LAYUP

Marine

Materials & Processes: Fiber formats for composites

Fibers used to reinforce composites are supplied directly by fiber manufacturers and indirectly by converters in a number of different forms, which vary depending on the application. Here's a guide to what's available.

Staff

Materials & Processes: Fiber formats for composites image
Prepregs

Diab Divinycell HM foam lightweights Mayla 44 electric powerboat

Ultra-high-performance powerboat achieves high weight reduction with carbon fiber sandwich construction of the deck, internal structure and the complete hull surface.  

Glass Fibers

CAMX 2022 exhibit preview: Current Inc.

Current Inc. produces thermoset-based products such as tubing rods, sheets and more with high electrical and mechanical characteristics and different color combinations.  

Infusion

GRP Solutions appointed Airtech distributor in U.K. and Ireland

GRP Solutions will distribute Airtech’s vacuum bagging and composite tooling materials.

ATL/AFP

CAMX 2022 exhibit preview: Qarbon Aerospace

Qarbon Aerospace exhibits its capabilities in manufacturing composite components and assemblies, highlighting its proficiencies in major assembly and systems integration, automated layup, hand layup, high-temp composites and core fabrication.

CAMX Expo

CAMX 2022 exhibit preview: Airborne

Airborne’s Automated Ply Placement and Automated Edge Sealing technologies aim to ensure constant, repeatable and flexible production of complex composite products.

Prepregs

Loop Technology automates complex prepreg layup through FibreFORM system

Suitable for prepreg and dry fiber materials, FibreFORM is capable of picking, placing and laying up composite plies with high accuracy and precision, with three times the speed of manual layup.  

Molds/Tools

Materials & Processes: Tooling for composites

Composite parts are formed in molds, also known as tools. Tools can be made from virtually any material. The material type, shape and complexity depend upon the part and length of production run. Here's a short summary of the issues involved in electing and making tools.

Staff

Materials & Processes: Tooling for composites image
Marine

Materials & Processes: Resin matrices for composites

The matrix binds the fiber reinforcement, gives the composite component its shape and determines its surface quality. A composite matrix may be a polymer, ceramic, metal or carbon. Here’s a guide to selection.

Glass Fibers

Fostering best practices for wet layup procedures

As fabricators continue to manufacture composite tools and parts using an open mold, wet layup process — often with mixed success — it’s important to stress proper preparation, materials, application methods and standardization.

Pultrusion

Materials & Processes: Fabrication methods

There are numerous methods for fabricating composite components. Selection of a method for a particular part, therefore, will depend on the materials, the part design and end-use or application. Here's a guide to selection.

Additive Manufacturing

High-performance sustainability and cost-efficiency advance with HiPerDiF

In the latest chapter of the HiPerDiF (High Performance Discontinuous Fibre) story, commercial production is on the near horizon for high-performance composite materials that are both sustainable and formable, leading to simpler, more cost-efficient composites manufacturing.

Airborne introduces Automated Ply Placement technology at JEC World 2022

Automated, accurate and fully integrated preforming process maximizes design freedom of composite laminates, expands material options.

Epoxies

Cycling forward with bike frame materials and processes

Fine-tuning of conventional materials and processes characterizes today’s CFRP bicycle frame manufacturing, whether in the large factories of Asia or at reshored facilities in North America and Europe. Thermoplastic resins and automated processes are on the horizon, though likely years away from high-volume production levels.

Suprem Billboard
Carbon Fibers

Materials & Processes: Fibers for composites

The structural properties of composite materials are derived primarily from the fiber reinforcement. Fiber types, their manufacture, their uses and the end-market applications in which they find most use are described.

Staff

Materials & Processes: Fibers for composites image
Fabrics/Preforms

Saint-Gobain, Roctool join efforts to boost composite 3D textile preform parts manufacturing

3D automated knitted preform layup technology and heat and cooling technologies for additional curing efficiency open a new window of application opportunities for composite and thermoplastic parts.

Molds/Tools

PRF Composite Materials launches Q.tool prepreg tooling system

Newly developed Q.tool combines RP800 epoxy with 1,020 g/m2 bulk plies for increased layup speed, reduced number of debulks and better surface finish.

Defense

Reactivated Israel Aerospace Industries production line resumes F-16 wing deliveries

With the 1980s assembly line fully reopened and refurbished, IAI continues production of the military aircraft’s wings and composite vertical fin.

Aerospace

Unitech Composites to manufacture composite Wing Lockers for Raisbeck Engineering

The Idaho-based supplier is using this $10 million award to optimize production of large, complex, hand layup assemblies for the King Air utility aircraft family.

Prepregs

Heraeus Noblelight CAE technology aids NCC composites research project

CAE work to determine the precise positioning of IR modules during prepreg layup results in IR system installation at the NCC.

Marine

Hexcel composite materials lightweight Sunseeker 90 Ocean luxury yacht

Hexcel’s HexPly XF and HexPly SuperFIT surface technologies yields parts with paint-ready surfaces for builder of luxury yachts.

CAMX Expo

Materials & Processes: Composites fibers and resins

Compared to legacy materials like steel, aluminum, iron and titanium, composites are still coming of age, and only just now are being better understood by design and manufacturing engineers. However, composites’ physical properties — combined with unbeatable light weight — make them undeniably attractive. 

Jeff Sloan
Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld

Materials & Processes: Composites fibers and resins image

JEC World 2022 preview: Anaglyph

Anaglyph demonstrates the latest versions of its software tools for manufacturing complex composite parts, including PlyMatch, Laminate Tool, CoDA and LAP.

Fabrics/Preforms

Modular draping system shows potential for wrinkle-free, automated dry fiber layup

Through research programs FlexProCFK and AutoBLADE, Leibniz University and partners are developing a robot-mounted layup system for complex CFRP parts.

Cutting/Kitting

Modular cutting and stacking system advances flexible, fully automated operations

Integration of next-gen cutting and stacking systems into production lines brings new level of efficiency, quality control.

Aerospace

NCC’s all-composite Type V tank demonstrates future composite space tank technology

SpaceTank project delivers a 96-liter carbon fiber composite tank with 4.0-5.50-millimeter nominal wall thickness for 30% weight savings in launch vehicle and satellite propellant tank applications.

A second look at cobonded tapered scarf repairs for composite structures

Composites repairs, such as cobonded tapered scarf repairs, seek to sufficiently restore structural loads so that components perform without failure

RTM

Designing for automated composites manufacturing of low-volume aerostructures

The commercial aerospace industry is heavily focused on design for efficient high-rate manufacturing, but there is still need for automated, affordable fabrication of low-rate aerostructures.

UV Cured Powder Coating on Carbon Fiber- Demo
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