innovations: UK country of honour sponsored by · structures such as skis, snowboards, surfboards and wings. other sector > Booth N52 Batch-production prepreg machine Developed with

Multi-component materials in small, accurately-measured packs

10:1 methacrylate range now produced in Europe

Andpak’s latest in-house technology allows multi-component materials such as adhesives, resins, mastics and coatings to be delivered in small, accurately-measured packs. Each component is dispensed at the precise weight/volume and ratio required. Before use, the product can be easily conditioned by kneading the pack and mixed by bursting the inner seal separating the components. The components are easily mixed together and dispensed by cutting the pack or by using a closable cap option. Product pack sizes are typically between 5ml

and 100ml, although larger packs are possible. Andpak keeps extensive stocks of both 2- and 3-component packs for a quick turnaround. The company can also produce labels in-house with a full design service and packs can be printed with the customer’s logos and product information. A range of supporting accessories is available for the burst seal pack, including:- Wall-mounted hoppers to allow lineside storage with FIFO access to packs;- Three standard in-house caps allowing a FOD-free option and a screw-on nozzle;- Photographic user guides and videos;- Customisable shape and size including the new micro-sized pack;- “Pack inside a pack” allowing accessories such as gloves and spatulas to be supplied with products. www.andpak.com

Following the expansion of their European production facilities, SCIGRIP, the leading global smart adhe-sives supplier, is now perfectly positioned to serve the

marine, transportation, building construction and pro-duct assembly markets. This advance into the European composites market will commence with the launch of a

new 10:1 methacrylate range that until now has only been produced in the USA. Manufacturers are producing larger composite structures and these projects demand products that deliver outstanding application build, low exotherm cure and tough final results. SCIGRIP’s 10:1 methacrylates also offer sophisticated curing speeds that can be micro-adjusted by ratio change, facilitating opti-mal productivity levels without affecting final adhesive properties throughout all seasons. www.scigrip.com

> Booth J29

> Booth D43

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+/-45 pitch fibre biaxials and +/-30 carbon multiaxials FORMAX will launch two exclusive new materials at JEC: +/-45 pitch fibre biaxials and

+/-30 lightweight carbon mul-tiaxials. FORMAX has developed a new range of high-modulus +/-45 biaxials based on Mitsubishi’s Dia-lead fibres. FORMAX has mastered the art of converting high-perfor-mance pitch fibre, a notoriously difficult material to work with, to create +/-45 biaxials that offer up to four to five times the stiffness of traditional PAN fibre-based biaxials. In addition, pitch fibres offer very low levels of thermal expansion. The pitch fibre biaxials are suitable for any application demanding ultra-high modulus, or high levels of thermal stability.

The new +/-30 lightweight carbon multiaxials have been developed on FORMAX’s new Karl Mayer Carbon Malitronic installed last year. Available in a range of weights from 75 gsm per ply, the new +/-30 is unique to FORMAX and works at a shallower angle enabling greater longitudinal stiffness. This robust fabric is perfectly suited to long thin structures such as skis, snowboards, surfboards and wings. www.formax.co.uk

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Batch-production prepreg machine Developed with ease of use and cost effectiveness in mind, this prepreg machine targets small to medium composite part producers who want to better control their materials and processes and reduce their material costs. CDI’s new production prepreg machine has a small footprint, so that it can be installed in a range of facilities, and boasts enhanced set-up and ope-ration features to facilitate both small and large run production and prototyping. Other features and benefits include:

- Intuitive, fully-automated controls that incorporate processing “recipes” to make the machine easy to operate while maintai-ning strict process control - Plug-and-play design requiring no facility changes to install or operate the machine- Precision design allowing for the production of a full range of materials from sporting goods to aerospace components- Optional “ply consolidator” enabling the production of prepreg widths up to 1000 mm- Ability to improve schedule, inventory control, customize resin systems, reduce operating and facility costs and reduce material costs up to 40%. www.centurydesign.com

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1 jec composites magazine / initially published in the No71 March 2012

sponsored byinnovations: UK country of honour

Autoclave management and control system

Autoclave management and control system

Composite data management and decision support

AIC will launch their new autoclave management and control sys-tem, AMCS, at JEC Paris 2012. The system has already exceeded sales expectations with a number of aerospace and F1 customer

installations completed.AMCS features full quality assurance digital data recording capabilities with NADCAP compliance and AIC’s ongoing development programme continues to add new and inno-vative ideas which will be demonstrated at the show. The system, developed in conjunction with Honeywell, delivers a proven hard-ware platform with easily programmable software designed by expert in-house engineers totally familiar with autoclave processes. The system is designed to be installed to any autoclave or oven application where quality control is essential. Moreover, the system can provide significant energy savings with its “active power management” feature. www.aicservice.com

Velinox is a revolutionary prepreg compatible with glass, carbon and aramid fibres that provides less than half the curing time of current prepregs, extremely low exotherm in any section thickness, no cold storage with a 4-month shelf-life at 35°C, 1 month at 50°C, and over 18 months at 20°C, - improved mechanical performance.

Velinox further reduces the barriers for using high-performance prepreg as an alternative component manufacturing technology. For existing prepreg processes, it doubles the throughput with existing tooling or potentially halves the number of tools required. Velinox has been successfully tested for wind turbine blade sparcap applications and is currently undergoing production scale-up with beta test planned at major wind turbine OEM. Velinox enables the market to have access to prepreg by removing key barriers to prepreg adoption: - lower tooling costs (minimal exotherm), no need for cold storage, significantly lower energy costs for curing.

Velinox resins can be combined with existing Gurit technologies such as SPRINT and Sparpreg for out-of-autoclave manufacture of high-quality composite components. www.gurit.com

The GRANTA MI software allows materials experts and engineers to capture, manage and access all of their com-pany’s composite data (testing, QA, R&D and design) in

a single, easy-to-use system. Within the same integrated sys-tem, users can browse, search and apply their in-house data, as well as data from leading composite information sources including CMH-17, Agate, NCAMP, IDES and Firehole Composites. This software is developed in collaboration with companies such as EADS Astrium, Eurocopter, GE-Aviation, GE-Energy, Honeywell, Lockheed-Martin and Rolls-Royce. The new GRANTA MI Version 6 will be showcased at JEC Paris 2012, with streamlined data management and browsing capabilities and new composite reference data. www.grantadesign.com

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> Booth Q77

> Booth K44

> Booth D65

initially published in the No71 March 2012 / jec composites magazine 2

http://www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription

Composite lattice structure for pedestrian bridge

Solar collector SMC frame

HexMC carbon fibre/epoxy moulded parts for the Boeing 787

A pedestrian crossing of an unusual shape has been built by order of the Khimki administra-tion (Moscow region, Russia). This pedestrian overpass consists of four 33-metre-long spans integrated into a single unit at a centre support with 4 vertical towers at each extremity containing a pedestrian staircase. An open and airy look of the structure is achieved due to a decorative spiral lattice made from composite material which embraces the spans and towers. The structure of the lattice is made of a set of thin-walled hollow curved tubes connected by cross-shaped elements at their points of intersection. A spatial structure is connected to the load-bearing elements of spans pointwise, whereas the structure around the towers is supported by an understructure. The standard structural element is a thin-walled curved tube 2800 mm long with a 200-mm diameter and wall thickness from 3 to 5 mm. The connecting elements, either dismountable (consisting of two halves) or one-piece, form a spatial cross-shaped structure. The tubes are assembled into the spatial structure by way of bonding as well as with mecha-nical elements. The structure uses 1,777 composite elements, including 1,168 tubes, 316 cross-shaped dismoun-table joining elements, and 293 non-dismountable elements. The total weight of the composite ele-ments is 13,689 kg. The weight of a similar metal structure would be 38,447 kg.

The material used to produce the elements of the decorative grid is glass-fibre reinforced plastic based on multiaxial quasi-isotropic fibres and poly-ester resin. The production technology is vacuum infusion and pressure moulding through an airtight bag.

www.apatech.ru

In2011, Polytec Composites Germany and Bosch Thermotechnik came second in the Environment category of the AVK Awards for the develop-

ment of a single-wall SMC frame for a solar collector. The single-wall SMC frame provides the best advantage for the customer and the environment: it replaces 11 single parts and thereby enables much easier assembly and lower logistics efforts. The product is also characterized by its comprehensive functional integration. As a consequence, the structure of the solar collector is now more robust and has better static and dyna-mic characteristics. In addition, the weight reduction of roughly 8 kg simplifies roof mounting. The design of the solar collector was also improved.

In 2011, series production of the SMC frame was launched at the Polytec site in Voerde, Germany. The glass-fibre-reinforced plastic composite has ideal properties for the solar basins where the collector modules are installed. Compared to conventional thermoplastics, SMC technology allows greater flexibility in terms of component design and size. Moreover, the excellent insulation properties minimize heat loss. No corrosion, good outdoor dura-bility and weathering resistance, high temperature resistance and a low-cost production process are other convincing advantages.

www.polytec-group.com

The first Boeing 787 was delivered on 26 September 2011. Several hundred HexMC parts from Hexcel have been certified for this aircraft. HexMC is a new composite material derived from established high-strength carbon fibre/epoxy tapes used in the aeros-pace industry. It exhibits low density, with good strength and stiffness properties, enabling cost-effective series production of complex com-posite shapes that would previously have had to be machined or forged from metal. HexMC parts provide weight savings that are comparable to those achieved with aerospace carbon/epoxy prepregs. The HexMC parts certified for the 787 Dreamliner include window frames, brackets, fittings, gussets, clips/cleats, intercostals and pans. The new low-den-sity, high-strength composite frame has a significant impact on two key charac-teristics of the Dreamliner: it saves almost 50% weight compared to traditional aluminium frame and offers superior damage tolerance.

www.hexcel.com

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> Booth G57


sponsored byinnovations

An innovative process for 3D thermoset composites

Greater autoclave efficiency with lower cycle costs Drum pump + transfer pump

First vertical-axis wind turbine with Telene blades

Equip’Aero Technique has been supplying composite parts to the cabin interior market for a few years now. From design, material characterization, environmental testing, prototyping, qualification and manufacturing, Equip’Aero Technique provides complete solutions to its customers.The company has developed a new manufac-turing process for secondary structural parts applications. This process consists in injection moulding of short fibres and thermoset resin. Finished 3D composite parts can be obtained directly from tooling.The main characteristics of this new genera-tion of composite parts are:- High mechanical properties in all 3 dimen-sions- Low mass compared to equivalent alumi-nium design (up to 40% saving)- No delamination - Short lead times- Low recurring and non-recurring costs

www.equipaero.com

TE Wire & Cable, a leading supplier of performance-enhancing autoclave thermo-couples and thermocouple interconnect

assemblies, has engineered two brand new autoclave thermocouple products – AccuConnect and AccuFlex – that reduce costs, save technician set-up time and allow the cure of more parts per week.The AccuConnect multicircuit thermocouple interconnect series provides easy single-point plug connection of multiple part thermocouples. No longer is it necessary to individually connect 6, 12 or more plugs into jack panels on the tool, the cart or the autoclave wall. The time required to hook up parts to the tool and cart during layup is significantly decreased. The AccuConnect series allows up to 95% of the wires to be connected before they arrive at the autoclave. The time spent loading and unloading an autoclave for each cure cycle can go from hours to minutes, reducing the open-door time by as much as 90%. Thus, there is more time available to cure the product, resulting in more cured parts per week.

The AccuFlex assembly is a cost-saving low-profile flat thermocouple inspired by composite repair users’ need for very small cross-section thermocouples. The patent-pending design practically eliminates the “mark-off ” blemish embedded by vacuum pressure into the surface of a part repair. The assemblies are flexible, easy to bend around curves, easy to vacuum seal under the bag and have a welded hot junction and a moulded-on plug.

www.tewire.com

The new drum pump allows the discharge of high-viscosity

media (resins, polyols, adhesives, …) out of a barrel and metering them with the highest precision to the applicator at the same time. It is suitable for up to 1,500 Pas and 250 bar.

The new transfer pump allows the transfer of high volumes of liquids in a highly economical manner. Its primary applications are within the PUR-manufacturing and processing industry as well as the production of fibre-reinforced composite com-ponents, where it guarantees a sus-tainable and stable process control. The pump is suitable for up to 4,500 litres/hour and 25 bar.

www.pumps.barmag. oerlikontextile.com

Syneola’s Estreya L2, the first small vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) capable of producing 2 kW at 11 m/s is on display at Telene SAS’ booth. The blades are moulded with Telene high-performance dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) formulations via the RIM (Reaction Injection Moulding) process. The Courbis Group has been chosen as a development and moulding partner. Syneola’s aim was to ensure the industrial process would match their efforts in safety, aerodynamics and performance for an International Electrotechnical Commission 61400-2-certified VAWT. The final development began after suc-cessful testing of the prototype in the wind tunnel. pDCPD enables free-form designs, so ambitious aerodynamics and structural load calculations were performed. The development team used 2-3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to design the blades and tailor the structure to meet the IEC specifica-tions. Each loop was verified by simulation, structural calculations and finite element analysis. After choosing a NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) profile, the turbine was tested for the first time, revealing its impressive behaviour in extreme wind conditions as well as the resulting forces (e.g. wind speeds of 252 km/h). In order to save weight, the blades are moulded in two halves using a single tool and then glued together.Another key reason for choosing pDCPD was the “green coherence” of Syneola’s manufacturing strategy as Telene shows outstanding grey energy and CO2 balance. The Estreya L2 will be available as of June 2012 with orders accepted as of May following IEC 61400-2 C-Design assessment.

www.telene.com

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> Booth W71 > Booth T76

> Booth D61

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Robotic machining centre

High-flexibility laboratory press

Trimming cell for composite workshops

Carbon fibre oxidation ovens

Gebe2 Productique designs and manufactures equipment for the production of composite

parts, offering solutions for different stages of the manufacturing process: machining, trimming, finishing, assembly, gluing, ultrasonic welding, grinding, etc. The company also provides a range of presses and automation solutions for casting resins and polyurethane foam.

