Automatic Flexible CFRP-Rebar Forming

The wbk Institute of Production Science is developing new innovative manufacturing processes in the field of lightweight design. Fibre-reinforced thermoplastics have recently been the subject of research projects at the institute. Carbon fiber reinforced concrete offers several advantages over steel reinforced concrete. It enables thinner structures to be built while maintaining the same load level, providing great design freedom. We are looking to further improve the automated production of these carbon rebars, starting with batch sizes of one.

Key features of this process include:

• Highly flexible forming of rebars for individual use cases

• Form stability after forming and no later curing due to thermoplastics

• A digital process chain from raw material to finished product

We offer a robotic laboratory comprising two collaborative robots and a digital tool for joint simulation of processes and kinematics. Furthermore, we have expertise in processing fibre-reinforced thermoplastics, including thermoforming, robotic handling, and testing.

We are seeking research and development partners from industry who are looking for:

• Production of thermoplastic rebars optimized for later thermoforming

• Automated thermoforming of rebars into the final shape

• Robotic handling and assembly of rebars into cages

• Interaction of concrete and rebar after pouring