Production

Pioneer in leak protection and innovative energy storage solutions

FENOTEC has been manufacturing leak protection linings since 1972, which play an important role in the storage of liquids in a tank. These linings prevent hidden leaks that can occur due to corrosion on the outer walls of the tanks. Such an undetected leak can lead to contamination of soil and groundwater, which can have serious environmental and health consequences.

The special materials of our FENOSAFE leak protection linings are designed to offer high resistance and maximise safety even under aggressive conditions. Their use is a preventive step to avoid environmental damage caused by the uncontrolled release of hazardous substances.

In this way, we actively contribute to minimising ecological risks and guaranteeing safe storage. This not only protects the environment, but also ensures the sustainability and reliability of the companies that handle these substances.

In our pursuit of environmental protection and operational safety, our FENOSAFE leak protection linings offer a reliable solution that helps to overcome the challenges of handling water-polluting substances and thus make a responsible contribution to protecting our natural resources.

OUR TECHNOLOGIES

Hot wedge

For the overlapping connection of plastic sheets (e.g. made of PE or PP) or coated fabric tarpaulins (e.g. made of PVC) above a film thickness of 0.3 mm, hot wedge welding is used as a continuous welding process. The hot wedge moves along the plastic films or coated fabric tarpaulins and welds the fixed webs. The choice of welding temperature, pressure and the time at which the hot wedge exerts this pressure is of great importance. We have determined the optimum parameters for all the films we use by carrying out numerous tests with the aid of traction machines and storage tests. This enables us to ensure that the joining surfaces are plasticised evenly.

Thermal impulse

At the beginning of the joining process, thin metal bars coated with a non-stick layer (usually PTFE) are subjected to a short but high current pulse, causing them to heat up. The heat is conducted through the film to the joint. While the temperature profile in the joining parts is symmetrical in double-sided heat impulse welding due to the arrangement of the heating bands, it is asymmetrical in the single-sided process variant and is mainly used for very thin films.

Ultrasonic welding

In the ultrasonic process, the electrical vibrations generated by an ultrasonic generator are converted into mechanical vibrations of the same frequency by the ultrasonic transducer and transmitted to the weld metal via a transformation intermediate piece and the sonotrode. The generator and the so-called oscillating structure work in resonance. The reflection of the mechanical vibrations on the sound-emitting end surface of the sonotrode creates a standing wave that transfers energy to the weld metal.
The mechanical vibrations transmitted to the workpieces under a certain contact pressure are absorbed and reflected at the interface. The resulting molecular and interfacial friction generates heat. The plastic begins to soften and a sound barrier forms in the joining zone due to the plasticised and highly damping plastic layer, which leads to a very intensive melting of the plastic, i.e. the reaction accelerates by itself, as an increasing proportion of the vibration energy is converted into heat.
Welding therefore takes place through internal friction. After a certain holding or cooling time while maintaining the contact pressure, the welded joint is created. This process is used in our factory especially for thinner films.

High frequency welding

High-frequency welding is considered to be the highest quality process for joining thermoplastic materials. In contrast to processes in which heat is added from the outside or the heat required for welding is generated by mechanical movement, when high-frequency energy is used, the heating takes place dielectrically in the material itself. In high-frequency welding, the welding heat is generated directly in the material by molecular vibrations.
Thermoplastic materials that achieve sufficient plasticisation and melt flow through heating are suitable for this process. We process soft PVC films, polyurethane films (TPU) and TPU-coated textile fabrics in our production. The choice of materials to be processed depends on the technical and practical requirements for the finished product.

Glueing

Adhesive bonding is used to join parts together. The interactions that enable adhesion between the adhesive and the surface of the parts to be joined have an extremely small range of less than 1 nanometre. For this reason, good wetting of the parts to be joined by the not yet solidified, i.e. liquid, adhesive is a necessary prerequisite for producing a high-quality bond. In addition to wettability, the adhesive and the part to be bonded must have matching molecular groups so that interaction between the adhesive and the surface of the part to be bonded can take place and adhesion can occur. It is important that impurities are removed before bonding. The rule of thumb here is: Not as clean as possible, but as clean as necessary. This also applies to joining with swelling welding agent, the most common bonding method we use.

Vulcanisation

Vulcanisation is a process in which thermoplastic natural rubbers or synthetic rubbers are converted into elastomers. During vulcanisation, covalent cross-links are formed between the macromolecules of the rubbers so that the molecules can no longer move freely against each other, resulting in elastic behaviour. We use this process for our elastomer plastics.

