Fakuma 2023: Sustainable bike to be showcased at KraussMaffei booth

The prototype of new Lion Bike, which its frame and fork are made of high-performance polymer with recycled carbon fibers, will be presented at Fakuma.

The new Lion Bike can be seen at Fakuma.

The bike’s frame and fork are made of high-performance polymer polyamide 6 with 40% recycled carbon fibers, which are new and resource-saving material mix in the bicycle industry.

With the durable and 100% recyclable materials, the main component is produced using injection molding process on KraussMaffei’s MX 1600 injection molding machine. The MX 1600 has a screw diameter of 120mm, injection was carried out at 300mm/s. It can achieve a large volume with rapid mold filling.

MX series guarantees a high injection volume.

To ensure that the frame and fork are stable and require less material, KraussMaffei MX 1600 is used in combination with the WIT process.

Water injection molding is ideal for producing such functionally complex, highly integrated plastic components with hollow body construction. The appropriate machine and technology come from PME fluidtec, a specialist with more than 100 successful WIT processes on the market.

PME uses the mass back-pressure method in the WIT process for bicycle frames for the first time. The melt displaced by the water is pressed back into the plasticizing unit and reused in the next shot for the frame or fork. No waste is resulted during the production, which saves material during production and reduces carbon footprint.

Compared to production of Lion Bikes with conventional aluminum frames and forks, CO2 emissions are 67% lower for each bike produced, ensuring more sustainability in manufacturing.

The new bike also uses special paint which makes the frame glow. With the large lighting system with daytime running lights, the bike is of high visibility and safety for children.

The new Lion Bikes will be available on the market from spring 2024.