Annual Report 2009 - Von Roll

18 Description of segmentsVon Roll CompositesActivitiesThe Von Roll Composites segment includes products with specific mechanical, thermal and chemicalproperties, which are achieved by combining various materials. The offering includes composites,which can be used for equipping the paper industry, as well as in the areas of ballistic andthermal protection. Other applications are cables – in particular, fire-resistant cables – as well asmoulded parts. Von Roll composites are used in a range of products in a variety of sectors: fromaircraft, to car sunroofs, electronics, x-ray equipment, and civilian and military ballistic protection.Von Roll’s cable insulations are mainly used by the cable industry in ships and buildings; the fireresistantcables are mainly used, for example in airports or high-rise buildings because of thespecific safety requirements, and our moulded parts are employed in an equally wide spectrum ofindustries.TechnologyVon Roll composites are created by combining a resin with a filling structure such as glass fibre andthen being formed into sheets by means of a pressing process. Alternatively, the pre-impregnatedmaterials can be made into tubes. In the last stage of the value added chain, Von Roll machines thematerials to meet customer requirements. Fire-resistant cables are made by laminating mica paperwith a carrier material and wrapping them in a wire – making these special cables resistant to temperaturesof up to 1,200°. Mica tape can also be made into cable tape pads or winding coils to suitspecific client requirements. The starting point for the manufacture of moulded parts is to combineglass fibres and resins to form a resinous mass. The mass is then pressed into the required mouldedparts using specially created tools.