoplastic composite business.

Simultaneously, the company has installed new hybrid injection moulding machines in Germany and China, combining the thermoforming of semi-finished composite parts with in-mould injection moulding. One product under development is a thermoplastic polyurethane-based composite, which Covestro said is in strong demand for footwear and sports equipment applications, due to its “excellent chemical resistance properties and superior flexibility in a wide temperature range.”