English
“Endumax is a very exciting new material,” says Christian Norhausen, Sales and Marketing Manager Endumax. “Gram for gram, it’s one of the strongest tapes available: approximately 11 times stronger than steel. Plus, it’s extremely light, has good UV stability, good abrasion resistance and an exceptional high modulus that’s close to that of carbon fibers.”
Tape, not fiber
Endumax is produced in a solvent free, patented process by stretching a sheet of pure UHMWPE to a thin, narrow tape. The actual tape is 55 microns thick, and will, as of next year, come in standard widths of 2mm and 133mm.
In many respects, tapes today can be used like a fiber, either twisted, woven or knitted. However, “there are other advantages,” says Christian. “Endumax tapes are ideal for constructing thin but strong structures, such as panels and laminates for anti-ballistic applications. In laminates made from fibers, each fiber needs to be fixed, so the final laminate can contain up to 15-20% glue. But one made from Endumax tape would contain just 4% glue – providing the same ballistic protection level.”
High-performance combinations
“We know that its ballistic performance is very high,” says Christian, “and we can use it to produce very thin laminates and plates with high stiffness and dimensional stability. So we’ve begun to work on applications such as inserts for protective vests and vehicle armour. And with so much aramid expertise to draw on, we’re also looking at how we can combine Twaron and Endumax to offer even higher levels of protection – or greater manoeuvrability.”
Further opportunities
Endumax also offers benefits when processing. It’s a thermoplastic material, which means it can be softened and shaped when heated. Researchers at Teijin Aramid are looking at using a thermal forming process to mould Endumax into shapes customers require. “Because these processes are relatively speedy and straightforward, they are very interesting across the whole composite market,” explains Christian. Research into further opportunities is ongoing – but in the meantime, construction of the first full-scale production plant of Endumax has already begun.
Fighting gravity
One of the most exciting things about Endumax is the fact that it is so versatile. In one of its very first commercial applications, Endumax is helping people with severely limited arm and hand function to preserve their independence. To learn more, we spoke to Dick van der Pijl, Staff Employee for Research and Development at Focal Meditech, a leading company in the field of assistive technology. Keeping people healthier for longer The product in question is the Darwing. It’s designed to provide dynamic arm support. “These devices generally consist of slings or under-arm supports that counterbalance the weight of the human arm, making it much easier for the person to lift and use their arm,” 
Dick explains. “They enable patients to continue using their arms and hands for as long as possible. And research has shown that preserving that level of autonomy – being able simply to feed yourself – slows the advance of the disease and keeps you healthier for longer.” Where Endumax comes in “Our balancing systems work with pre-loaded spring mechanisms, and they face very large torques and very large forces. We needed a band or flat tape that could stand up to those forces while constantly readjusting the precise loading of the springs. What’s more, because the human arm moves many hundreds of times in an hour, we needed an extremely reliable material that wouldn’t wear or break with extended use.”
A tailored solution
“We contacted Teijin Aramid and, using Endumax, they were able to work with us to fulfill all of our requirements,” Dick says. By coming up with a special coating and welding process, Teijin Aramid was able to adapt Endumax to meet the specifications for Darwing. We may not be a high-volume customer, but we work with precision technology and we require a lot of support – and Teijin Aramid was able to provide that.”
Read more on Endumax: www.teijinendumax.com