Gebe2’s development relies heavily on robotics. Due to its commitment to R&D, the company can offer high-performance solutions at the forefront of composite processes and robotics. New develop-ments for composite machining will be presented at the JEC Composites 2012, including an adaptive programming method that can correct tool paths to fit the deformation of the part.

www.gebe2productique.com

This press can create different pressure, displa-cement and temperature curves. The whole

pressing procedure can be programmed indivi-dually. This makes the press suitable for all kinds of moulding methods. The heart of the unit is a specially-developed hydraulic aggregate, which is highly efficient and extremely quiet. The concept uses only standard valves and oils, thus reducing maintenance inter-vals and costs. In addition, the pressure deviation is about 1% and the machine can press to size with a tolerance of +0.01 mm.

The thermal oil heating and cooling device is fully integrated. The flexible press ram and tilting table make it possible to use directly and indirectly hea-ted moulds, but also, for example, to press panels to size. Feeding out of the press via the tilting table is ergonomic. For greater flexibility, the machine also has a standard interface for injection devices.

www.langzauner.at

The trimming of finished parts is a hard, painful task for operators working in a composite

workshop. Matrasur Composites has developed the ultimate integrated automated concept for compo-site part trimming: the Usimat trimming cell.With Usimat it is now possible to:- Concentrate all trimming operations in one com-pact area of the workshop;- Divide trimming cycle times by 4;- Obtain high precision and process repetitiveness;- Prevent operator exposure to dust and eliminate accident risks. Based on their long-term experience of composite manufacturing processes, Matrasur Composites can analyse the parts to be trimmed taking into consideration the dimensions, daily quantities, part materials, and help the user choose a suitable robot technology: 6-, 7- or 8-axis trimming robot with electric or pneumatic spindle, as well as its environment: software, operator safety, trimming cabin, dust extraction and processing systems, etc. The concept includes equipment, commissioning and training services backed up by specialized customer support.

www.matrasurcomposites.com

Litzler introduces the G5 End-Seal for their carbon fibre oxidation ovens.

The more energy efficient 5th generation End-Seal is the result of over 15 years of innovative efforts. Resulting from the rapid advance-ments in the ground-brea-king 1995 End-Seal patent, this new technology delivers up to 50% improvement in energy efficiency.Benefits of the G5 End-Seal: - Eliminates the trapezoidal chamber effect and ensures optimised use of the entire length of the oxidation chamber;- A highly effective dynamic seal that prevents the escape of toxic gasses to the atmosphere;- Eliminates cold air infiltration into the process chamber and hot air egress coming into the plant;- Saves energy and reduces the overall exhaust for a smaller pollution control system;- G5 seal chamber reduces the size of the pollution control device up to 50% by eliminating excess exhaust;- Effectively combats the chimney effect;- Maximizes the oven pass-length for increased throughput;- Improves side-to-side temperature uniformity;- All seal balancing is performed externally and is accessible during fibre operations;- Independent seal chamber temperature control extends the length of the oven;- The heated G5 chamber minimizes the rate of tar formation at the slots.

www. calitzler.com

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> Booth U76 > Booth T30

> Booth G43



Filament winding robot

Innovative Mobile Vacuum Kart and film release

Smartcoater Robot and software for fibre placement

From the new series of KUKA QUAN-TEC robots, the KR210R2700 model was

selected for filament winding applications. Having a place of honour on the stand, this machine has a carrying capacity of 210 kg for an operating range of 2,700 mm. Able to manufacture large-scale parts or carry several bobbins of fibre, this robot is optimised for unsurpassed production rates. Now as a standard option, the robot integrates the Safe function which enables the operator to enter the work area. This robot is also equipped with a very user-friendly man-machine inter-face.A specialist in filament winding, MFTech has developed a unique and innovative technique that, due to the speed and accuracy of KUKA robots, can be used to manufacture high-tech, high-quality carbon fibre products. With the new Quantec series, robotic work cells require less floor space.

www.mftech.fr

Airtech is launching the latest product deve-lopment in its sealant tape range. Airseal sealant

tapes are designed to be used in all composite shops producing FRP parts for the marine, com-mercial and wind-energy industries with cure in heated tools or ovens. The range now also covers the market needs in the higher temperature range of sealant tapes up to 150°C at competitive prices.The innovative Mobile Vacuum Kart (MVK 2011) is the ideal plug-and-play system for creating vacuum in prepreg and resin infusion applications, offering excellent mobility in the shop. The vacuum pump installed inside the cart is a rotary vane pump (25 m³/h) with a single-phase motor (230 V, 50/60 Hz). The kart has 6 AQD 500TF male parts, ideal for multi-vacuum hose connections. Significant labour savings can be achieved by applying a combination of products in one step. Flowlease 39P combines a knitted flow mesh with a layer of WL 3900 Red P perforated release film. The WL4800 release film is particularly suited for flat or limited curvature moulding applications up to 195°C, an excellent solution to close recent gaps. WL3800 is a matte-finished PET release film used as a barrier between tool surfaces and composite materials processed using automated tape layup and automated fibre placement.

www.airtech.lu

The Smartcoater is a R2R lab unit with a working width starting at 100 mm and a wide range of coating applications and

production speeds. Complex products can be produced with a minimum use of substrate and chemistry. The base unit offers a 5-in-1 coating module inclu-ding slot die, knife, dipping, micro-roller and engraved roller application functions. Unlike other tools, there is no need to purchase individual modules for each of these applications.Other modules can be added rapidly, including screen printing, flexo printing, UV spraying and other modules required to produce the dif-ferent layers of a product.Drying systems such as air dryer, infrared and UV curing, inert gas dryers or flashlight curing can be used. Most processes are controlled via an advanced Siemens S7 PLC driving servo motors, which guarantees a precise control of the web level at a wide range of throughput speeds. Tension control is maintained with load cells and a precision speed roller guaranteeing efficient operation of the plant in both directions. Register control can be integrated and plasma treatment and web cleaning are optionally offered. The Smartcoater is completely enclosed in a cabinet and can be adapted as explosion-proof, inert or filtered-air variations.

www.coatema.de

Based in France, Germany and Canada, Coriolis Com-

posites provides robotic cells and software for fibre placement. The company mainly supplies its products to the commercial aerospace, automotive and wind turbine industries. Last Decem-ber, the company celebrated its 10th anniversary in Lorient, France with 130 guests. The event was the opportunity to hold technical conferences and to organize in-house demos of different robotic cells. The classics: ¼” 8- and 16-fibre thermoset, dry and thermoplastic fibre placement cells with laser heating device. The new product: a high-productivity 25m collaborative robotic cell with two heavy-duty KR500 robots from Kuka equipped with a new-generation creel that can support up to 16-kg bobbins as well as a 1/8» 8-fibre bidirectional head. The company has also established two partnerships with Vistagy and Dassault Systems for the deve-lopment of dedicated fibre placement software.Within ten years, Coriolis Composites has earned a lea-ding role in the aerospace industry and has now reached an industrial dimension based on international contracts, the development of new products through its robotics expertise, software development and composites engineering.

www.coriolis-composites.com

> Booth P75 > Booth M64

> Booth U58 > Booth J52

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Innovative 5-axis machining

EGA electronically-controlled unwinding unit

Multi-axial UD crossply machine

New laser head for welding plastic films and sheets

Lightweight design and assembly of large FRP strutures

With the machine’s new fixed, low-vibration gantry concept, fixed ma-chining table on a rugged frame and high Z-axis, every classical routing process can be carried out. All machining positions at the workpiece are

machined from all sides. The coordinate table concept with setting bushes and fixing holes allows a safe and quick change of workpieces. With the 3D measuring pin, the reference points are read and memorised in the control unit. In practise, this means higher workpiece accuracy. The machine is completely enclosed and the loading area is shut by two sliding doors. With reciprocal loading, each door can be opened separately. A double working area is available when removing the middle partition, for example for the machining of long parts. Reliable control with integrated safety is achieved by the latest generation of control systems, the Sinumerik 840D solution line (sl) by Siemens. Operation and programming of the machine are fast and simple via a graphic user interface.

www.reichenbacher.com

This unwinding unit allows uniform thread

drawing-off. This means that once adjusted, the controlling unit will main-tain the required thread tension by accelerating or decelerating the motor throughout the entire time of operation. The tension course can be monitored or printed out at any time.- unrolling speed: 1-180 m/min- thread tension range: 30-300 cN- input parameters: thread tension and bobbin titer- control: each bobbin point individually- bobbin diameter: variable- standard tube: 74 or 94 mm - others on request- running direction: right and left possible- bobbin weight: up to 16 kg www.texmer.de

Van Wees recently developed a multi-axial UD crossply machine and built one for its research & technology centre.

The CP1800 machine is a further step in the automation of composite parts production. It improves the quality of prepreg laminates by eliminating hand stacking of UD layers. The first trials were successful and van Wees encountered a lot of interest in this technology from prepreg suppliers and OEMs in the automotive industry. The maximum width of the multi-axial laminates to be produced on this machine for pilot production is 1800 mm. The UD material for crossply products can be produced on the 600-mm-wide prepreg impregnation line (UD600) in the company’s R&T centre. Both thermoplastic and thermoset resin materials can be used. The latest develop-ment on the UD600 machine is the installation of hot melt spraying equipment for the production of dry UD materials.Van Wees has been producing a variety of thermoplastic tapes from carbon fibre and PA12, PA6 and PA6.6. Glass fibres were impregnated with PP and PA6.6 and flax fibres with PP and PLA. The company can also slit these materials to narrow tapes and offer turn-key solutions for making UD tapes.

www.crossply.com or www.vanwees.nl

At JEC 2001, PlastiCell displayed a demonstrator dedicated to the laser welding of thermoplastic and thin composites sheets. This R&D tool was developed with INNOPTICS, a startup which specializes in the design and manufacturing of laser diode-based com-ponents and subsystems. Instead of scanning at high speed with a laser spot using galvanometric mirrors as is generally done today, the

polymer matrix is softened by moving a highly homogeneous laser line over the overlapping sheets. The laser beam exits the laser head through a light guide which also applies pressure over the sheets and cools down the surface of the upper sheet. This unique design makes the welds as strong as the constituent material. Moreover, they are almost invisible from the outside. This year, PlastiCell will display the new laser head developed with INNOPTICS, which is smaller, lighter but above all much faster than the first one.This technique is used to produce honeycomb blocks out of any thermoplastic material supplied in the form of a thin sheet reinforced or not with glass fibres or webs. The sheet can be watertight or porous or even perforated. The density of the honeycomb material results from the cell size and the area weight of the plastic sheet. Densities as low as 30 kg/m3 were easily reached with an 8.7-mm hexagonal cell width.Honeycomb is mainly used as a core for sandwich panels, a construction offering a remarkable strength-to-weight ratio.

www.plasticell-honeycombs.com

The Fraunhofer Project Group Joining and Assem-bly FFM is based at the CFK Nord research centre in Stade. Fraunhofer FFM develops and automates

assembly processes to meet the individual requirements of customers in the aviation, rail vehicle, shipbuilding, automotive and wind turbine sectors, using technologies such as adhesive bonding, bolting, high-precision drilling, trimming, and surface milling. Integrated system solutions and optimally adapted production and assembly concepts are developed and can be realized and optimized on a 1:1 scale in the 4,000 m² hall (15 m height). For customers, this means sustainable solutions from a single partner. These solutions can be implemented in large applications without investing further time or cost.

www.ifam.fraunhofer.de

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> Booth X58 > Booth C38

> Booth U36

> Booth H64



CAD/CAM for robots

Innovative PCD solutions for composite machining

Robots programmed with Robotmaster are cost-efficient tools for machining large

composite parts for aerospace, automotive and energy industry applications. Clients in these industries are using the power of Robotmaster to increase their manufacturing capabilities and dramatically reduce program-ming time, while lowering their manufactu-ring expenses considerably.Robotmaster is software for programming industrial robots to perform simple to complex tasks with ease. Robot program-ming, optimization, simulation and program generation are integrated in a solution that leverages industry-proven Mastercam® CAD/CAM tools. Robotmaster generates opti-mized, error-free trajectory programming for such tasks as trimming, 3D machining, fibre machining and placement, de-burring, polishing, dispensing, grinding and painting; enabling these typically time-consuming and costly processes to be completed in a fraction of the time previously required.

www.intercamsa.com

Seco has expanded its range of diamond-coa-ted and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools.

