The future of lightweight design with Dr. Ahmad Al-Sheyyab.

“How light can our future be?” In the quest for lighter, lower cost, more efficient materials, this is a question we often challenge ourselves to answer.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Sheyyab, Manager of the Composite Technologies Department, leads a team of specialists at REHAU hoping to create breakthrough solutions for a host of challenging applications.

“Our task in the field of Research and Development is to sensibly exploit all available synergies. Materials experts are often the interface between diverse industry specialists. Our mission is to check every idea for relevance and make what sometimes seems impossible possible.”

Lightweight design is a highly specialised field where experts work to reduce the mass of materials while maintaining its strength and durability. Reducing the weight of a car, train or plane can result in huge energy and efficiency savings, meaning the rewards arising from this work often far outweigh the initial investment.

Dr. Al-Sheyyab explains, “We understand lightweight construction as a design philosophy, and as a polymer specialist we deal with efficient manufacturing and the sustainable use of synthetic materials in some very creative ways.”

The market’s readiness for highly modernised developments sometimes weighs heavily on Dr. Al-Sheyyab’s mind. “Some of the boldest, most radical ideas can still be met with scepticism. It can take time to persuade others that our truly futuristic lightweight materials really can solve age-old problems.”

REHAU’s broad range of products permits the company to branch in several different directions at once. Today the company offers lightweight solutions for a multitude of industries, from aircraft production to furniture design.

The lightweight potential of composite materials is a topic of huge economic interest with every industry searching for more energy efficient ways of working. Newly developed high-performance extrusion profiles for thermoplastic materials can, for example, replace aluminium profiles thanks to the addition of endless fiber-reinforced stiffeners. These components not only meet stringent mechanical requirements but also offer improved thermal insulation properties. New REHAU profiles can increase the energy efficiency of air-conditioning systems many times over.

The field for new composite approaches is vast and REHAU is excitedly pursuing remarkable new applications for a lighter, more energy efficient future.

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