JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #71 - March 2012 - 56

innovations
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> Booth P75 Innovative Mobile Vacuum Kart and film release > Booth M64

Filament winding robot

From the new series of KUKA QUANTEC 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 interface. 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
other sectors

Airtech is launching the latest product development in its sealant tape range. Airseal sealant tapes are designed to be used in all composite shops producing FRP parts for the marine, commercial 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
other sectors

Smartcoater

> Booth U58

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 including 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 different 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

Robot and software for fibre placement

> Booth J52

Based in France, Germany and Canada, Coriolis Composites provides robotic cells and software for fibre placement. The company mainly supplies its products to the commercial aerospace, automotive and wind turbine industries. Last December, 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 development of dedicated fibre placement software. Within ten years, Coriolis Composites has earned a leading 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

56 jec composites magazine / No71 March 2012
http://www.nidaplast.com http://www.mftech.fr http://www.airtech.lu http://www.coatema.de http://www.coriolis-composites.com
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #71 - March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #71 - March 2012
