Thisallows you to discover new worlds. Working together across the oceans. Connecting what was previously separate. Withstand extreme pressure. And open a new chapter in aquanautics: with a seemingly impossible idea, two Swabian visionaries created a world-changing solution from two innovative plastics – the high-performance plastic LTK® PURE and acrylic glass.
How did Handtmann Elteka come to participate in this ambitious “diving bell” deep-sea project? And how did it come about that it even provided the only solution to a fundamental problem by combining Lauramid® engineering plastic with acrylic glass in a way that is second to none? We spoke to Heinz Fritz, owner of Heinz Fritz GmbH and also a Swabian visionary:
So the idea came from an American customer who had huge problems with bonding and wanted to have these problems solved. And this came via Fa. Röhm to us. We made him a sample ball and glued it on. That was the origin of this whole development.
The big challenge starts with the raw material. In principle, you need raw materials that are not commercially available on the market. In other words, we had to replace our good main supplier, the company. Röhm to supply us with these raw materials. We made a lot of developments and also built a lot of casting tools so that these raw materials could be produced in this size.
We were busy for a year or two until the first ball was ready. And then there was actually the problem that if you can already dive 200 or 300 meters, then of course you suddenly want to dive 500 meters, 1000 meters. Even more, even more. This means that these challenges have not ceased over the course of ten years, but on the contrary have increased.
We found out that there is a black hole in this pressure vessel regulation, the PVHO-1 (Pressure Vessel Human Occupancy), which exists worldwide for all these products, as far as polyamide is concerned. Everything was defined in the acrylic area, very small and very precise. But the problem was that in principle there were – let’s put it mildly – black holes in the polyamide sector, where it was clear to me as a plastics specialist that there were problems ahead. That’s why I sought out Handtmann Elteka years ago, to begin to understand the company. Handtmann Elteka literally on board here.
Lauramid® has approximately the same water absorption as acrylic glass. This means that we have materials that are very close to each other. This also means that there is no issue with the connections, so that was also clear.
There was once a brief contact a long, long time ago via the company. Voith in the paper sector. So we knew that Lauramid® was available and it was clear to us that the company was the right choice. Handtmann Elteka will be the supplier here. And of course, proximity always plays a role. I would much rather have a – in quotation marks – “Swabian” supplier or partner than some partner who is based somewhere far, far away.
And then we also invited the people from what was then Germanischer Lloyd, which is now DNV (Det Norske Veritas), to join us so that the Handtmann Elteka company could obtain similar approvals, which the Fritz company already had.
You need the approval of the testing institutes, or rather the insurance company, i.e. the testing company that certifies this. You need these approvals and we already had them. It’s quite a petty story, you have to fulfill a lot of requirements and that’s perfectly correct for them to be allowed to produce these complex parts. And Handtmann Elteka has received this approval over the years.
You need the approval of the testing institutes, or rather the insurance company, i.e. the testing company that certifies this. You need these approvals and we already had them. It’s a pretty petty story, you have to fulfill a lot of requirements and that’s perfectly correct for them to be allowed to produce these complex parts. And Handtmann Elteka has received this approval over the years.
Jules Verne “20,000 meters under the sea” (laughs).
No, there will certainly be many, many opportunities to do things together here in the future, because the combination is simply great.
We also have, and we are now allowed to talk about this, a cylinder that was used for the mixing of Biontech, i.e. for vaccines. We used Lauramid® there. So we have installed Lauramid® inside this PLEXIGLAS® cylinder.
There is not much extraordinary to report. It was always a contact at eye level and very professional. You first have to get the partner companies excited about a project like this, which is exactly what we do. Then we had to inspire everyone else, i.e. those who built the forming tools for us, so that we could get it. We are dependent on many components before we can produce a diving bell. You need the ovens, the know-how, the raw blocks. It’s like a rat’s tail of things in the chain that they have to have before they can produce something like this. And that is completely underestimated.
LTK® The original. For every industry. For every requirement. This is not just a great marketing move, it is the realization of what Arthur Handtmann had hoped for 55 years ago. To develop a high-performance plastic from the material PA 12 that meets every shape, every possibility and every requirement. Whether through abrasion resistance, memory effect, low water absorption, high dimensional stability and resilience or many other properties in mold casting – LTK® is unique. But would he have thought back then that his Lauramid® would one day reach the deepest depths of the oceans to bring its secrets to light?
Join us in this blog on the many journeys that Lauramid® engineering plastic has made around the world. From the snow-covered slopes of the Alps, to the underground of international cities, to the operating theaters of the planet’s hospitals. Find out here whether Lauramid® will be content with the earth in the future or whether it wants to go even higher.
Heinz Fritz, a Swabian visionary who – just like Arthur Handtmann – discovered, researched and perfected the almost impossible possibilities in the processing and finishing of a plastic.
Head of Project Management Application Technology
LTK® is the original. For every industry. For every requirement. We show this together with our partners in the “Meet & Succeed” series. Are you inspired, interested or facing a specific challenge? We will find a way together. Let’s talk today.