Thanks to the experience of the AOB company, Seco now offers new, modern and efficient solu-tions for standard machining with PCD tools. Designed for composite part machining (ther-mosets and thermoplastics), these solutions are characterized by 4 innovative features: 1. The sharpness of polycrystalline diamond results in improved surface finish, good fibre cut and low heat generation. These benefits minimize uncut fibres and delami-nation, increase productivity and improve process safety. 2. The hardness of polycrystalline diamond makes the tools more resistant to wear (increased tool life). 3. The accuracy of PCD tools results in close dimensional tolerances for greater reliability and reduced finishing operations. 4. The thermal conductivity of the polycrystalline material lowers process tempe-ratures, which enhances product stability and allows higher cutting speeds. This results in greater flexibility, performance and process safety.

AOB’s team of experts, supported by the knowledge and the local presence of Seco’s technical teams, uses its expertise to design machining tools for composite parts and industrial aluminium alloys that meet the needs of demanding application fields such as boring, milling and drilling (custom tooling).

www.secotools.com

> Booth P80 > Booth Y25

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Emission control systems for carbon fibre processing

Relay Station in Europe

The carbon fibre manufacturing pro-cess can have serious environmental

ramifications and be an immediate danger to human health if careful consi-deration is not given to emission control at the production phase of these mate-rials. Anguil Environmental Systems, Inc. is an air pollution control provider with experience supplying systems for the destruction of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), silicone and NOX emissions often produced in the ovens and furnaces of carbon fibre plants. The company is intimately familiar with the capture, control and compliance hurdles that the processing plants face. To treat the higher-concentration exhaust streams coming from carbon fibre furnaces, Anguil has designed a specialized, multi-zone Direct-Fired Thermal Oxidizer (DFTO) whereby the nitrogen compounds are disassociated at high temperatures in an oxygen-depleted chamber. The remai-ning gases are quenched before moving into a secondary zone where total emission destruction efficiencies are over 99% with minimal NOX generation. For higher-flow, lower-concentration oven exhaust, Anguil also manufacturers a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) that is capable of 98-99%+ destruction efficiency with very low ope-rating costs. With achievable thermal efficiencies over 96%, the RTO can operate with little to no supplemental fuel use. www.anguil.com

Marking a milestone in the company’s global business, Fiberforge has installed

its first Relay Station in Europe – the Relay Station 2000 at Fraunhofer ICT in Pfinztal, Germany. Fiberforge is a manufac-turing technology company that has deve-loped an automated process for continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic advanced composite parts. Fiberforge produces high performance composite parts for leading companies in the aerospace, defense and automotive industries. Fiberforge delivers its manufacturing equipment for customers to produce parts at their own facilities, around the world. The Fiberforge patented process has revolutionized the way composite parts are produced-- rapid, automated parts in mi-nutes. The Relay Station 2000 offers clients the ability to develop and demonstrate the production of thermoplastic advanced com-posite structures upward of 2 m x 2 m on a full‐scale production work cell. www.fiberforge.com

> Booth G43> Booth K66

Production

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Autonomous infusion processwithout consumables

Balinit coatings for the composites industry

New press series offers greater closing force and drive precision

An innovation in composites processing

Enhanced and faster release at lower cost

During the year 2011, Techni-Modul Engineering focused its deve-lopment programme on the infusion process. The aim of this pro-gramme was to develop a mould for infusions without using any press

or autoclave, thereby significantly reducing the consumables needed for traditional infusion processes (release ply, peel ply, infusion grid and resin channels, breather, vacuum bag and sealant, etc.). This mould is composed of two self-heating shells (one lower and one upper shell) which are tightly closed together.Compared to traditional infusion processes, this innovation has the fol-lowing advantages:- Significantly reduced consumables. The cost of infusion for each part and the production time needed for the preparation (installation of all the plies and bags) are also reduced. - No heavy equipment such as press or autoclave is needed. - The thermal homogeneity of the moulding surface is improved. The hea-ting and cooling interfaces are installed in both the upper and lower shells of the mould. - The quality of the part infused is also improved since all its external sur-faces are in contact with a mould shell and not with a vacuum bag.

www.techni-modul-eng.com

Oerlikon Balzers specializes in the development of coatings and coating processes and provides coatings that signi-ficantly improve the performance of tools and precision

parts. Marketed under the Balinit brand name, the coatings are extremely thin, harder than steel and considerably reduce friction and wear. Innovations, Aeronautics & Aerospace, Auto-motive, Construction & Infrastructure, Marine, Mass Transpor-tation, Pipes & Tanks, Sports & Leisure, Wind Energy, Cutting & Trimming & milling

Balinit Diamond Classic: Carbide tools coated with Balinit Diamond Classic make it possible to cut graphite workpieces at high speed with greatly improved quality. Thanks to the signifi-cantly extended tool life, sophisticated, complex workpieces can be produced using a single cutter in a single clamping.Balinit Diamond Plus: The solution for aluminium alloys and composite materials has an especially smooth, nanocrystalline structure that facilitates chip flow and prevents the formation of built-up edges. Cutting forces are significantly reduced. No reworking is necessary thanks to the excellent surface quality of the workpieces. www.oerlikon.com/balzers/be

German press manufacturer Wickert Maschinenbau GmbH recently launched a series of high-pressure RTM presses with significantly enhanced closing force and drive

precision, particularly when it comes to the closing move-ment of the tool. The machines feature hydraulic parallelism control of the closing plates, which are kept absolutely parallel by means of four hydraulic counter-pressure cylinders, even under extremely asymmetric plate load. Conventional RTM processes work with lower pressures than high-pressure RTM, but the overall parts manufacturing cycle is longer. With high closing and opening speeds and rapid pressure build-up, this series of presses has been able to respond to the challenge of shortened cycle times. The main fields of application are the sectors where lightweight parts are required, based on medium to large production runs, which are traditionally the aerospace and automotive industries. High-pressure RTM processes make a decisive contribution to greater cost efficiency. ww.wickert-presstech.de

The DiAMon Plus™ cure and flow monitoring system offers an insight to composites manufacturing in real time and under real industrial conditions. Now it is possible to keep track of the part forming inside

the closed environment of its mould or tool.This innovation offers significant benefits to composite parts manufactu-rers, such as:- In situ and real-time process monitoring: resin arrival detection, tempera-ture, conversion rate, and viscosity- Tangible quality assessment of production- Reduced manufacturing costThe monitoring system utilizes the principles of dielectric sensing and cure kinetics. The sensory elements are tool-mounted cure and flow monitoring sensors and thermocouples. The entire system is integrated with innovative and scalable software and a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI), in a robust industrial-type construction. The following process parameters are available in real time: glass transition temperature, degree of cure, resin viscosity and resin arrival. The entire solution is scalable and customised to match the end user’s specifications.Applications: RTM/RFI/LCM, cure oven, autoclave, and pultrusion. www.inasco.com

The new semi-permanent ACMOScoat release systems are approved by the wind energy sector. In addition to reducing release agent consumption and surface preparation time, these systems feature enhanced release power, a greater number of lifts per application, improved post-treatment capabilities and increased polarity

on manufactured parts. Moreover, they contain no diethyl ether. Due to their higher efficiency, ACMOScoat release systems allow manufacturers in the wind, aircraft, mass transportation, medical, recreational, construc-tion, marine, motorsports and other composite markets to use less materials and save time upon application.The systems can be used in production processes such as vacuum infusion, hand lay-up, spray-up, filament win-ding, prepreg, SMC, BMC and Hi and Lo RTM. www.acmos.com

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> Booth Y38 > Booth T 76

> Booth G36

> Booth P73

> Booth S79



Cutting technology Microwaves revolutionise the production of composite

Laser treatment of fibre-reinforced composites

High-speed 5-axis CNC plug milling

The cutEXPERT ecocam CNC cutter is a multi-functional cutting head that can be used with different materials. Its electro-

nically-controlled Z axis guarantees low-wear cutting and accurate parts. The machine uses easily exchangeable tools and offers a custo-mized cutting solution for all requirements. Its high-end engineering guarantees long life cycles. No paper or plastic are required. It features up to 20,000 strokes per minute with enormous power transfer and a lift height of 1.5 mm.

The machine is easy to use due to its multifunc-tion cutting head that minimizes tool changes, intuitive control panel and easy-to-change blades. Fields of application include com-posites, apparel, furniture, transportation inte-riors and industrial fabrics. Different tools are available, such as: oscillation knife, straight knife, wheel knife, notching, punch tool and milling tool. www.expertsystemtechnik.de

The world’s largest industrial microwave system – Hephaistos VHM from Vötsch Industrietechnik GmbH with a 7000-litre working chamber volume – is a world-patented system for microwave hardening of composites

materials. This is the first successful development of microwave technology to a large-scale mature industrial engineering level. The unit is characterised by an extremely high field homogeneity. It is possible to harden high-quality products and materials (e.g. carbon fibre-reinforced composite materials [CFC]) that, due to their potential for use in lightweight constructions, are employed in aerospace engineering and, increasingly, the automotive industry. Microwaves penetrate the material directly and heat the product, but the oven remains cold during this process. Reduced production costs through shor-ter warm-up, process and cooling times are an important advantage offered by the HEPHAISTOS system. The system only involves inertialess heating of the component itself – the oven not being actively heated. This way, a high heating rate is generated by microwaves in the component with low energy consump-tion. The system also includes newly-developed and inexpensive processes employed in the aerospace industry involving the injection of resin as an adhe-sive between carbon fibres. Rapid, efficient and inexpensive production of composite structures can thus be achieved. The system was developed as part of a technology transfer with the Karlsruher Institut of Technology (KIT). www.voetsch.info

The Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) participates in research and development projects for laser development and laser applications. It also provides advice on technical and scientific challenges with the goal of

combining theory and practice. One focus of the LZH is the laser treatment of fibre-reinforced materials, particularly carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP). To this end, cost-efficient, automatable high-quality processes are developed. This subject is inves-tigated by its Composites group with a focus on repairing and cutting. Laser cutting stands out because it allows fast separation without high tool wear. The LZH also explores laser-based abla-tion of CFRP with the long-term goal of establishing it as a repair strategy. The advantages of this procedure are the free choice of shapes and the experimentally achieved high strength of repaired structures. Additionally, processes for laser transmission welding of thermoplastics onto CFRP are developed to provide the possibility of joining parts without bonding or riveting. One important aim is to improve weld seam quality and strength. The Composites group also develops individual applications for industry partners and supports them during the integration of the laser pro-cess into their production line.

www.lzh.de

Delphia Yachts Kot Sp.

J. builds yachts to the highest standards of quality and safety. The company uses precision CNC machining in its construction processes for rapid and exact sculpting of a variety of materials to ensure perfect symmetry in each product. It also serves the marine industry, air industry, rail vehicles (train cabs) and many others. Poseidon 38/90 – PX5 is a range of CNC machining centres with 5 interpolated axes for the high-speed machi-ning of large components made from light alloys, composite materials, reinforced plastics, tooling board or wood. The machining centres combine structural rigidity, flexibility and convenience for the machining of large components. They are 3.8m wide, 9.0m long and 2.0m high. www.delphiayachts.pl

> Booth U58> Booth W73

> Booth H64

> Booth X26

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High-volume manufacturing technologies for composites

Optimized cutting tool solutions for composite parts

3D pultruded profiles widen fields of applications

The Institute of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University (IKV) was founded in 1950 and is one of the largest institutes engaged in this field of research. The Institute has more than 300 employees

working on the problems encountered during the processing of the many different types of plastics that are now available. IKV is divided up into four specialist departments: Injection Moulding/PU Technology, Extrusion/Further Processing, Part Design/Materials Technology and Composites.

In the field of composites, processing techniques such as compression moulding, RTM, resin infusion, gap impregnation, pultrusion, filament winding and some special techniques are investigated. Modelling and di-mensioning of composites also play an important role in IKV’s composite research. A major focus of the presented innovations is the development of high-volume capable production processes for manufacturing structural parts with thermoplastic and thermoset resins. www.ikv-aachen.de

One-shot drilling of composite/metallic stack materials (titanium/CFRP/aluminium) using power feed machines is one of the latest optimized processes developed by Sandvik Coromant’s R&D team. This solu-tion avoids having to use the three-stage process still commonly used today, that requires pre-drill, drill and

reaming operations to achieve the necessary surface and dimensional quality.One of the solutions is a helix flute drill based on a veined PCD point with a specific geometry. Reductions in cycle times are impressive, while maintaining strict criteria based on Cp/Cpk targets for surface quality and exit burr. Sandvik Coromant works closely with its partner Precorp to deliver state-of-the-art, co-branded drills and milling cutters for improved performance when machining composite materials. These tools can be used in all types of machines. Building on this expertise in composites, Sandvik Coromant has opened a new application centre for composites machining in Europe. Located in Orléans, France, the centre serves as a specially-manned competence facility for customer projects that delivers complete processing, programming and machining for new or existing components – often with a business proposal for guaranteed output increase or cycle time reduction www.sandvik.coromant.com

Currently, pultrusion is the only real series production process for fibre-reinforced parts

comparable to the known processes for metal parts. Until 2009, the major drawback was its limitation to straight profiles. With the award-winning Radius pultrusion™ process ( JEC show 2010 and 2011), Thomas Technik was able to overcome this limitation for two-dimensional curves. At the JEC Show 2012, the company presents three-dimensional curved profiles to a wider public. Fields of application range from coil springs and vertical-axis wind turbines to hose and tube reinforcement. Radius pultrusion™ has similar speed and properties as the standard pultrusion process. An additional advantage of the process is its ability to create straight and curved profiles with very precise tailored reinforcements. As the pulling forces are compensated by the process design, not only 0°, mats and 0/90° woven reinforcements but also +/- 45° and other multiaxial layered or woven reinforcements can be processed with high precision. www.thomas-technik.com

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> Booth U58

> Booth W11

> Booth H 64

ESTRIM technology to replace RTMCannon’s latest developments in the fields of Composites, Polyurethane and Thermoforming technologies will be presented by an international team of specialists:

- The ESTRIM (Epoxy Structural Reaction Injection Moul-ding) technology, for the replacement of conventional, slow RTM process with fast-demoulding high pressure injection of Epoxy resin’s formulations. The E-System, a three-compo-nent high pressure dosing unit for Epoxies launched at the past edition of JEC, will be presented in its second, enhanced version to the market.- The range of automatic Preformers for the preparation of Carbon and Glass fiber preforms used for resin impregnation and injection technologies.- Co-injection and Reinforced spray technologies for Poly-urethanes, for an increasingly wider number of industrial applications.- Automated assembling technologies for the production of large composites parts destined to the avionics and wind generation markets.- A wide number of innovative solutions for the Wind Gene-ration industry:- the Epoxy DX dosing machines for Epoxy resin infusion in the largest blades- dosing machines for Polyurethane inserts to replace the use of balsa wood - dosing machines and presses for DCPD (DiCycloPentaDiene) resins to produce large, thin, highmo-dulus structural parts without glass reinforcement- Aluminium Die-casting presses for the large electric motors used in the turbines- Compression molding presses up to 3,500 ton for SMC, GMT, LWRT (Low Weight ReinforcedThermoplastics) and a new generation of Composites- The latest models of Industrial Thermoformers of Cannon Forma, equipped with halogen heating lamps, computerised zone-control of heating, patented adjustable plate systems for minimum set up time and elimination of reduction plates. www.cannon.com

> Booth H70

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Efficient manufacturing of load-optimized CFRTP

WinOro-2-copwinding solutions for special fibres

Process and quality control of composites production

Surface for fault-free carbon processingOrdinary semi-finished textile products, such

as non-crimp fabrics, cannot always allow for optimal fibre orientation when used in complex

3D geometries. Using a modified tailored fibre placement (TFP) technology, load-optimised, near-net-shape hybrid structures (tailored fibre reinforced blanks) can be created. In this process, reinforcement fibres are deposited together with thermoplastic filaments to produce flexible textile hybrid preforms. These preforms can be draped into a 3D geometry and consolidated into the final structural part. The advantages of the preform are the freely adjustable material mix and fibre volume content, no waste, optimal fibre orientation, design freedom, safe handling, cost-effective production on multihead TFP machines.Fibre lay-up using TFP technology allows the manufacture of textile preforms with several layers in one step. Each hybrid yarn is fixed with an upper and a lower thread by zigzag stitches. Neglecting the substrate, a one-layer preform is almost symmetrical. www.faserinstitut.de

The demand for high-tenacity special fibres such as aramid, UHMWPE and carbon fibres is steadily growing. At the same time, the optimi-zation of energy consumption, space require-

ments and efficiency is of highest interest. With WinOro-S, Oerlikon Barmag recently introduced an automatic winding system that fulfils the special requirements of high-tech fibre production. With energy consumption reduced by up to 45%, the 2-cop winding system WinOro-S 2-cop ensures the economic production of both the highest quality fibres and a perfect package build.The system features centralised adjustment of the yarn tension, centralised adjust-ment and control of the control pressure, choice between precision and random winding of cylindrical packages, recipe-management and complete electronics from Siemens. www.barmag.oerlikontextile.com

Optimold is an innovative monitoring system for composites production. A special electronic system allows the in-situ, real-time monitoring of resin cure providing, among other process milestones, a glass transition temperature (Tg)

estimation (verified in industrial conditions). Optimold is better suited to indus-trial conditions than dielectric systems, cheaper and industrially-proven in the automotive, aerospace, wind energy, marine and other sectors. Several sensor types are available to monitor the degree of cure, viscosity or faulty conditions such as incorrect mixing ratios or resin ageing in the mould cavity, in the die, at the feeding lines or in the resin pot/bath. For example, Optimold can clearly distinguish when the mixing ratio deviates as low as 3%, so that corrective actions can be taken to maintain quality and speed. It can also monitor the resin bath to check for any viscosity rise. Optimold has been successfully used in RTM, Light RTM, vacuum infusion and pultrusion processes and can be readily used in other processes such as autoclave, filament winding and SMC. The first-ever industrial use in high-speed RTM resul-ted in up to 40% cure cycle time reduction. www.synthesites.com

Topocrom® is a hemispherical metallic sur-face for application on thread guiding parts

that significantly improves the processing of carbon, aramid, glass, ceramic and basalt fibres. The advantages of the Topocrom® carbon processing surface include high resistance to wear and corrosion, significantly longer service life, even and homogenous surface structure, optimization of the stretching process, better sliding properties due to the formation of air cushions, good fluid-carrying ability and good wettability. www.topocrom.com

> Booth H64

> Booth T76

> Booth Y46

> Booth X56

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Tool system for honeycomb machiningThe Corecut tooling system is designed for the various machining applications that arise in the 5-axis milling process of

honeycomb materials. A high degree of flexi-bility is achieved by using different combina-tions of front-end tools, shredders and shanks to create perfect solutions for the demanding requirements of honeycomb machining.

The flexibility of the system makes it ideal for all kinds of honeycomb materials in use today.For the typical application of Corecut tools in 5-axis machines, the spindle should be tilted in two directions in relation to the honeycomb part. Thereby, the machining forces point towards the machine table and best results can be achieved. For small diameters, the tool system combines a shank shredder and a front-end tool, which is available in either solid carbide or HSSCo. For larger diameters, the tool system combines a front-end tool, a shredder and a shank. Various tooth geome-tries are available for the shredders. These geometries are designed to produce maximum cutting performance with the best surface finishes. Additionally, performance and tool life are increased through the application of an appropriate coating: a single PVD coating for wear protection, or a PVD multi-layer coating to prevent sticking as well.

www.neuhaeuser-controx.de

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Cutting room solutions

Efficiency control cockpit Plug-and-play RTM tool

FUS joins VAP Network

Composite repair and machining using abrasive waterjet

As an industrial partner, Lectra supports optimization goals by providing a range of solutions that includes equipment, software and services specific to each customer’s business challenges. This makes it possible to achieve a “lean” cutting room through maximized production processes. This overall approach is based on Lectra’s experience with industrial best practices, gained from close relationships with customers and particularly from the

application of the Lean Manufacturing concept developed in the automotive industry to its solutions and processes. Lectra’s cutting room solutions are suitable for a variety of production models (mass and diversi-fied production, small and medium runs), and deliver significant savings in terms of production times and material consumption, while maintaining high quality levels. www.lectra.com

The Efficiency Control Cockpit is a computer aided tool for data acquisition, storage, and analysis of production equipment. Decisions in the fields of production optimi-zation, maintenance, quality assurance, and investment

planning are supported by software modules («supervi-sing», «logging», etc.) that can be freely combined.

Fully automatic data aquisition and central data base storage of technical an operational data deliver excellent data quality. Structured data proces-sing guarantees optimal transparency, even for most complex plants.

ECC supports you in the optimization of your processes and in the maximization of your productivity. This is your crucial advantage.Data aquistion from the plant PLC(s) and applied sensors is executed via standardized interfaces, all data are stored in a central data base. The powerful FillMatrix technology enables cutting edge analysis tools:

- Historical display of alarms and operating messages - Availability and productivity indicators according to VDI and TPM - Downtime and plant state analysis employing the Paret principle - Part traceability function and recipe change logs - Electronic shift log and maintenance toolsThese tools support the definition of measures to increase productivity and optimize processes. The effectiveness of these measures can be checked immediately. The functiona-lity also ensures production processes and quality. www.fill.co.at

Compose has delivered its first «autonomous» RTM tool – designed to produce RTM parts without a press – to one of its customers for a construction application. All the functions needed to produce a part are

integrated within the tool:- a heat transfer fluid circulates through channels in the mould to heat and cool it down;- a mechanical, automated system opens and closes the mould – during injec-tion, the mould is clamped by an ironjaw, a system developed and patented by Compose. To automate and better control the production process, sensors (flow, tem-perature, pressure) are integrated in the tool cavity. The autonomous tool has many advantages: lower production costs and investment (no press), space saving, enhanced ergonomics, cycle time divided by three, energy saving and shorter cleaning and unmoulding times. The tool is a plug-and-play production equipment that can be used for any type of composite applications to lower investment and production costs. www.compose-tools.com

In the last 40 years FUS has been a supplier of a wide range of vacuum process materials. It has recently joined the VAP-Network and is a full subsidiary of EADS, who is the patent holder of the VAP-Technology (Vacuum Assisted Process). FUS offers a complete range of VAP-certi-

fied vacuum process materials and components. This results in an increase in process reliability for the user enabling him to make full use of the advantages of the VAP process. Its services also include:- Industrial Logistics (procurement and just-in-time delivery of certified standard parts and specific components for the aircraft industry, i.e. for EADS assembly lines).- Spare Parts for civil and military aircraft.- Specialized Packaging and Preservation (packaging and preservation in ac-cordance with customer’s requirements or industrial/military specifications – MIL, TL, VG - at our state-of-the-art packaging facility or at customer’s plant.- Manufacture and Sale of plastic blast media Dry Strip.Flugzeug-Union Süd GmbH (FUS) is located in Ottobrunn-Riemerling near Munich in close proximity to EADS GmbH. www.fus-online.de

The development of repair procedures for composite structures is becoming a major industrial issue. Classical machining processes using hand-held tools offer high adaptability but low reproducibility and accuracy. Abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting is a young technology widely used for cutting most materials including composites. Jedo Technologies and its R&D department have demonstrated that AWJ technology may be used in milling applications, especially for composite and repair machining. AWJ systems can machine structures

with a constant depth (step lap), with low impact on the structure geometry and low residual stress. Moreover, it is possible to machine with variable depths to achieve scarf shapes. A specific procedure automatically adapts machining to the variability and defaults of the material.Jedo Technologies is now equipped with a 5-axis water jet machine. www.jedotechnologies.fr

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> Booth T17

> Booth U39 > Booth M57

> Booth T46

> Booth K71



Robot driven application heads for processesKSL Keilmann Sondermaschinenbau GmbH increased the variety of modular preform processing systems based on robot driven application heads for the following processing technologies:

Tape layingThe TL 580 tape laying head offers tape laying of complex three dimensional parts with increased features and performance.DrapingCustomized and effectors to support repeatable draping processes by modular motion controlled devices for complex 3D shaping.3D profilingEntire solutions for the shaping of a variety of 3D profiles.System profilingKSL offers all application technologies as a system supplier based on 2D CNC controlled machines as well as 3D robot based system as stand alone, on linear axis or portal machine configura-tions. www.keilmann-group.de

StitchingIncreased performance and features on the modular single side application heads like the RS 510 blind stitch head, the RS 522 tufting head, the RS 530 two needle stitching head, and the RC 590 ultrasonic cutting head and conventional stitching heads like the RS 543 cylinder arm lock stitch head and the RS 545post bed lock stitch head.Ultrasonic cuttingThe RC 590 ultrasonic cutting end effector available with 20 kHz and 30 kHz and replaceable cutting knifes as well as customized knife configurations on special cutting knifes.

> Booth P74

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RTM central vacuum system from Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum

Plug-and-play RTM tool

In the elaboration of composite materials, it may sometimes be necessary, for processes like RTM (Resin Transfer Molding), to have two different pressure levels:- one “vacuum” level, fixed, as low as possible for closing of the mold

- one adjustable “vacuum” level for the resin injection operationThis problem can be solved by using the RTM central vacuum system from Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum. This latter is made of:- one single stage oil-sealed rotary vane pump SOGEVAC SV65B having a nominal speed of 59 m3/hour at 50 Hz- two isolated and stacked parallelepiped vacuum vessels (one “end pressure” vessel equipped with an anti-suck back valve and one “regulated pressure” vessel equipped with an electromagnetic valve).- one electrical cabinet controlling the vacuum pump and ensuring pressure regulation between two set thresholds for the resin injection.

