SGL Carbon inaugurates production hall for graphite-based automotive components

 

 

Over the past three years, SGL Carbon (Wiesbaden, Germany) has invested a total of around €25 million ($27.5 million USD) in expansion of production capacities for specialty graphite-reinforced automotive components at its site in Bonn, Germany. This expansion has included installation of new production facilities, a modernized production set-up and construction of a new, 2,000-square-meter hall for part production. According to the company, this expansion project was completed at the end of last year and was inaugurated on Jan. 15 at the site in an official ceremony. 

SGL Carbon cites continuously increasing demand for advanced solutions and products made from graphite in the automotive sector as the reason behind the expansion. Due to its durability, high strength, low friction behavior, and high conductivity, the material is reportedly suitable for many different automotive applications. Examples include rotors and vanes in vacuum pumps for brake boosters, bearings for exhaust gas management, and sealing rings and bearings for seals in coolant pumps. These solutions include applications for vehicles with conventional combustion engines as well as for e-mobility.

“Automotive components made from specialty graphite are increasingly becoming the standard in many different applications in the automotive industry. Due to their special properties, they are more and more frequently replacing the materials previously used in pumps and seals, such as plastic and metal. By investing in the modernization and expansion of production in Bonn, we are consolidating our leading position in this market and offering our customers real added value in the close partnership with each other. Through the expansion, we are also strengthening our site in Bonn,” explains Burkhard Straube, president of the graphite materials and systems business unit at SGL Carbon.

In Bonn, SGL Carbon produces a variety of customer-specific solutions made from specialty graphite for different growth markets. The main products are applications made of fine-grain graphite for the production systems in the solar, LED, and semiconductor industries, as well as the graphite-based automotive components. Various trainings and apprenticeships are also offered at the site.