The SGL Group is a leading manufacturer of carbon products. SGL's aim in opening a new research and development department in Meitingen, near Augsburg, Germany is to boost its innovative capacity. The new R&D centre co-ordinates all the SGL Group's development activities worldwide and employs Zwick testing machines for mechanical testing of materials and components. The advantage is that products, software and service all come from one source.
Zwick material testing machine in the new research and development centre at SGL.
Carbon and graphite products are employed when other materials such as steel, aluminium, copper, plastics, wood etc. fail due to their limited material properties. Carbon-based products combine several unique properties, such as heat and electrical conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance and lightness combined with strength.
The Wiesbaden-based SGL Group is a world leader in the manufacture of carbon products. The firm's comprehensive portfolio ranges from carbon and graphite products via carbon fibres to composite materials. SGL Group's core competencies lie in their mastery of high-temperature technology and their ability to bring to bear many years of application and engineering expertise. SGL products are principally used in the steel, aluminium, automotive and chemical industries. However, their customers also include the semi-conductor, solar, wind energy, battery (dry/rechargeable), environmental and aviation industries.
With the opening of a central research and development centre the company plans to expand its range of services further with the aim of developing new markets and applications, especially in the field of fibre and fibre-composite materials. The new research centre co-ordinates all the SGL Group's research and development activities worldwide. The central materials-testing laboratory located there carries out a wide range of physical and mechanical materials testing. In addition to the experienced staff, flexible, state-of-the-art testing instruments are essential.
These are supplied by Zwick and are used for:
- The evaluation of all established characteristic strength values in a wide force range with high-resolution strain measurement under varied climatic conditions (humidity, temperature)
- Determining material characteristic values at high temperatures
- Hardness measurement
- Component testing under realistic conditions.
Zwick's large product range was a deciding factor, as was the testXpert universal software, which is easily adaptable to SGL's wide-ranging and varied testing requirements. The SGL staff were convinced by Zwick's unique testing solutions such as the MGCplus plug-in software module, expertise in fracture mechanics, and after-sales service, offering support and technical advice.