Only two months after its international launch event, sensXPERT’s (Selb, Germany) Digital Mold solution received the Innovation Award in the “Processes and Procedures” category from the AVK (Augsburg, Germany) German Federation of Reinforced Plastics. sensXPERT is a technology brand of Netzsch Process Intelligence GmbH, a corporate venture of the Netzsch Group.

Through the Innovation Award, the AVK, reported to be one of the largest European associations in the field of composites, aims to promote new products and applications made of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs) as well as new processes for their manufacture. A particular focus when selecting award winners is sustainability.

sensXPERT’s sensor technology is said to optimize and increase efficiencies in the production of thermosets and FRPs by means of material and process (M&P) data analyzed in real time. Its intelligent Digital Mold supports various production processes such as reactive injection molding (RIM), resin transfer molding (RTM), compression molding and autoclave curing. According to the company, the combination of sensors and machine learning for machine- and cavity-synchronous material characterization detects and controls all necessary influencing factors in real time. Process reliability is thus improved.

“We are proud to hold this award in our hands. It shows that we were able to convince the jury with our holistic approach,” sensXPERT founder and CEO Dr. Alexander Chaloupka says. “We will continue to work on making manufacturing processes more sustainable and efficient. This can only be achieved through a collaborative partner network, through which the knowledge that our customers need is digitalized and made available as a support tool. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our partners who have accompanied us on our journey so far and without whose support the ongoing development of sensXPERT would not have been possible.”

One collaboration with carbon fiber wheel manufacture Carbon Revolution (Geelong, Australia) has reportedly produced a significant impact on process productivity and quality. To achieve its productivity goals, Carbon Revolution’s high-pressure resin transfer molding (HP-RTM) lines have been equipped with sensXPERT Digital Mold, integrating downstream quality control into the production process, and thus streamlining the multistage production process, minimizing fluctuations and making the process safer and more sustainable. As a result, the company has been able to expand its production capacity to meet the increasing demand for carbon fiber rims.

Moreover, at Netzsch Pumps & Systems, the technology is used to optimize the production of stators made from an elastomer. “We see a significant reduction in cycle times. This AI-based technology supports our efforts to further automate and digitalize our value chain,” Jens Heidkötter, managing director at Netzsch Pumps & Systems, says.

sensXPERT is also used in the aviation industry. As part of an ongoing collaboration, the Airbus (Toulouse, France) R&T composite team is using the solution with various materials in different process scenarios. Crucial parameters such as the degree of curing and the glass transition temperature (T_g) are recorded in accordance with highly sensitive state-of-the-art laboratory measurements.