A new academic study has verified the benefits of carbon fibre components for use in the printing, papermaking and related industries. Professor Dr. Lutz Engisch from the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences presented the results of his research for the first time at the Packaging & Decorative Conference in Turin.
Trend towards carbon fibre
“There is an increasing trend for using carbon fibre for components such as print cylinder sleeves for easier handling and idler rollers as they can reach higher rotational speeds than metal rollers for a given diameter”, the study concludes. “This is particularly important when wide web widths are used such as in paper making and polymer film manufacturing. Their use is also likely to increase in the industry due to the manufacturing tolerances of emerging industries such as flexible electronics and solar.”
In other industries such as aviation and automotive the benefits for using carbon fibre have been well described. Its use in the printing industry for rollers and cylinders has so far not been well documented, despite the fact that it is being used. Carbon fibre combines strength with a low weight making it an ideal material for parts where weight matters.