Each vessel is equipped with six “vacuum” connections with ball valves. The vacuum pump is protected with active charcoal filter and paper filter mounted in serial. The whole assembly can be fixed or caters mounted. www.oerlikon.com

Compose has delivered its first «autonomous» RTM tool – designed to produce RTM parts without a press – to one of its custo-mers for a construction application. All the functions needed to produce a part are integrated within the tool:- a heat transfer fluid circulates through channels in the mould to heat and cool it down;- a mechanical, automated system opens and closes the mould – during injection, the mould is clamped by an ironjaw, a system deve-

loped and patented by Compose. To automate and better control the production process, sensors (flow, temperature, pressure) are integrated in the tool cavity. The autonomous tool has many advantages: lower production costs and investment (no press), space saving, enhanced ergonomics, cycle time divided by three, energy saving and shorter cleaning and unmoulding times. The tool is a plug-and-play production equipment that can be used for any type of composite applications to lower investment and production costs.

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> Booth M57


Software for filament winding patterns

Providing risk-reducing solutions

TruPLANSimulating composite structures the simple way

The most common types of filament-wound parts (pipes, tanks and vessels) use a parametric model which allows for quick changes in the size of parts. It is very common

to have a range of part sizes with the same laminate sequence. ComposicaD recalculates all of the part layers using the new size. This can save an enormous amount of programming time. The software also supports figures of revolutions, spars and curves. It uses a laminate table to describe the complete part. The table shows each layer and pertinent parameters – thickness, weight, winding time and cost – to easily estimate part costs. The individual layers can be helical, circumferential or a connector/transition path. The software automatically calculates the next mandrel surface after each layer. This is very important because the diameter and shape of the part is changing as each layer is applied. It also calculates an efficient delivery envelope that helps to minimize winding time. ComposicaD uses a material database, so the common winding setups can be saved and used again. It uses English or SI units and supports multiple languages.ComposicaD can generate output for up to eight different machine configurations. The machines can be any CNC-controlled winding machine and supports up to six axes of motion – spindle, carriage, radial carriage, rotating eye, yaw and perpendicular carriage. www.Seifert-Skinner.com

FiberSIM 2012 delivers key capabilities for reducing uncertainty in the behaviour

of composite parts by defining, communicating and validating desired fibre orientations throu-ghout the product development process, ensuring that they meet specifications.

- Increasing opportunities for optimizing designs: FiberSIM 2012 increases confidence in the way manufactured composite parts will perform by providing a new spine-based rosette that enables desired fibre orientations to be defined along a curve or edge that can then be communicated and validated throughout the development cycle.- Accurately simulating how composite materials conform to complex shapes: the new version enables users to simulate a greater number of materials and manufacturing processes used in composite-intensive industries with the first-ever spine-based simulation for parts pro-duced using steered fibre methods.- Communicating a complete part definition between design and analysis: FiberSIM 2012 introduces a breakthrough in the exchange of multi-axial material and core data to allow for the efficient com-munication of two critical design components between analysts and designers throughout the iterative development cycle.- Simplifying composite part development and documentation: this new version simplifies composite development with new, intuitive tools for design and documentation for engineers of all disciplines with different levels of composite knowledge and experience. www.vistagy.com

TruPLAN is a comprehensive software solution that makes it pos-sible for composite design engineers to run multiple “what-if ” scena-rios to test the manufacturability of composite parts during both the

conceptual design and detailed design phases. It allows manufacturers to quickly test which manufacturing process will have the biggest effects on costs and production rates. TruPLAN is based on multiple advanced optimization al-gorithms and assesses the cost-impact of unique design features and surface definitions across

multiple manufacturing processes, such as: automated fibre placement (AFP), automated tape laying (ATL), hand layup (HLU) or any combi-nation of these strategies. First, TruPLAN allows manufacturers to see if a part can even be produced; and second, it provides objective data that highlights the manufacturing strategy or combination of strategies that tests show to be the most cost-effective based on material size, through-put, facility requirements, etc. www.magestic.com

Composites pose different modelling challenges be-cause of the nature of the material. With the right simu-lation tools, designers can predict performance, analyze

reliability and potential failures, optimize construction, and export accurate information to manufacturing, all before a physical prototype is built.

ANSYS’ recently enhanced solutions for composites (release 14.0) tightly integrate dedicated composite modelling tools with other structural analysis tools in ANSYS Workbench, therefore providing increased productivity to the user. They also provide

specific modelling techniques for the advanced analysis of composites failure, such as progressive failure or propaga-tion using the VCCT technique. www.ansys.com

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> Booth D25 > Booth W63

> Booth T57> Booth W82

Simulation



New metrology solutions Verisurf Software, Inc. has launched a new release of Verisurf X5.1 loaded with innovative software features that enhance in-process, portable inspection, composite tool building, compo-

site wing analysis, laser projection programming, 3D scanning and reverse engineering. The new release includes:- New laser projection programming features for composite part production and assembly guidance;- A new Validate option for rapid CAD model translation valida-tion to digital product definition standards;- New high-definition build gauge, new real-time Digital Read-Out (DRO) displays, balloon callouts for features and free Mobile3D-Gage iPhone and Android apps;- New “best fit” enhancements, improved Excel report templates and a new surface waviness analysis feature to help users unders-tand and evaluate surface profiles;- New reverse engineering features including new 3D scanning filters, point cloud registration and sub-division mesh refinement with smoothing;- Several new metrology device interfaces extending Verisurf’s standard metrology platform leadership.Verisurf Software, Inc. is an advanced three-dimensional mea-surement solutions company committed to delivering advanced computer-aided inspection and reverse engineering solutions. Verisurf software helps manufacturers produce higher quality pro-ducts in less time and at a lower cost with automated, model-based inspection processes. www.verisurf.com

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Innovative design and manufacturing of composite products Driven by the need to deliver major impro-

vements in composite simulation at every release, Digimat 4.2.1 introduces tools that speed-up simu-lation time and include new functionalities to help design and manufacture composite materials in a robust, fast and easy way.The new Hybrid Solution Procedure gives Digimat the capability to predict in a fast and accurate way the nonlinear anisotropic behaviour of industrial parts. Hybrid Solution Procedure should be used in the first iterative design steps while the final design will be validated with the classical micro approach. The new inter-face with Simulayt draping software expands Digimat’s material modelling capabilities to continuous fibre composites.Digimat-MF features the capability to predict S(N) curves as a function of the local fibre orientation. This functionality will be soon available via Digimat interfaces with major fatigue codes. Digimat is already fully integrated within major CAE codes as the standard material model to perform nonlinear multi-scale modelling analysis of reinforced materials and structures. MSC.Marc and LS-DYNA implicit software have been added to the list of available solvers. www.e-Xstream.com

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Virtual manufacturing of continuous-fibre compositesWith PAM-RTM and PAM-FORM 2012, two numerical simula-tion applications dedicated to the manufacture of composite parts,

ESI Group offers a unique and accurate industrial solution to define and optimize manufacturing processes of dry textiles and prepregs, with the objective to achieve better part quality and lower production cycle time and cost. Developed through partnerships in several fields including automotive, aerospace and defence, PAM-FORM is a virtual manufacturing solution dedicated to laminated composite forming processes. It is used to:

PAM-RTM is a simulation software application for resin injection or infusion of composite preforms with or without inserts and core materials. It is used to:

Moreover, a high-performance solver can manage thermal analysis of preheating, non-isothermal filling and curing in an even more accurate manner. Additionally, a permeability database is available. The data-base will be enriched over time but already addresses a large number and variety of textiles. www.esi-group.com

- Evaluate different forming and tooling strategies without any physical prototype;- Select the most appropriate material, the right tooling design and the best process parameters

- Cut tooling and process costs;- Speed up mould design and injection system definition;- Optimize injection/curing cycle

to get it right the first time;- Optimize manufactured part quality;- Reduce overall development time and cost.

time;- Reduce porosity;- Minimize resin waste;- Decrease mould weight.

> Booth Q80

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InCom 360° work system and production kitsThis system is a high-end tool that ensures important cost reduc-tions for customers. It is based on a powerful philosophy inspired

by lean thinking principles that supersedes the traditional rela-tionship model between suppliers and customers by building much

more efficient ways to take a big leap in competitiveness, quality and efficiency. The InCom production kit system directly feeds the custo-mer’s production line just in time, ensuring cost reductions in terms of staff, infrastructure, administration, quality, raw materials, logistics, space, etc.

Since 1997, the company has been dedicated to innovation, design, production, assembly and sale of components to the wind industry, specializing in composite materials using glass, carbon, polyester and other synthetic fibres. They also provide auxiliary components assem-bly services for other industrial sectors such as boatbuilding, automo-tive, aeronautics, etc. www.incom.es

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Anti-counterfeiting taggants

New aluminium metal-matrix composites

Unbalanced thin ply bi-axial NCF

Fire-retardant structural PET foam core

Internal mould releases for high-Tg epoxy

OLNICA, a French company that specialises in anti-counterfeiting solutions for materials protection, has developed a wide range of invisible marking powders to

secure materials against counterfeiting in many applications. This new technology allows manufacturers to solve their counterfeiting problems with a simple and robust system. Multiple levels of security are possible with the same marker without changing the production process. Due to their high chemical and thermal resistance, these taggants can be integrated into a wide range of host materials (plasters, concretes, textiles, plastics, inks, adhesives, etc.) with no impact on the material’s characteris-tics. This technology provides a covert and forensic security for materials using a unique taggant.

www.olnica.com

California-based DWA Aluminum Composites has the team and the capabilities to provide new solutions for high-end products featuring aluminium metal matrices reinforced with silicon carbide particles that

bring to market outstanding strength, high modulus, tailorable coefficient of thermal expansion and fatigue resistance never seen before in materials with the density of aluminium. DWA has the know-how to support customers with products developed as forgings, extrusions and rolled sheet, produced in commercial metalworking facilities around the world, or simply machined from our billet. Among the company’s customers you can find the leading airframe, jet engines and automotive companies in the world.

www.dwa-dra.com

At the JEC 2011 Design conference, Chomarat and Stanford Univer-sity, as part of a developing project mobilizing a team of companies and universities from around the world, introduced a totally new concept of unbalanced thin ply bi-axial non-crimp fabric (NCF) called C-PLY™ Bi-

Angle. Production equipment is now in place to run either carbon or glass NCF with shallow angles as low as 20°. In order to meet the demands of aeros-pace OEMs, the team is now introdu-cing intermediate-modulus carbon fibre and is able to reach areal ply weights as low as 50 gsm.Associating a shallow angle with anisotropy allows for bending and twisting coupling in the laminate, offering unexplored design possibilities and major weight savings for parts with a preferred load direction. Newly developed materials offer new possibilities:- Carbon-glass thin ply hybrid NCF - Thick-thin carbon hybrid NCF - Thick glass/thin carbon hybrid NCFSpreading of glass fibre is also part of the program with results so far as low as 150 gsm per ply based on 1200 tex glass roving. This new concept relies on three building blocks: shallow angle, anisotropy and thin plies. Depending on the geometry and specific load of the part, any or all three of the building blocks can be introduced into the design, offering unprecedented weight-sa-ving possibilities.

www.chomarat.com

Armacell is introducing the new family of foam cores, ArmaFORM PET FR, designed for applications that have to meet flame, smoke and toxicity (FST) require-

ments. These foams are certified according to the FST standards relevant for the train industry: NF F16-101 and DIN 5510.Test results show that important technical characteristics such as

mechanical properties and damage tolerance remain at the usual high level. ArmaFORM PET FR offers the best-in-class fire properties in the thermoplastic foam cores market.

www.armacell-core-foams.com

Axel Plastics Research Laboratories is introducing several new internal mould release agents, such as MoldWiz INT-1881, for high-Tg epoxy. The company also plans to unveil new formulations for polyu-rethane pultrusion and for polyester and hybrid resin systems which incorporate high ATH loadings.MoldWiz INT-1881 is designed for epoxy systems, including those cured with acid/anhydride, imi-

dazole, amine or bisphenol A. The new internal mould release is specifically designed for epoxy systems that have a high glass transition temperature (Tg) and is suitable for all composite processes including pultrusion. Unlike many other products, INT-1881 provides easy release without impacting Tg and cure. Maintaining Tg is especially critical in the communications, electronics and aerospace industries where high temperatures and dynamic stresses are of particular concern. MoldWiz INT-1881 has proven to be of special value in these applications.

www.axelplastics.com

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> Booth Z64 > Booth Y63

> Booth Q25

> Booth S51

> Booth P52

Raw materials



New glass fibre reinforcement for pultrusion

ISO NPG marine gelcoat with low styrene content

Structural composite bonders

New program for carbon fibre conversion efficiency

Lighter than metal

After two years of existence, Ilium is launching a new range of

i-Flex P products for pultrusion, introducing a new generation of glass reinforcement combining the strength of continuous filaments with impro-ved surface finish.Based on a new patented process, i-Flex P combines long fibres with an integrated veil, thus eliminating spraying and cutting issues. I-Flex P is a 2-in-1 product that reduces costs, labour, waste, etc. All Ilium products are made without stitching or chemical binders.

www.ilium.pro

Building on its expertise in the composites market and the needs expressed by its customers, Polyprocess has developed a new high-performance ISO NPG gelcoat: the GCIG LV5. This new gelcoat

is formulated to meet both the constraints of staff VOC exposure in the workshops and the performance requirements of the marine industry. It is ideally suited for applications requiring resistance to external aggressions. The LV5 GCIG provides ex-

ceptional gloss retention. Its very low styrene content ensures excellent yellowing resistance. The special ISO NPG resin significantly improves its resistance to hydrolysis.

www.polyprocess.fr

Composite bonders, with their ability to maximise the potential of high-end composite structures, are the latest additions to the

Araldite® range. With high strength properties, the Araldite® AW 4858/hardener HW 4858 adhesive bonds composite to composite and composite structures to dissimilar materials. Tailor-made to support long-term durability, Araldite® AW 4858/hardener HW 4858 maintains high bond strength even under harsh environmental conditions.What makes this epoxy adhesive different is its ability to bond struc-tures to be used in environments exposed to high temperatures during their work-life, for example in applications for racing cars, aerospace or in general transportation. These adhesives are available in cartridges and display lap shear strengths exceeding 35 MPa on composite parts.Adhesive bonding facilitates the equal distribution of strain and stress across a joint, which makes it an ideal technique for joining composite materials of different constituents. These most recent additions are already proving their value in helping customers to find an efficient way of joining dissimilar materials while creating cost savings.

www.huntsman.com

Harper International announces Beacon™, a program that enables carbon fibre manufacturers to evaluate the carbon

footprint of their production facility, whether existing or planned. Harper’s model considers various line sizes, precursors, integration scenarios, energy recovery options, and more, in order to document and demonstrate what the true environmental impact of the production line is, as well as identify opportunities for improvement. It is a fundamental shift away from strictly evaluating plants on cost of production alone towards total consumer impact.

