Trelleborg expands R&D capabilities

07 September, 2018

Substantial investment in the Innovation Centre has seen usable space for R&D increased by 50%, to around 3000 square meters, including a 300 square meter showroom area dedicated to the department and demonstrating R&D and product innovation capabilities.

Prof. Dr. Konrad Saur, director Global R&D at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, said: “Innovation is not only about new products and materials, but advancements in analytical and technical capabilities to support problem resolution and to accelerate technological breakthroughs.”

The new Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Innovation Centre in Stuttgart will host laboratories with the latest analytical equipment and measurement centres, next to innovation and prototype facilities, as well as a major test area with a fully equipped tool room and a materials laboratory. The capabilities will range from standard mechanical testing to material analytics, including Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Digital Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, to a highly advanced high-resolution Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with an Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX).

Capabilities working in combination

Saur continued: “With such capabilities working in combination, complex problems can be assessed and brought to resolution rapidly. No time is lost shipping samples from lab to lab, turnaround times and iterative assessment are enabled as cross-functional competencies work directly together. These capabilities support material and product development efforts, fundamental research of sealing designs and interactions in sealing systems, as well as root cause and failure analysis in production and from the field."