Expertise in Innovation, R&D and Production
We take our motto 'TRUST THE EXPERTS' very seriously. Well-trained professionals ensure every day that we can offer innovative, high-quality, and technically complex products. From the idea to the finished product, the process is usually entirely in the hands of HKO experts. Here you get a behind-the-scenes look at HKO - into our R&D and production areas.
TRUST THE EXPERTS for development and Innovation
We have specialized expertise in the manufacturing and refinement of technical textiles, primarily from fiberglass materials, for high-temperature applications. This includes application-specific multilayer components as well as finishings for a variety of applications in the automotive, marine, and industrial sectors. The result of our work includes innovations and further developments in various areas, such as fire protection for mobile and stationary battery systems, passive fire protection solutions inside and outside buildings like components for fire doors or curtains, filtration solutions in high-temperature areas, and solutions for thermal insulation in high-temperature application areas.
Our research and development unit consists of a multicultural team of developers and application engineers. Our expertise encompasses both fundamental and application-oriented research and development work. Our goal is to achieve continuous improvements of existing products as well as complete new developments. This also includes the development of necessary production processes required for the manufacture of new products.
Teamwork and innovation networks as basis of HKO R&D
Our teams work closely together to drive developments forward, for example by conducting innovation workshops. These workshops take place internally, with other Saint-Gobain units (other business units and eight global development centers), as well as with customers. We use fundamental research to fully understand the material behavior of our products and to consider it appropriately in product development. For some applications, we use simulation technologies to keep development cycles as short as possible. Short iteration loops in the production of samples also help us accelerate development cycles. Additionally, we have our own laboratory where we can conduct tests such as high-temperature resistance, in addition to actual product development, without relying on external partners, thus minimizing extended development cycles.
Various paths to innovation
We draw our innovation potential from various influences, including industry meetings, trade fairs, working groups (both academic and non-academic), market analyses, exchanges with our customers, and ideas developed from specific needs. The focus of idea development is always on customer benefit. By mapping complete process chains from a single source and leveraging scientific and application-oriented expertise from various disciplines, we can offer comprehensive solutions or develop them together with our customers.
Our production of high quality technical textiles
HKO has three modern production sites in Oberhausen/NRW and Thuringia, Germany. At these locations, we manufacture both fabrics and needle mats for high-temperature applications that meet the highest quality standards. Thanks to our extensive manufacturing depth and profound production know-how, we are able to meet individual customer requirements and cover a wide range of applications. Our products are used in various industries, such as the automotive and marine industries.
Yarn and fabric production
Our fabric production features a high manufacturing depth, from specially processed yarns to laminated, finished, or coated fabrics. However, our specialization often begins with yarn finishing. With our equipment, we can already modify or chemically refine these yarns to achieve specific mechanical properties and/or better insulation performance.
At the beginning of the production chain, we texturize and twist our yarns (if desired) to optimize their properties according to specific requirements. This process imparts additional mechanical and physical properties to the yarns and increases their strength. Various materials can be combined for hybridization or reinforcement.
In a subsequent step, the yarns can then undergo chemical finishing. This involves passing the yarn through a dip bath and then drying it to increase its heat resistance. If desired, virtually the entire color palette can be reproduced in this process.
We can produce fabrics with custom-defined weaves. Drawing on our many years of experience and expertise, we create specialized fabrics for a wide range of applications. Our typical weaves include plain weave, twill weave, satin weave, and panama weave. In addition to E-glass, ECR-glass, and silicate glass yarns as base materials, we can use and combine virtually any available yarn.
Fabric finishing
Coating
On our line, we can coat the fabric with various chemicals such as polyurethane (PU) or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA). The knife coating is a continuous roll-to-roll process in which the fabric is moved under a doctor blade that spreads the pasty coating composition over a defined gap. The viscosity, the gap, and the fill quantity determine the amount of coating composition applied. The fabric then passes through the drying section to remove the remaining water or to vulcanize the liquid silicone rubber.
Treatment
On our machine, we can finish the fabric with chemicals adding valueable properties to the final product. In this continuous roll-to-roll process, the fabric is moved through a dip bath and completely soaked with the chemicals. Excess liquid is squeezed out and returned to the bath. The fabric is then dried in the dryer to remove the excess water and achieve the final state of the product.
Lamination
On our machines, various materials such as aluminum foil can be laminated onto the fabric. In this continuous process, the different layers are bonded together under pressure and temperature.
The various finishing technologies can also be combined with each other if required in order to combine the potential of each process. Precise parts can then be cut from the fabric rolls on our CNC cutters. Thanks to our high level of vertical integration and flexibility, we can manufacture specific and customized yarns and fabrics in our production facilities that meet the highest performance and quality requirements.
Production of needle mats and stitch-bonded mats
We use different types of raw fibers for our needle-punched mats, depending on the intended application and customer requirements. We cut the raw fibers to specific lengths on our cutting and blending line. In addition, different types of raw fibers can be blended together as needed.
On our nonwoven production lines, the cut and/or blended raw fibers are processed into needle-punched nonwovens. The fibers are laid in a random orientation using the air-lay process. This allows us to achieve optimal strength for the specific application. Through targeted needling, we create a interlocking bond, thereby eliminating the need for organic binders.