In order for carbon fibre to truly reach its potential for adoption in automotive and other broader industries outside of aerospace, the industry must demonstrate its understanding of environ-mental impact and proactively

address concerns. To date, the evolution of the carbon fibre conversion process has largely been driven by efforts to maximize the scale of operations while minimizing the cost of production. These drivers have resulted in the development of process equip-ment that is capable of greater output at lower operating costs. Looking towards the future, the carbon fibre conversion process will be increasingly scrutinized as a source of environmental impact. Harper’s Beacon program is structured to be a guiding tool for the carbon fibre composite industry as it moves towards greater output balanced with minimizing the environmental impact.

www.harperintl.com

Victrex Peek™ polymer-based materials are used as a replace-ment for metals in aerospace, automotive and other deman-ding industries to enhance application performance, lower

costs and satisfy stringent safety and environmental regula-tions.

With its myriad lightweight material solutions, Victrex’ booth will be of particular interest to aircraft manufacturers who are driven by the need to design the most lightweight and environ-mentally fuel-efficient aircraft possible while reducing overall manufacturing costs. These high-performance polymers, avai-

lable in a variety of formats, have been selected for use in harsh environment applications because they are lightweight, durable, exceptionally strong, chemically resistant and inherently flame retardant. Victrex will exhibit several innovative applications made of Victrex Peek 90, 150, 380, and 450 polymer standard grades, Victrex pipes, Aptiv films and Peek-based composites.

www.victrex.com

> Booth T29

> Booth V39

> Booth G65

> Booth T51

> Booth J16

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UD flax prepregs for high-performance eco-composites

High-width thermoadhesive webs and films

A new generation of composite material

Fast cure cycle systems for automtive process

Cellulose fibre-reinforced composite

Procotex built on its knowledge of long flax fibre hackling to produce unidirectional flax prepregs aimed at the high-end composite industry. These UD prepregs offer the following characteristics: green by nature,

renewable material, high strength and stiffness, low weight, low density, high vibration absorption, good thermal and acoustic insulation. Materials for a low-carbon future, these prepregs are available with a thermosetting or a thermoplastic matrix. www.procotex.com

Protechnic designs, produces and distributes thermoadhe-sive webs, nets and films in roll form for dry lamination.The complexity of the polymers used, such as copolyamide,

copolyester, polyolefin or polyurethane, provides customized solutions to meet the needs of customers in a wide range of industries.In 2011, Protechnic developed a new production line for high-width thermoadhesive webs (up to 2200 mm). With this line, the company will access new technical textile markets such as high-width non-wovens and foams. It can also process a wider range of PO and PU polymers. Further developments for the composite market include: low-weight webs (down to 3 g/m²), thick films and webs up to 300 g/m², high-melt-temperature polymers up to 200°C, FR polymers. www.protechnic.fr

Curv® self-reinforced composite is a new concept in thermoplastic materials that bridges the gap

between commodity plastics and traditional fibre-reinforced materials. It is referred to as being “self-rein-forced” because it comprises high-performance thermoplastic fibres in a matrix of exactly the same material. It is 100% polypropylene, but yields stiffness and strength values around 5 times those of regular PP. In addition, Curv® has a high strain to failure which in combination with good tensile strength offers tremendously high impact resistance, even at temperatures as low as -189 degrees Celsius. Finally, the material has exceptional abrasion resistance and compressive strength.Application areas are manifold: suitcases, sports equipment, automotive parts (interior and exterior), anti-ballistic products, etc. This self-reinforced material is also used as a skin material in lightweight sandwich structures, usually in combination with thermoplastic core materials. It can be supplied on rolls or as a sheets in thicknesses from 0.35 to 2.95 mm, a maximum product width of 1360 mm and any length, and can be combi-ned with materials like aluminium, glass, aramid and/or carbon fibres, resulting in a totally new range of thermoplastic compo-sites for a wide range of cost and performance targets. www.curvonline.com

Huntsman will highlight resin systems suitable for out-of-autoclave processes such as high-pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM) or

compression moulding, meeting a growing demand for shorter production cycles mainly for mass production in the automotive industry.

These systems enable high-pres-sure RTM production cycles as short as three minutes and less than one minute for compression moulding.

www.huntsman.com

ForMi is a new cellulose fibre-based biocomposite deve-loped by UPM, a company that integrates the bio and forest industries. ForMi was developed for moulding applications.

It combines the strength, renewability and consistent quality of cellulose fibres with high-quality polymers, resulting in products with improved mechanical properties, high quality

and good availability. ForMi granulates offer smooth and reliable processing. Due to the high purity and constant quality of the cellulose raw material, the resulting composite products are clean and odourless.The patent-pending production process provides good fibre disper-sion and light colours even with high cellulose fibre content.

All cellulose fibres used in ForMi are produced by UPM. The use of sustainable and renewable forest biomass, an efficient supply chain and the considerable share of bioenergy used in UPM’s production processes ensure a low carbon footprint for granulates. ForMi is available in several grades for injection moulding and extrusion. Most are based on a polypropylene matrix, but other polymers are also developed and available. ForMi products are designed for both industrial and consumer end-use applications. www.upm.com

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> Booth N84

> Booth V73 > Booth W12

> Booth G65

> Booth J7



New core material with excellent strength-to-weight ratio

Environmentally-friendly epoxy resins

Organic sheets for injection moulding machines

Innovative coupling agents

Spheretex recently presented their newly engineered product, sphere.core SBC HT. The product is desig-

ned to withstand high temperatures during the exothermic reaction of polyester and epoxy re-sins. Sphere.core SBC HT is volumised with ther-moplastic microspheres

and based on glass non-woven; it is used as core material in sandwich constructions and yields a lightweight, homoge-neous laminate.Spheretex has enhanced the product to make it suitable for the polyester foam resins of its partner Vosschemie. The core material can be fully impregnated with the structural polyester foam resin.During the wet pressing, vacuum-supported process, the core can be combined with all kinds of reinforcing layers, resulting in a very strong, homogeneous laminate with a very low specific strength-to-weight ratio.The product dimensions can be defined precisely. The mould is easily cleaned and cycle time is very short. Sphere.core SBC HT leads to a jointless and seamless lami-nate, using very little technical equipment. Applications are manifold, especially in the lightweight boards, automotive and transport industries. www.spheretex.com

The environmental benefits of these new epoxy resins are certified by an independent organization – the International EPD Consortium (IEC)

from Sweden. This product obtained the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certificate for grades CHS-EPOXY G 520, CHS-EPOXY G 525 and CHS-EPOXY G 530.Green epoxy resins are produced in the company’s plant from glycerine-based epichlorhydrin. These resins have indispu-table environmental benefits and enable customers to significantly reduce their environmental impact. This technology offers a range of environmentally-friendly solutions that meet customers’ needs for eco-alternatives to conventional materials by reducing the overall environmental impact of the final product. Green epoxy resins are based on renewable resources

(reduced consumption of fossil resources) and significantly less carbon dioxide is emitted during their production compared to conventional production technology (reduced carbon footprint). They are chemically indistinguishable from propylene-based conventional epoxy resins and can be used in the same huge range of applications such as wind energy, composites, automotive, electro-industry, coatings, etc.

www.spolchemie.cz

Lightweight construction is gaining attention – and not only in the automotive industry. Bumpers, fenders, roof, and car interiors – every

kilo stripped is golden profit. Less weight means more kilometres with the same battery charge or tank of gas. To better address the needs of this huge market, organic sheets can be used with resin laminated products. Short fibres can be used in plastics, as well as glass mat reinforced thermoplas-

tics (GMT) or organic sheets, as a flat support and finally inserted with continuous filament according to predetermined laying patterns. Weberit uses a virtual test station to simulate the working life of a plastic part and then determine where exactly to place the continuous filaments to provide the best effect where it is most needed. «Strength & force just in place.» This means setting continuous filaments in the right place along the lines of force where they work during the product lifetime. This way, it is possible to shed further weight. Weberit Werke Dräbing GmbH (Oberlahr, Germany) has developed a method whereby conventional glass mat thermoplastics (GMT) and organic sheets can be cost-effectively overmoulded with additional functional elements of reinforcing fibre strands. With this new process (patent pending), fibre strands of different materials such as glass, carbon, aramid or basalt are inserted along the lines of force. This method provides much higher resistance than conventional short-fibre reinforced plastics and achieves higher stiffness and strength. This significantly facili-tates industrial processing due to shorter cycle times. www.weberit.de

At a past JEC show, BYK presented its innovative coupling agent BYK®-C 8000 for filled, radical curing systems such as polymer concrete. BYK®-C 8000

improves key characteristics such as flexural, compressive, and tensile strength as well as impact resistance by up to 50%. The mechanical strength achieved even allows the thickness of components to be reduced without any

loss of quality, thereby saving considerable costs. Now, three years later, BYK has extended its portfolio of innova-tive coupling agents with BYK®-C 8002, which is especially designed for ATH-filled acrylic resins. Like BYK®-C 8000, BYK®-C 8002 also increases the mechanical properties of the finished product. Its active groups connect with the surface of the ATH and build a bridge to the resin using a double bond. Its multifunctional structure also prevents fillers from settling or separating in the liquid mixture. Although it has strong polar groups, it does not have a negative impact on other important properties such as the yellowing of pigmented parts or water absorption. www.byk.com

> Booth M 44 > Booth W56

> Booth U 58> Booth G19

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Clariant’s new reactive phosphorus flame retardants

High-temperature plastics and preceramics

Development of natural-fibre sandwich composites

Aluminium Honeycomb

Clariant offers a broad range of non-halogenated flame retardants under the trade name Exolit® that address customers’ growing environmental awareness. The Exolit range is known for its total resin-flame retardant integrity even under harsh conditions and in sophisticated appli-cations. The new flame retardants Exolit EP 150 (LP) and Exolit EP 200 (LP) were especially

developed for application in thermosetting epoxy resins. Both products show superior perfor-mance as reactive flame retardants and can be combined with bisphenol A-based epoxy resins and epoxy phenol novolacs. Both products are easy to use in epoxy thermosets as they show a broad compatibility. In addition, Exolit EP 150 is a low-viscosity liquid suitable as a flame retardant for infiltration processes. With their high phosphorus content, these two products outperform conventional flame retardants for epoxies. Therefore, UL 94 V-0 requirements can be achieved at a low dosage of flame retardant in the epoxy system. The glass transition temperature, which is a crucial parameter in epoxy chemistry, is less influenced by the two new products. www.exolit.com

The new KOMPOSIT technology offers materials for high-temperature appli-cations and rough industrial environ-

ments. These products are an evolution of fibre-reinforced plastics and ceramics. The range includes high-performance plastics with a temperature resistance up to 550°C and preceramic composites with a temperature resistance up to 1000°C.The synthetic and mineral character of the matrix used for these composites protects fibres during high-temperature treatments. Their electrical and thermal conductivity can be adjusted by modifying the matrix according to customer needs. Mechanical, thermal and electrical properties can be mo-dified using the following reinforcements: Al2O3 fibre, basalt fibre, carbon fibre, SiO2 fibre or a combination of reinforcements. In addition to being excellent thermal and electrical insulators, these products are anti-adhesive and have very good mechanical strength and ductility. Preceramic compo-sites show strong mechanical performance in high-tempera-ture appli-cations.The advan-tages of these com-posites include temperature resistance, thermal & electrical insulation, high torsional and mechanical strength and non-flammability. They are odourless, non-toxic and eco-friendly. This unique technology saves energy and resources. www.zlbm.com

Achieving lightweight solutions in the automotive industry requires subs-tantial enhancements of many car components. This also applies to natural-fibre-reinforced composites. This is the reason why TITK is investigating the

manufacture of lightweight sandwich materials with natural fibre composites. Using different processes for the manufacture of nonwovens (carding and air lay processes), semi-finished products were manufactured and optimized.

