10. May 2019

GKD: Smart products made of metal and hybrid meshes

The Techtextil trade fair will be held in Frankfurt from May 14 to 17, 2019. GKD – GEBR. KUFFERATH AG will be present in Hall 3.1, Stand D79 to showcase the potential and vast range of possibilities offered by the smart products the company has developed from metal and hybrid meshes for specific applications, as well as all other industrially weavable materials. Its integrative consulting, development, and manufacturing expertise makes the mesh expert the partner of choice for high-performance alternatives to existing solutions.

With an unsurpassed portfolio of weavable materials and material combinations, as well as production technologies developed in-house, GKD offers previously unknown solution approaches to new fields of application, as well as ever stricter product and process requirements. The basis is typically a metal frame that can be combined with any industrially weavable material for specific applications – whether metal, special alloys, ceramic, or glass, and as cable, wire, or fibers. Meshes are then enhanced to incorporate smart factors that go far beyond the performance spectrum of a standard fabric. Through targeted material combinations, as well as selecting the right weave type and technique, desired characteristics such as abrasion resistance, electrical or thermal conductivity, shielding of electrical fields, tensile strength, high temperature resistance, safety reserves thanks to improved mechanical strength, or drape ability can be perfectly combined and adjusted. Up to ten material components – monofilaments and multifilaments, as well as fibers – can be combined in this way using high-end looms developed in-house. Each material can be woven on its own or in combination, as well as in all directions. At the same time, it is possible to interweave thick, thin, or even various materials that are partially and selectively matched to specific customer requirements, such as electrodes at defined spacing, heating wires for sectional heating, or LED strips – as is the case with the Mediamesh architecture system. Machine technology also allows materials with a wide range of material parameters, such as stretching, tensile strength, or Rp0.2 (yield strength), to be processed. Glass hybrid belts, which combine a monofilament metal shell with multifilament fibers in the warp, are good examples of GKD’s weaving expertise. In addition to this, UV-stable, fire-proof, recyclable and cleanable stainless steel mesh meets exacting sustainability requirements. Its bandwidth as a solution provider also makes the owner-managed mid-sized company a sought-after contact for users from the fields of industry and architecture at the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens.