STRATVIEW RESEARCH BLOG

STRATVIEW RESEARCH BLOG

Covestro Cooperates with BUFA Thermoplastic Composites for Maezio UD Tapes Distribution

Covestro Cooperates with BUFA Thermoplastic Composites for Maezio UD Tapes Distribution

Covestro has joined hands with BUFA Thermoplastic Composites through a distribution agreement that grants BUFA distribution rights for Maezio thermoplastic UD (unidirectional) tapes from Covestro.

The partnership is a result of the growing demand for materials that are designed for lightweight construction yet as robust as metal.

We’re super excited to introduce BÜFA as part of our distribution network around the globe,” says Lisa Ketelsen, head of the thermoplastic composites business of Covestro. “In the future, we want to nurture our mutual exchanges on market trends and customer needs in order to find the best possible solutions for our customers.”

We’re thrilled to add Maezio™ into our product portfolio,” says Dirk Punke, Managing Director of BÜFA Thermoplastic Composites. “The tapes can be made particularly thin, but have high stability and are especially light at the same time, which enables the production of complex and three-dimensional components in a wide range of industries.”

UD tapes are gaining traction in all the major end-use industries including aerospace & defense, automotive, and sporting goods. Stratview Research has stated in one of its reports that the global UD tapes market is likely to witness an impressive CAGR of 13.1 % over the next five years, driven by a host of factors including organic growth of aerospace and defense, automotive, and sports & leisure industries coupled with increasing composites penetration in structural and semi-structural sections, excellent mechanical performance, and lightweight as compared to rivals including steel and aluminum.

Today most of the aerospace interior components, such as floor panels, seat frames, and luggage bins, are started manufacturing with thermoplastic UD tapes. Thermoplastic UD tapes offer a wide array of benefits such as higher strength-to-weight ratio, excellent toughness, moisture absorption resistance, and ability to survive under high-temperature conditions. They are preferably used in almost all major end-use industries including aerospace & defense and sporting goods.

Maezio™ UD tapes are also based on a thermoplastic matrix such as polycarbonate, which is strengthened with strands of continuous, oriented carbon or glass fibers. The UD tapes can be laminated together at different angles to form sheets that can be tuned to specific performance targets.

Source: Covestro