Compared with conventional glass-fibre-reinforced headliners, the mecha-nical properties of the natural-fibre compo-sites are slightly lower.

This especially affects the properties under wet conditions. In terms of composite density, competitive values in the range of 0.2-0.4 g/m³ were achieved. One major advantage of natural-fibre composites is that their texture and manufacturing are simplified in a one-step process. Their acoustic properties very much depend on how compact the materials are. The best sound absorption was achieved with composite densities between 0.3 and 0.4 g/m².The composite materials made at the lab scale were processed under industrial conditions and compressed to samples. This step made it possible to check the feasibility of the technology. Potential applications include automotive indoor parts (headliners and door panels). www.titk.de

Aluminium honeycombs and panels made with it offer lightweight, compression and shear resistance, fire and corrosion resistance and the possiblity to be recycled. It is used in a lots of applications (public transport industry, nautical sector, tool

machines, serigraphy, building industry, ecc...) and presented several advantages namely:- lightness- stiffness- fire resistance- compression, shear and corrosion resistance - flatness- optimal stiffness-to-weight-ratio. Regarding the aluminium honeycomb the client can choose a thickness from 3 until 300mm, a cell size from 6 until 19 mm and a density from 19kg/m³ until 84kg/m³ (the density depends on the foil’s thickness and on the cell size). www.cel.eu

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> Booth R4

> Booth C73> Booth J8

> Booth D55



High-performance building blocks for formulators

New prepreg curing in under five minutes

Spread tow reinforcements setting a new standard

New sizing technology enhances the properties of epoxy composites

Leveraging its core strengths in synthesis and formulation, Hunts-man confirms its position as a

supplier of high-performance building blocks for formulators, including:- Di, tri and tetra functional epoxies providing formulators with a full set of “building blocks” for formulated composite and adhesive systems to improve thermal, mechanical and processing properties. - Tougheners and flexibilizers – a range of liquid-to-solid molecules and polymers modifying the flexibility and/or impact resistance of formulated composite and adhesive systems.- Epoxy hardeners designed for a wide range of processing conditions that allow formulators to adapt curing kinetics of their systems as well as the structure of the cured network, from high cross-linking density to high flexibility. - Benzoxazines: solid resins combining medium to high glass transition temperature, high modulus, good to very good flame resistance, low water uptake and near zero shrinkage on curing. Liquid benzoxazines acting as diluents for solid resins and catalysts that reduce curing tem-perature and the cure cycle will also be released this year.

www.huntsman.com

This is a great technological breakthrough that will assist automo-tive equipment manufacturers and industrial markets in their quest for increasingly more efficient composite solutions that permit

production rates to increase, without affecting investment and labour costs. Curing in only two minutes at 150°C, HexPly M77 brings significant advantages to the market, especially as this reactive system also offers a long shelf life of six weeks at 23°C. It is highly suitable for large-volume production, such as the manufacture of skis. In addition to its short cycle, M77 is also fully compliant with the European REACH regula-tion which makes it extremely attractive to the automotive industry. M77 offers a unique combination of benefits: - Extra-fast curing system with 2 min at 150°C: the fastest epoxy system combining performance and shelf life, suitable for compression moulding, can be moulded using only vacuum techniques (specific lay-up needed).- High TG (125°C): allows demoulding at high temperature, opti-mizes total cure cycle.- Adhesive properties: bonding properties create inseparable solutions with other materials. HexMC based on HexPly M77 resin has been recently developed. It is a high-performance moulding material for the high-volume produc-tion of complex shape parts, especially designed for compression moulding. The combination of fast curing cycle and compression moulding make the product particularly beneficial for sporting goods, automotive and a wide range of industrial components.

www.hexcel.com

TeXtreme spread tow reinforcements offer possibilities for weight savings, improved mechanical performance and superior surface smoothness compared to conventional

reinforcements.

TeXtreme carbon reinforcements are available as spread tow fabrics with both 0/90 and +a/-b orientations (initially +45/-45) and spread tow UD tapes. This range of reinforcements, combined with high flexibility in optimizing reinforcement parameters and Oxeon’s knowledge, provides enormous possibi-lities to design and optimize reinforcement solutions for specific applications with short lead times and fast deliveries.Oxeon, headquartered in Sweden, will move to new larger tailored facilities in the spring to enable good conditions for continued growth. In connection with this, the company will also implement new machinery for increased production capa-city to meet the future demand from large-scale programmes and applications.

TeXtreme is widely used by premium brands in the sporting goods sector and has been successfully implemented by the leading F1 teams for many years. Due to the unique benefits of spread tow and TeXtreme, this new category of reinforcements has now found its way into interesting projects within the aeros-pace, industrial, marine and automotive sectors.

www.oxeon.se

To meet wind turbines manufacturers’ needs for the produc-tion of longer and lighter blades, 3B has been collaborating with the whole value chain in the wind industry to bring to

market two cost-competitive, high-performance reinforcements with an optimised sizing technology. Advantex® SE2020 and HiPer-tex™ W2020 have been specifically engineered for epoxy polymer systems and push further the limits of glass fibre blade designs to address new challenges facing the wind industry and to support the growth of multi-mega-watt turbines.Compared with conventional materials, 3B’s new sizing offers better wet-out, therefore providing a more consistent laminate quality, a significantly improved resin matrix adhesion which de-livers higher shear strength (up to 15% in-plane shear strength), and substantially greater interfibre strength (up to 50%). These static property improvements translate into superior dynamic performance. Improvements ranging from 2x to 7x in terms of fatigue life for a given stress level have been measured.These unique properties, together with the very good hydrolysis resistance and inherent corrosion resistance of 3B boron-free glass, will also be of interest to many other epoxy composite structural applications such as pressure vessels, pipes, leaf springs, etc.

www.3b-fibreglass.com

> Booth G65

> Booth G57 > Booth P25

> Booth D4

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New GL-approved resin systems for wind applications

High-performance cross-laminated nonwovens

Epoxy technology concept for VaRTM impregnation

A new generation of fine resistant composites

Polyurethane matrix resin for automotive composites

Within its range of infusion resin systems for wind blades and other large composite structures, Huntsman offers a compre-hensive range of recently Germanischer Lloyd (GL) approved epoxy resin systems which meet the stringent processing and performance requirements for wind blade manufacturing. Huntsman has adapted its resin systems for a range of processes, including wet lay-up, infusion and prepregging. www.huntsman.com

JX Nippon ANCI group manufactures and sells unique

nonwoven fabrics, named Claf and Milife. Claf is a cross-lami-nated polyethylene or polypro-pylene open-mesh reinforcement fabric. Milife is a cross-laminated polyester nonwoven fabric. The company also offers thermal lamination, process design and implementation, and product development services.The group has begun to sell a flame-retardant grade of the Milife polyester nonwoven fabric. This flame-retardant fabric is made of non-combustible resins from Trevira GmbH (Germany) and benefits from the “Trevira CS” trademark for products that have passed Trevira’s non-com-bustibility test. The Claf open-mesh reinforcement fabric is avai-lable in sustainable-origin resin (partially) and a PET version is under development. www.clafusa.com

Nagase ChemteX develops a variety of adhesives widely used in the electrical appliances, automotive, machining,

maritime, and aerospace industries.Typical Properties of the new epoxy resin system1) Hybrid curing system for windmill blade impregnationEpoxy resin and Polyester resin are used for windmill blade impregnation, but each has good and bad feature. Nagase ChemteX developed a resin system by interpenetrating network technology. This idea is based on the co-polymerization reaction of additional and radical polymerization.2) Another topics-Nonflammable and transparent VaRTM system for railwayThis technology is developed for Fluorescent light cover of railway.The combination of overlay and GFRP are consisted with inor-ganic transparent clay strike film and transparent fire retardant GFRP. This is joint development with AIST (the national institute of Advance Institute of Science and Technology) and Nagase CemteX.-The high toughness epoxy adhesives like thermo-plasticsThis technology is developed for Automotive adhesive instead of weld-bonding. This Adhesives is under evaluating by Port University. www.nagasechemtex.co.jp

High mechanical properties and unique fire resistance are the key characteristics ensuring that basalt fibres are

more and more used in a world with increasingly strict fire regulations. The fact that basalt fibres retain their integrity at elevated temperatures is a major asset. By combining this fibre with a resin that doesn’t compromise on the fire beha-viour, a unique combination has been found. At the JEC 2012, Basaltex will present new solutions based on basalt fibres that have been developed together with partners. These solutions combine fire resistance with high mechanical performance. They are intended for high-volume markets which require high fire resistance, such as railway, construction, offshore applications, etc. www.basaltex.com

With lightweighting in mind, automotive manufacturers are using more and more parts made from carbon fiber or

glass fiber composites. Henkel has developed a polyure-thane-based composite matrix resin that cures faster than the traditional epoxy resins.

Composites based on carbon fiber or glass fiber are gaining momentum in various application areas due to the oppor-tunity for enormous weight savings over traditional part construction, with no loss in mechanical performance. Star-ting in aerospace where pre-impregnated fibers (prepregs) are manually laid up and then baked into composites, many different applications are now penetrating into the automo-tive industry. New manufacturing methods like resin transfer molding enable economic processes that are suited for high volume automotive production.

For the resin transfer molding process, Henkel has developed a new composite matrix resin based on polyurethane which enables improved economics and throughput in processing. Compared to standard epoxy matrix resins, the new Loctite MAX2 cures significantly faster. During injection, it also enables more efficient impregnation without stressing the fibers due to the lower viscosity of the resin.

The composite properties of Loctite MAX2 were specially developed to provide more flexibility as well as much higher impact resistance than traditional epoxy resins.

www.henkel.com

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Innovative fibers and mats

Compofil Product

First all black Twaron fiber produced

Low Twist Flax roving for pultrusion, filament winding

Outside unwinding roving for CFRT process

High Performance Filler and Additives

Johns Manville will present its engineered products in glass fibers and nonwoven glass and synthetic mats. Innovative products, such as MultiStar® 574 Roving used in

polyurethane LFI processes, will be demonstrated with real-life examples of end-use applications. Emerging technologies in thermoplastic com-posites will be highlighted, including innovations in in-mold caprolactam polymerization using pioneering StarRov® Rovings. Multiple innovative technologies will be displayed through woven fabric constructions for use in continuous fiber reinfor-ced thermoplastic composites. JM will also showcase applications in SMC and engineered thermo-plastics processes, both reinforced with JM MultiStar® Roving for SMC and ThermoFlow® 672 for PA6 and PA6.6.

www.jm.com & www.jmfibers.com

Compofil product is a high-performance roving made of inte-rwound continuous fiber and thermoplastic fiber. It can be used to manufacture thermoplastic composites directly with no need for extra resin. It is suitable for various molding processes including

mold pressing, vacuum molding, filament winding and more. The applications of this product include military, automotive, construction, sports and new energy industries.Compared with traditional roving, Compofil product offer the fol-lowing unique benefits: dry thermoplastic prepreg with excellent self-impregnation, short processing cycle and high productivity, excellent mechanical properties, environment-friendly production process and recyclability.Compofil product contain Compofil-PP, Compofil-PET, Compofil-PPS, and Compofil-fabric.

www.jushi.com

Aramid is difficult to dye by nature, but it is now possible to produce black threads of the same quality. Twaron is five times stronger than steel at the same weight and is often used in bullet-proof vests, ropes and cables, sails and firefighter suits. At the request of custo-mers in the sailing and sports industries, Teijin Aramid started to investigate other colors for Twaron. Twaron Black will soon be seen

for the first time in the sails of the world’s largest ocean sailing race, the Volvo Ocean Race. For the threads to become completely black, they are not dyed afterwards, like cotton fibers. The production process has been adjusted to inject the fiber with the black dye during the process. This makes it the first black aramid fiber with characteristics that are equivalent to the standard golden yellow fiber. Gert Frede-riks, CEO of Teijin Aramid, explains: “With Twaron Black, it is possible to combine the special characteristics of the aramid fiber with a beautiful look. Black aramid fibers have already been produced in the world, but they do not have the same characteristics (modulus) as the standard Twaron aramid fiber.” Aramid fibers are frequently used in water sports and sportswear, but combined with carbon. “For example, you often see the golden yellow of aramid in sails on a professional yacht or the underside of a canoe. With Twaron Black, it becomes part of the whole and maintains the same characteristics.” www.teijinaramid.com