Sewing

Sewing is a very good way of reinforcing a joining seam. We combine this process with other joining methods and use it in particular for our sewn fleece and for the outer shells of missiles.

FILMS, FLEECE AND TECHNICAL TEXTILES

Technical textiles

Technical textiles is a collective term for textile materials and finished textile products made from them, which are used primarily for their technical and functional properties and not for their aesthetic and decorative character.

Geotextiles

Geotextiles consist of either natural fibres (such as reed, jute and coir) or artificial materials (such as polypropylene, polyamide, polyester and polyethylene) and are used for separating, draining, filtering, reinforcing, protecting, packaging and erosion control. They are used in the form of fabrics, nonwovens and composites. Due to their limited durability, geotextiles made of jute or coconut fibres are only used if subsequent decomposition is desired.

Nonwovens

A nonwoven fabric is a structure of fibres of limited length, continuous fibres (filaments) or cut yarns of any kind and any origin, which have been joined together in any way to form a web (a fibre layer, a fibre pile) and bonded together in any way; this excludes the crossing or interlacing of yarns, as occurs in weaving, knitting, lace making, braiding and the manufacture of spotted products.
Nonwovens are mostly flexible textile fabrics, i.e. they are easily bendable, their main structural elements are textile fibres and they have a comparatively low thickness compared to their length and width. However, nonwovens with a relatively large thickness are also produced, which must be assigned to spatial structures (e.g. nonwovens for insulating materials and upholstery materials). There are also nonwovens that are more similar to papers, films or fibre-reinforced plastics than textiles due to the fibres used (e.g. non-spinnable short fibres) or the bonding process.
Nonwovens represent a material group with a wide range of properties that can be specifically adapted to a broad spectrum of application requirements thanks to the large number of usable raw materials and manufacturing variants.

Soft PVC

We process both thermoplastics and elastomers. Thermoplastics deform in a certain temperature range and are then cooled. This process is reversible, i.e. it can be repeated as often as required. The weldability of thermoplastics makes this material easy to process.
In contrast, elastomers are rigid plastics. They can be elastically deformed by tensile and compressive stress and then return to their original shape.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a thermoplastic that, along with PP and PE, is one of the most widely used plastics. This is due to its very good mechanical properties, its chemical resistance and its resistance to oxidation, even under pressure or in long-term contact with chemicals.
PVC is produced by chain polymerisation from the monomer vinyl chloride and can be found on the market as rigid PVC, for example for window or pipe profiles, or as soft PVC for applications such as hoses or roof seals. We use soft PVC in the manufacture of our inner casings. This means that they fulfil the required flexibility for installation in the tank.

PP films

Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most widely used thermoplastics due to its extensive properties. It is produced by chain polymerisation from the monomer ethylene. The production of PP is very flexible and can be specifically modified, for example with additives that can change the properties of PP. Due to this variability, this plastic can be found in many products, especially in packaging, electrical appliances and in the automotive industry.

We process and trade in various PP films that are characterised by chemical resistance to bases and acids and at the same time have good mechanical properties.

PE films

Polyethylene is the most commonly used thermoplastic in the world. It is produced by chain polymerisation from the monomer ethylene. PE can be found as HDPE (high density PE) or LDPE (low density PE). HDPE is mainly used in construction and LDPE in the packaging industry.

Our PE films are very well suited for use as inner liners due to their good chemical resistance, especially to bases and acids, and their good mechanical properties.

PTFE

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a semi-crystalline polymer consisting of carbon and fluorine. Due to its semi-crystalline structure, PTFE has a lower strength and hardness than thermoplastic films, but good impact resistance. It is characterised by its exceptional chemical resistance to almost all chemicals and is therefore of great importance in the chemical industry.

Natural rubber

Rubber is an elastomer made from rubber and latex by vulcanisation. Elastomeric materials can return to their original shape if they are twisted, bent or pulled apart and then released again. Vulcanisation reduces the flexibility of rubber and latex. Deformation of the material therefore requires more force, is limited and reversible.
Depending on the intended use, rubber can be customised through the choice of raw materials and molecular structure. Products made of latex or rubber are very popular worldwide. The best-known application for rubber is car and truck tyres. It can also be processed into sponge rubber, for example for use as a mouthpiece for instruments.

CoEX films

Coex films (co-extruded films) are multi-layer films that are made from different or the same raw materials. This combination of different materials makes it possible to combine several positive properties, e.g. processability. We can offer and process different coex films on customer request.

Fabric reinforced materials

Fabric-reinforced materials are suitable for applications that require greater robustness. These materials are suitable for use in the field of swimming technology, for example.