Fibre-Reinforced Plastic

Very high-quality bicycle frames are manufactured in an exceptionally lightweight design using the resin transfer moulding process, involving intricate handcrafting. The products are positioned in the premium price segment, which is scarcely relevant for children’s bicycles. The structure is laminated, with the matrix consisting of resins (epoxy resins). Due to irreversible cross-linking, these cannot be recycled, or at least not without a reduction in performance. In order to develop a high-quality yet cost-effective children’s bicycle frame that can be manufactured automatically in line with the principles of a closed-loop economy based on the cradle-to-cradle principle, the project aims to develop a new manufacturing technology using deep-drawing with pre-stressed fibres and thermoplastic as the matrix. As fibre-reinforced thermoplastic can be recycled and reprocessed into bicycle frames or other products, this will result in a fully recyclable children’s bicycle.

• Investigation of a unique material structure that combines load-optimised, pre-stressed fibres with a thermoplastic matrix
• Full recyclability enables a circular economy and thus reduces waste
• Enables cost-effective manufacturing without compromising design freedom

• Development of the new material structure with pre-stressed fibres
• Development of the deep-drawing and joining process steps
• Design of a bicycle frame that is compatible with the fibre orientations and load-bearing capacity of the new material in terms of both construction and design

1 July 2025 to 30 September 2027

ZIM, AiF Projekt GmbH

• Plasta Kunststofftechnik Oederan GmbH
• ART-KON-TOR Product Development GmbH