Safilin’s Low Twist Flax Roving enabled the company Innobat to win the 2011 JEC Award for their project of bio based composite pul-truded window profiles. In 2012 we Safilin have improved our products to match the markets need for high performance natural fibers.Our flax roving has been sucessfully used in pultrusion but also in filament winding. Today tests are being conducted in long fiber

reinforced compounds, multiaxial fabrics and much more. Flax is the only massively available natural fiber grown in Europe enabling to produce low twist rovings with the necessary dry mechanical properties and showing great results in a composite material. Flax is grown without irrigation and barely any chemicals making of flax fiber the greener fiber available for composites. www.safilin.fr

Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (CFRT) provides longer term preservation of dry prepreg, higher toughness, easier process and better recyclability than

traditional continuous fiber reinforced thermoset. To meet the development of CFRT, JUSHI group supplies three fiberglass roving with paper core —362C, 352A and 352C to the global market. Hard paper core guarantees the smoothness of outside unwinding in the forming process of CFRT sheet. 362C is sui-table for PP resin and 352A for PA/PET resin and 352C for PP/PA resin. www.jushi.com

The Mineral Engineers help to create unique filler solutions with raw materials by developing innovative and functional High Performance Fillers and additives on a mineralogical

and synthetic basis.High performance fillers play a prominent role in the produc-tion of thermosets. The high demands, such as high strength and high degrees of thermal resistance, can be met by means of functional fillers. In addition their use in the finished articles brings about optically sophisticated, resistant surfaces. Our high performance fillers are mineral powders with an extremely high degree of chemical purity, very good chemical resistance and a very low binder requirement. They are widely used in reaction resins such as PMMAThe modern and flexible production facilities with its expe-rienced personnel adjust itself flexibly and quickly to new problems and products. Quarzwerke is a company with a highly convincing quality philosophy, certified in compliance with DIN EN ISO 9001: 2008 and DIN EN ISO 14001 : 2004. www.hpfminerals.com

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> Booth H63

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> Booth K19

> Booth F25

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High-performance polymers

AlzChem Resin additives

Thermoplastic composites for various applications

TenCate TC275 and TC350-1 Out of Autoclave Prepregs

Powder coating of non-conductive materials

Mesh for fast infusions

Solvay Specialty Polymers supplies high-performance thermoplastic resins, films and foams. Virantage® PESU and reactive PESU tougheners deliver excellent

hot-wet performance, superior damage tolerance, and enhanced solubility and processability. Ajedium™ films made using engineering and high-performance polymers are available up to 1.5 m wide with thickness capabilities from 6 microns to 1.5 mm. Solvay’s new super-tough thermoplastic foams are uniquely suited to replace honey-comb technology in structural and interior applications. They have very low moisture and resin absorption, resist Skydrole® and maintain mechanical performance up to 200°C. Evolite™ by Technyl® is a breakthrough material, leveraging Rhodia Engineering Plastics’ expertise in ther-moplastic composites. This patented high-performance PA-based matrix is especially designed for automotive and transportation applications as well as sporting and leisure goods. www.solvay.com

AlzChem Resin additivesAlzChem is recognized as a lea-ding global supplier of Nitrogen Carbon Nitrogen (NCN) based Chemicals and is located in the Southern part of

Germany. Besides serving its outstanding core business in the agricultural and nutritional market, one of its main focus in the chemical industry is the hot curing Epoxy Resin market. With our Resin additives which are sold under the brandname DYHARD® varying from hardeners to accelerators, we are devoted to serve the powder coating, the adhesive, the printed circuit board and the composite market. www.alzchem.com

PMC-Baycomp is introducing new continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRT) uni-direction (UD) tape and sheet materials for various markets and applications. The materials include: 1. PC-ABS with Carbon and Glass fibers for applications in the 3C industry. The materials are competitive with Mg, AL and thermoset com-posites and can be molded in rapid cycle times. They can be over-molded with common thermoplastic resins for a high level of design detail in

structural components.2. PA6 with Glass fiber tape is targeted for structural applications in the Automotive market. These materials may be over-molded to produce complex hybrid structures.3. TPU with Carbon for recreation applications. These materials impart good mechanical properties, high toughness and fatigue resistance as well as affinity to urethane adhesive systems.4. HDPE with Glass for Ballistic applications. The material has 80% fiber content and can be co-molded with UHMWPE. www.performancematerials.com

TenCate has two new epoxy-based out of autoclave processible prepregs. TC275 provides excellent inspecti-

bility, excellent resistance to moisture, and can be fully cured after six hours at 275F/135C. TC350-1 is a toughened epoxy, that features good toughness, a 30+ day outtime and may be cured at 275F/135C with a required free standing postcure at 350F/177C for one hour for full mechanical properties. The company will have 100+ ply structural parts exhibited in their booth. These parts have less than 1% voids after vacuum cures. www.tencate.com

InnoVoc Solutions technology enables the powder coating of plastics, composites and other non-conductive, non-metallic substrates by using a low-cost surface treatment that emits no volatile organic compounds

(VOCs) or other hazardous by-products. The surface treatment makes the substrates temporarily conductive. Once the powder flows and cures, the part is no longer conductive. Compared to liquid paints, powder coating is known for strong adhesion, excellent durability, potential for textured or gloss surfaces and the absence of runs and VOCs during application. The InnoVoc Solutions technology now makes these benefits practical for com-posites and other non-metallic substrates. www.innovocsolutions.com

Intermas Nets Flow Media Net 5340 is an extruded mesh designed to make fast infusions when large flow rates are required. The structure of its threads allows a very uniform resin flow and its light weight allows

offering a high quality at a very competitive price. Moreover, its excellent flexibility makes this net often used in infusions for wind energy and large recreational boats. www.intermas.com

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Carbon footprint certified prepreg and new resin system

New composites testing laboratory DRAPETEST: new automatic drapability tester

UV cure monitoring of paints and adhesives

Advanced International Multitech (ADG) supplies carbon footprint certified prepreg. They can assist their customer to reduce cost in producing green products. New Resin Systems:TR-series: a fast curing resin. It cures at 130°C for 10min. Prepreg impregnated with this resin is available for a wide range application, but is optimally applied to 3C housing to achieve higher turnover of mold usage.

LL-Series: a low temperature curing system. Curing around 80°C and is best for vacuum bag process. It is also available for application with requirement of thinkness and large size. HM-series: a High-Tg system. PPG Tg temperature with this resin can be raised to 280°C. It is applied for industries with high temperature or special environment. www.adgroup.com.tw & www.prepreg.com.tw

Bureau Veritas Laboratories is presenting its new Composites Centre of Excellence located in France, near Bordeaux. This centre offers a wide range of customized services applied to plastics and composite materials. Since 2011, two new activities have completed the lab’s

recognized experience in the field of physics and chemical analysis. The mechanical tests laboratory performs tests on carbon fibre, plastics and high-resistance composite (aeronautics, wind, energy,…) at tempera-tures ranging from -70°C to 250°C, following the NF EN ISO, ASTM and AITM standards and specific developments. With the support of Bureau Veritas Group, particularly in the NDT and design fields, the laboratory can handle complete specifications for customers worldwide.The electrical tests laboratory is equipped to characterize the electrical properties of insulating, semi-conductive and conductive materials. Various tests can be performed at low and high voltage up to 100 kV, in wet and dry environments, including resistivity, electrical permittivity and breakdown voltage, etc. www.bureauveritas.com

The draping and forming behaviour of standard and non-crimp fabrics is important in the production of three-dimensional fabric-reinforced composite parts. As such

production processes are becoming increasingly automated, drapability and the detection of defects such as gaps, loops, or wrinkles during draping become even more important.

The new automatic drapability tester Drapetest, which is the result of a common development between Faserinstitut Bremen (Fibre), HAINDL Kunststoffverarbeitung, Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University, Saer-tex, J. Schilgen and Textechno, can automatically characte-rize drapability and the formation of defects during draping and forming. The tester combines the measurement of the force required for forming with an optical analysis of small-scale defects such as gaps and loops by means of image analysis. An optional triangulation sensor can determine large-scale defects such as wrinkles. Drapetest is suitable for fabrics made of glass, carbon, aramid and similar mate-rials.As standardized simulation of the draping process, a flat circular sample of the fabric to be tested is deformed at its centre by means of a motor-driven piston. A camera with appropriate illumination inspects the sample at several ele-vation steps while the sample is rotated in order to inspect a maximum percentage of its surface. In the same manner, the sample is scanned by the optional triangulation sensor. www.textechno.com

Dielectric analysis (DEA) as per ASTM E 2038 and E 2039 standards can be used to measure changes in the dielec-

tric properties of a resin during UV curing. The liquid or pasty resin must be placed in direct contact with two electrodes com-prising the dielectric sensor. The modular concept of the brand-new DEA 288 Epsilon allows for the study of the UV curing behaviour of adhesives, paints, inks and coatings in nearly any application. The lab version, with up to 8 channels, can be used in conjunction with a newly designed furnace for research and development, which has access to a UV lamp triggered via a light guide. The industrial versions are intended for production monitoring and process control, and are designed with up to 16 channels. As an example, the picture shows the slim version with up to two channels. The industrial devices are connec-ted via rugged extension cables and connectors to various types of sensors which are located in moulds, ovens, conveyors or other devices for UV curing. Reusable tool mount sensors (TMS) in a variety of geometries and temperature/pressure ranges can be applied to moulding processes and dental composites. For paints, inks, adhesives and coatings, various implantable (disposable) comb sensors tailored to a variety of application needs via defined electrode spacing from 1 μm to 115 μm are available. www.netzsch.com

> Booth L52

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> Booth R 80

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Testing


Material testing systems for composites

Electrically-heated metal-coated CRP moulds

Autoclave innovation

New laboratory at the Institute for Advanced Composites and Robotics

Instron will be presenting integrated composites testing systems and accessories for static, dynamic and impact testing of composites under a range of environmental conditions. These systems comply with international (ASTM, EN, ISO, JIS) and manufacturing test standards (AITM, BSS). The systems can be configured to meet or exceed NADCAP alignment requirements.

The determination of the properties of composite materials demands accurate alignment, control of the spe-cimen temperature along with grips and fixtures that perform reliably and are easy to use. Instron provides environmental chambers, grips, test fixtures and extensometers for testing over a range of temperatures. The systems are designed to make switching the test type a quick and simple operation. Hydraulic grip solutions for non-ambient testing place the hydraulic components outside the temperature chamber for safety and reliability. Adapters are available to allow other accessories such as compression platens and bend fixtures to be attached while leaving the grips in place. This improves test throughput by reducing the time spent re-configuring the system and eliminates the need to re-check grip alignment. Instron also offers an extensive range of electrodynamic and servohydraulic test systems for fatigue testing. www.instron.com

The University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Dortmund shows a method for constructing CRP moulds that can be electrically heated. The moulds are preferably intended for small- and medium-sized production runs. Because of their special structure, in which the CRP laminate

assumes both the load-bearing and the resistance heating function, considerable energy and cost savings are possible. This system allows high heating and cooling rates, thus reducing cycle times as compared to other heated moulds. Due to the special arrangement of the materials, the moulds exhibit high dimensional stability during the manufacturing process despite the tempera-ture variations. This leads to previously unachieved dimensional reliability, even for large compo-nents. A new feature of these moulds is a nickel coating which provides the chemical and abrasion resistance needed for full production runs. Examples of applications are wind turbine rotors, ship hulls, interior cladding of aircraft and rail vehicles, moulded parts for medical technology, heightened roofs for transporters and trailers, and large-scale primary and secondary structures for a wide variety of applications. www.fh-dortmund.de

Magnabosco’s autoclaves are the result of research on heating processes, temperature uniformity, autoclave pressurization and vacuum systems. All functions are controlled by a graphic PLC (with PC touch screen for supervision on request), and each machine is manufactured according to the custo-mer’s requirements. The autoclaves can be heated by electric power, steam, diathermic oil and, in some

cases, even by microwaves. In order to save energy, they have a special internal insulation with very reduced dimensions, allowing fast heating and cooling. The truck holding the materials is manufactured with particular care, so that vacuum tests can be performed outside the autoclave. This way, any possible loss can be noticed before entering the material into the autoclave, without the need for the operators to enter into the unit and without damaging the bags. Units can be 500 to 5,000 mm in diameter and 0.5 to 72 m in length, and either horizontal, vertical or mobile (horizontal during loading process, vertical for polymerisation). www.magnabosco.com

In May 2012, the Institute for Advanced Composites and Robotics will open a laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art machines for the composites industry. The laboratory will include several advanced tech-nologies such as an automated fibre and tape placement machine, a filament winding machine, prepreg

making equipment, equipment for slitting/rewinding and hydrostatic pressure testing. The institute fo-cuses on scientific research in the field of advanced composites and the automation of composite production methods, applying the results of its research and development activities to the specific requirements of the composites industry. The institute offers services for prototyping, manufacturing and designing composite parts using fibre and tape placement machines and filament winding technology. The IACR, in accordance with the international law on higher education, offers certified postgraduate studies. The specificity of the Masters degree is the combination of the two research areas: composites and robotics. The IACR is one of a kind in Southeastern Europe. www.iacr.edu.mk

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R&D



Documents

innovations: UK country of honour sponsored by · structures such as skis, snowboards, surfboards and wings. other sector > Booth N52 Batch-production prepreg machine Developed with