JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #51 - September 2009 - 11

in partnership with JEC Composites E-letter AN INTERVIEW WITH BORIS MISLAVSKY, PHD, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT & GLOBAL MARKETING, KAMENNY VEK, RUSSIA JEC Composites Magazine: Why did Kamenny Vek set up business in Dubna? BORIS MISLAVSKY: The town was originally a major centre for research in fundamental physics. Military combat aircraft and missiles are also manufactured there. Dubna was an ideal choice for quality production because of the qualified labour there, and its closeness to Moscow. Dubna is also becoming more and more a kind of “Silicon Valley”, creating a real competitive spirit. JCM: Where do you get the basalt you use? B. M.: The graded rock is delivered to us by truck from the Ukraine. We also have a site in Russia where the composition of the basalt is the same as the Ukrainian basalt, which guarantees our supply and also a consistent quality. producers effectively meet strict end-of life requirements. JCM: Who are Kamenny Vek’s shareholders, and what is their impact? B. M.: Kamenny Vek is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a British private equity fund that believes in the market potential of basalt fibre. As a result, our plant is equipped with the most modern manufacturing hardware for achieving the highest properties and the bestquality basalt fibres. The best labs and specialists worldwide are also involved in the development, production, testing, and quality control of products. JCM: What is your production capacity? B. M.: Our annual production capacity is 2,000 metric tons, but it would take us only 18 to 24 months to increase that to 15,000 MT/year. We have the necessary space with our second site located 20 km away from Dubna. Our technology is now well established, so all we have to do is build more production units. We already have plans to build a third and larger furnace in the short term if the world economy recovers, and that would increase our production capacity to lights the better price/properties ratio of basalt fibres, compared to carbon and specialty glass fibres. The company estimates the global market at about 100,000+ MT, including some 35,000 MT for structural core parts, with a 15-25% annual growth expected until 2015. The company draws 17μm fibres that are dedicated to the infusion process, applied to the manufacture of windmill blades. Recycling is a key issue in the automotive industry. Basalt-fibre-reinforced plastics are more easily disposed of than glassfibre-based materials. Several western companies has qualified basalt veils for automotive headliners and are buying basalt wet chops from Kamenny Vek on a regular basis. A lot of other customers are testing fibres in BMC and SMC processes and in thermoplastic materials. 3,000-5,000 MT/year. JCM: What development projects are in the works? B. M.: Basalt fibre is highly competitive because it is cost-effective, corrosion resistant and recyclable. We are very confident that it will develop into a commodity for the composite industry. The market potential is huge. When we obtain certification for the wind energy sector, that will open up a potential market for us of 10,000+ MT/year. There are many potential user sectors, and the automotive sector in particular could account for large volumes. We have invested in equipment from the major brand names to guarantee the best possible quality. We count heavily on quality. In order to create product that ideally suits requirements of the wind mill blades producers and to develop optimal technology of the UD production, we have recently bought a machine for the fabrication of UD fabrics. Furthermore we are ready to pass this technology to our partners. Applications Further processing of basalt fibres does not require special equipment or technologies. All existing processes including weaving, pultrusion, filament winding, etc can be used, also basalt fibres are compatible with most types of resins. Basalt fibres have a combination of properties that enables their use as a replacement for asbestos, standard E-glass and highstrength glass, silica, chemical-resistant glass and other special fibres in many applications. There are also a number of applications where basalt fibres may be the best material, due to their unique combination of physical and chemical properties. Applications for Kamenny Vek’s products include high-pressure vessels, tanks and cylinders, load-bearing profiles, windmill blades, boats, SMC/BMC parts for the automotive industry, car muffler fillers, concrete reinforcement, friction materials, thermoinsulation, industrial filters and many more. For windmill blades, Kamenny Vek high- Tensile strength and modulus comparison. For building and construction applications, Kamenny Vek provides highstrength basalt roving specially designed for pultrusion. Basalt fibre can be used to produce stiffer and stronger concrete rebars, and advanced basalt stucco nets are ideally suited for the renovation of old concrete structures and for reinforcing the outer coating of buildings. A Norwegian customer won a JEC Award in 2006 for its reinforcement for concrete applications. More information: www.basfiber.com No51 September 2009 / jec composites magazine 11

http://www.basfiber.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #51 - September 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #51 - September 2009