Expertise in Synergy - Glatt

hollomet, Innovations in Cellular Materials
Glatt, cellular materials and the hollomet GmbH
The idea of manufacturing cellular materials originated through a
close collaboration between the Glatt Systemtechnik GmbH and
a neighbouring research institute (IFAM, Fraunhofer Institute for
Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research). The
most important step in producing cellular materials is the
coating, which is a core competence of the Glatt Group. After
developing this material class for more than eight years as a department
within the Glatt Systemtechnik GmbH we decided to
concentrate these activities in a new company called hollomet
GmbH launched on January 1st 2009. In this timeframe many
interesting applications have manifested from the countless possibilities,
which we together with our customers want to turn into
industrial products.
Due to being in quite similar business to IPC Dresden, with the
main difference being our focus on metallic and ceramic materials
we are its daughter company and part of the Glatt-group.
Applications of cellular materials
Here we would like to describe a few types of applications from
the different fields of industry.
- Mufflers small combustion engines
For this application the inner parts of the muffler are equipped
with globomet ® structures (material: FeCrAl). The main advantages
compared to conventional mufflers are the much simpler
setup and the mechanical strength and corrosion resistance of
this material at temperatures of up to 1.000 °C. Additionally measurements
have shown an improved sound absorption and a higher
power output / lower fuel consumption (due to a lower
backpressure of the component) compared to a conventional
component.
- Adsorbents for oxygen production
Coated carriers are ceramic spheres consisting of an inert carrier
inside and a functional coating on the surface. This functional
coating works as a catalyst (for chemical processes) or as an adsorbent
(for separations). The overall efficiency of these processes
is determined by the velocity of the process (how fast is the
process going on) and the capacity (amount of conversion per
unit volume). Whereas the velocity is increased by thinner
functional coatings (since diffusion through pores is the limiting
factor), capacity is increased by thicker coatings (more reactive
material per volume). Within our globocer ® products we can
exactly control the thickness of the functional coatings and
thereby optimize the product for maximum efficiency for each of
our customers processes.
- Oxidation catalyst for passenger cars
Conventional catalysts based on metal stripes of ceramic extrudates
have two fundamental disadvantages. Firstly the exhaust
gas is distributed unevenly concerning velocity and temperature.
This reduces the potential efficiency of the catalyst, since the
structures cannot compensate these inhomogeneities due to
their channel structure. Secondly these structures offer nearly no
possibilities for efficient construction, also due to the channel
structure. Here components based on foamet ® offer new possibilities.
Due to their morphology gas flowing through these
structures is laterally homogenized, which results in a rather even
distribution of velocity and temperature; the catalyst is used
much more efficiently. The good mechanical properties and its
morphology enable configurations with much lower backpressure
and therefore higher power output / lower fuel consumption
with the same catalytic efficiency. Additionally the amount of
precious metal needed is also significantly lower.
Technology and products
The process route for manufacturing our cellular materials
is quite easy. The first step is a coating of a polymer template
(usually Styrofoam) or a ceramic carrier (which we produce in
situ by granulation) with a mixture of ceramic or metal powder
and an organic binder. In a second step the organic compounds
are evaporated out and the powder is burnt (“sintered”) to a solid
structure, whereby the shape of the template remains. As a result
we obtain products of following types:
8 International Times No. 27 · March 2009