High-Performance Composites

JUL 2014

High-Performance Composites is read by qualified composites industry professionals in the fields of continuous carbon fiber and other high-performance composites as well as the associated end-markets of aerospace, military, and automotive.

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J U L Y 2 0 1 4 | 2 9 Equipment evolutions Fives (Hebron, Ky.) reported that it has continued the evolution of its GEMINI Composite Processing System, a manu- facturing solution capable of switching within minutes from automated fber placement (AFP) to automated tape lay- ing (ATL). The company says the gantry- type system cuts the capital cost of dupli- cate equipment, infrastructure and labor traditionally needed to install and main- tain separate AFP and ATL systems. Intro- duced in January 2012 by Hebron-based MAG IAS, which was recently acquired by Fives, the GEMINI reportedly meets the aerospace composites fabricator's need for mixed tape and tow formats. "In the past, you couldn't put these two different types of materials into the same part," said Fives' composites product manager, Stephen Albers. "Now, manufacturers are seeking to increase material effciency by minimizing scrap as well as higher cost AFP." The system enables users to employ less costly ATL material on larger plies and use AFP only on contoured areas, where it is needed. Albers noted, "We are also seeing a broader move toward purpose-driven machines, i.e., very specialized equip- ment with a much higher throughput for a given type of part vs. more generic units that are slower." He added that both trends are being driven by increased pro- duction demands. At its stand, Lindauer DORNIER highlighted at the show its 3-D Jac - quard equipment for near net-shaped preformed fabric structures and its machines for weaving monoaxially stretched or spread materials (e.g., rib- bon-like carbon tows). DORNIER also offered downstream components for the production of stabilized or coated materials, including calen- dering, powder coating, extrusion and many other process options. DORNIER delivered its frst weav- ing machines 40 years ago. Today, its rapier looms are used to make 90 percent of all woven carbon fab- rics worldwide (see, for example, the related Sigmatex item on p. 50). Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tenn.) demon- strated its 3-D printer using discon- tinuous carbon fber live on the ex- hibit foor. The single-head printer uses fused deposition modeling (FDM) with very fne carbon fla- ments, 6 to 7 microns in diameter. Their discontinuity prevents issues with starting and stopping of the print head. The flaments are com- bined with a wide variety of matrices in- cluding acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), and nylon. The print head can also be modifed to accommodate higher performance matrices like polyetherimide (PEI) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK). ORNL has demonstrated that incorporating carbon flaments into the FDM process results in parts with fve to six times the stiffness of unreinforced polymer and improves dimensional stability as well. ORNL printed several small parts at the show but also displayed a full-size chair which it printed with a larger FDM unit. End-use applications Exhibitors also called attention to the ways in which their products have achieved milestones in part production. Henkel Corp. (Madison Hts., Mich.), for example, displayed a glass fber-reinforced com- posite leaf spring that it de- veloped with Benteler-SGL (Ried im Innkreis, Austria) for series production, using resin transfer molding and Henkel's LOCTITE MAX2 polyurethane resin. Originally developed for Daimler AG's (Stuttgart, Ger- many) Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cargo van, the composite front transverse leaf spring is 63 percent lighter than its steel predecessor, dropping part weight from 15 kg to 5.5 kg (33 lb to 12 lb). Henkel rep- resentatives explained that the low vis- cosity of LOCTITE MAX2 increased the injection rate, which shortened the mold cycle time while enabling better wet out of the glass fber in the spring's thick pre- form. It also helped improve the ductil- ity and fatigue resistance of the fnished part (see "Learn More"). Magnolia Advanced Materials (Cham - blee, Ga.) announced it will triple its pro- duction space with a move in early July to a new 114,000 ft 2 facility and that its high-performance epoxy resins will be used by Exelis (Salt Lake City, Utah) to produce flament-wound advanced com- posite vacuum waste tanks for Boeing. The material was chosen for the tanks 3-D printing of carbon composites Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) demonstrated the capabilities of a 3-D printing system — built around fused deposition modeling technology — that can build thermoplastic parts reinforced with short (6- to 7-micron) carbon fibers. Source (both photos): HPC/Photos: Ginger Gardiner Spread-tow weaving DORNIER supplies equipment to weave stretched and spread materials, spreading and coating of heavy tow roving, and also components for pre-weave process. Source: DORNIER 0714HPC JEC AmericaReview-e1addphoto.indd 29 6/17/2014 10:35:45 AM

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