CARBOTECTURE®
MAGURA presents
the material innovation 2010 in the bike biz
The MAGURA Research Team has been analyzing rigidity and strength test results during it’s MISSION PERFORMANCE, that different types of conventional materials like die cast aluminium, magnesium or laminated carbon fibres show a variety of important material deficiencies. Our material competence confirms these results.
The ideal material to build the best brake in the world would be extremely tensile, ductile and have an immense ability to bend. It would endure a lifetime of heavy use, would be absolutely precise, dimensionally stable and fatigue durable over many years. These materials exist – but they are generally too heavy or very difficult to process (titanium) and are therefore unsuitable for bicycle use.
Special lightweight and extremely strong carbon fibre materials have been introduced recently quite successfully in many high-tech areas such as automotive or aeronautics. MAGURA is the only bike component manufacturer experienced in manufacturing those materials for the industry and thus has the core competence in house. The MISSION PERFORMANCE follows this track and develops together with the best renowned manufacturers a brand new material: Carbotecture®.
The exact composition of this material remains a closely guarded secret – but we can reveal the following: Carbotecture® is the perfect material for the new exclusive Carboflow® process, also developed by MAGURA. Carbotecture® consists of a high percentage of carbon fibres in a thermoplastic matrix. This new material can not be compared with any known fibre reinforced plastic or laminated carbon fibre mats.
The advantages of Carbotecture® are enormous:
Properties of the material
- Extremely light (less than half the density of aluminium).
- Tensile strength in between aluminium and steel, extremely impact resistant and break proof ...
- Highest flexural fatigue strength of all conventional bike component materials.
- The efficiency weight (tensile strength/density) is double that of aluminium or magnesium and 6 times higher than steel ...
Processing
- Carboflow® has the highest process security due to complete in house manufacturing at MAGURA Germany.
- Much higher reproducibility compared to conventional carbon laminates.
- Highest dimensional accuracy and precision.
- Perfectly sealed surface after processing (aluminium die cast has open sponge-like pores and must be impregnated).
Design possibilities
- Especially adapted design to the Carboflow® process allows an optimized fibre orientation according to the directional stress.
- Better calculable and more homogeneous than die cast aluminium. Oversizing can be reduced, thus ensuring a lighter and safer component design.
- Manufactured using the the Carboflow® process (without mechanical post processing as with alloy die cast) allows full freedom of shaping.
- The lightest possible material allocation can be realized with complex strength and process simulation.
- The product design enjoys almost no limits.
FUTURE
MAGURA has developed the material of the future, with Carbotecture®, which will revolutionize bicycle components. First prototypes of the new brake generation already show fantastic properties.
COMPETENCY IN MATERIAL CHOICE
Carbotecture® is not simply a new High-Tech-Material. The name is based on both of the main components which lead to the material – Carbon and Architecture – only a company who is in the position to command the complete Process Architecture can benefit from the advantages this new material offers. MAGURA has the experience in dealing with highly complex material structures and mixtures and now focussed on offering the best components available worldwide for the bicycle market has developed a new unique Workflow.
