Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has begun operation of its new production facility for Rohacell structural foam at its Darmstadt, Germany site, following an investment of approximately six million Euros. The new facility will increase the polymerization capacity at the site by 50%. Due to the extensive automation of polymerization processes, the cycle times have dropped by almost half.
Rohacell is a structural foam based on polymethacrylimide, which is used in fiber-reinforced composite parts for lightweight applications. The most important market segments are aerospace and lifestyle, as well as automotive engineering and wind energy.