The Krefeld-based family business Laufenberg specializes in silicone-coated papers and films – so-called release liners.
In March, it presented itself with a new trade fair concept at the two leading international exhibitor events, JEC World in Paris for composite materials and ICE Europe in Munich for converting products such as plastic films and liners. Laufenberg scored with two newly developed super liners.
“The two exhibitions in Paris and Munich have been among the highlights for years as meeting points with existing and new customers in our business,” says Sales Director Birgit Fink. “It was all the better that our sales managers Kai Oltmanns from Paris and Andreas Schoofs from Munich returned to Krefeld with an extremely positive response from the two three-day events with their teams.” Both trade fairs recorded record numbers of exhibitors and visitors, thus consolidating their importance for the companies represented. “Laufenberg also benefited from this,” report Oltmanns and Schoofs. “We received a lot of praise for the concept of our new trade fair stand, which was bright, open and modern, inviting visitors to enter, with the new image video presenting our company on a large screen.”
Two new Super Liners were a magnet for visitors at ICE Europe in Munich
In the run-up to ICE, Laufenberg used the trade press to draw attention to two pioneering technical developments – two super liners that significantly improve the surface quality and sliding behavior during coating. “It was a success, especially as there were many visitors from the very industries that are the target group for our products,” reports Andreas Schoofs. “We were delighted to receive many inquiries about our new top products and were able to arrange trial rolls.” The new solvent-free LB-Super Smooth Liner has a significantly smoother surface than a standard PETP film with solvent-free siliconization, which has a typical structure for these coatings. “To prove this, we had microscopic structural images from our laboratory and sample films with us, which were convincing.” The secret: smooth surfaces could previously only be achieved with solvent-based products, while solvent-free liners led to undesirable marking on the surface. The new LB-Super Smooth Liner is comparable in smoothness to the quality of solvent-based competitor products, but is free from organic solvents. In addition to the desired smooth surface to avoid markings in the adhesive, for example, the film also has better processing properties thanks to its improved gliding properties.
“With the new LB-Antistatic Liner, we have succeeded in giving polyester films with a one- or two-sided siliconization an antistatic finish with a long-term effect – a unique innovation, especially for two-sided coatings,” reports Schoofs. Antistatic films are highly interesting for many applications, for example in electronics as well as in clean room, automotive and medical technology. The reason: Static discharges can destroy the separating effect of silicone surfaces. Solvent-based adhesive coatings in particular produce vapors, whereby static discharges can lead to explosions. An antistatic effect is therefore required to prevent danger, especially in explosion-protected areas. During handling in the end application, different layers can stick together with conventional coating, as is the case with films that stick to the hand. This undesirable effect is avoided with the new liner, as is static electricity, which acts like a magnet for unwanted particles such as dirt, dust or insects. “These improvements were the focus of our technical discussions at the ICE,” says Schoofs.
Technical discussions dominate the JEC World composites trade fair
“We have been exhibiting at JEC World in Paris for many years because it attracts more than 40,000 visitors from over a hundred countries in Europe, the USA and China,” reports Kai Oltmanns. The growing demand for composites or composite materials makes the show an international stage for innovative products that are in demand in the automotive, aviation and supplier industries. “Our Laufenberg team held many technical discussions with manufacturers of prepreg, fibers, resins and other components, for example about fiber impregnation or the so-called panel pressing of floor panels for aircraft,” reports Oltmanns. Car body and aircraft parts are increasingly being made from lightweight composite materials such as carbon to reduce weight and save fuel. “Many of these manufacturers use our release liners, for example for fiber impregnation, and seek expert advice because every resin, every machine and the respective quality requirements are different,” explains the sales manager. Another problem is the formation of creases within the production process.
As a result of the discussions, the team took a number of trial orders with existing and potential customers. These included siliconized release liners with a new release coating for better wettability of thin resin films, as this prevents the adhesive film from tearing and “fish eyes” from forming. “It is also important for us to keep abreast of new developments, such as flax-based biocomposites for racing bikes,” says Oltmanns.
TO THE COMPANY
Three employees took over the company from the founder in 1991. The Soding family has been the sole shareholder since 2016. Jörg Soding has been accompanying the generational change in the company since 2002 and is developing Laufenberg into a customer-oriented innovation center. In the north of Krefeld, a state-of-the-art plant has been gradually built on 38,000 square meters of premises with machinery of the highest standard. The company employs around 230 people. Three production systems coat industrially used papers and films on both sides with various silicones, while one machine does this on one side. Press release from Laufenberg GmbH, Krefeld, 23.04.2019.
Queries to Birgit Fink, Sales Director, telephone: 02151-7499-26, b.fink@laufenberg.info, www.laufenberg.info
