JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #109 - November/December 2016 - 30

lt's flow time!

And this is where the Beinlich pump
comes in. Starting at very low flow rates
of two millilitres per minute and rising
up to 3,000 litres per minute, the Beinlich works well when used as part of a
closed-loop-control system, allowing engineers to check the output via the speed
of the flowmeter against the pump, so
they can adjust the flow of the resin and
hardener until the right ratio is achieved.
Indeed, it's crucial that the resin-tohardener ratio is accurately controlled,
otherwise the strength of the composite assembly is reduced or, in the worst
case, the resin does not harden, leading
to components being scrapped.
So, how does a viscous resin behave when
using resin transfer moulding (RTM), a
manufacturing process typically used to
make parts ranging from very small components to large carbon fibre parts such
as wing panels, car doors and wind turbine blades?
Pumps and flowmeters play a key role.
Any pump used in RTM must have the
ability to be fine-tuned, so it can fill
moulds over a range of speeds. This is
critical as moulds need to be filled quickly enough, so that the resin is not cured
before it goes into the mould - but not
too quickly. Otherwise it will leave voids
in the components which then have to
be discarded.

To this end, the (also German-made)
VSE flowmeter is equipped with innovative interpolation electronics, which
produces extra signals and pluses, so
the engineer can control the variables
in a more responsive way and alter the
amount of resin that is pumped out,
thereby ensuring every finished product is of the same high quality, no matter what the hiccups on the production
line.

And when it comes to bonding parts, it is
imperative that the right amount of resin be in the right place, so a high-accuracy flow is essential. After all, no car manufacturer worth their salt would produce
a car that started to fall apart due to inadequate bonding.

And if all this was not challenging
enough, varying the temperature of a
viscous resin also changes its dynamics.
Even turning the heat up or down by
10-20 degrees can have a major impact
on viscosity, making the resin more or
less viscous. The Beinlich pump comes

Composite
flow meters

into its own here as well, as its closedloop control sensor is specifically designed to monitor and adjust the temperature as required.
Viscous resins are a tricky customer at
the best of times. But Flowtechnik's
experience of over 25 years has taught
that, when it comes to pumping and
metering such resins - be it in the aerospace, automotive or renewable energy industries - a specifically designed
Beinlich pump and the VSE flowmeter,
with its interpolation electronics, can
help to significantly reduce the challenges they pose.
More information:
www.ukflowtechnik.com

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30

jec composites magazine / No109 November - December 2016
http://www.ukflowtechnik.com http://www.JECcomposites.com/magazine-subscription
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #109 - November/December 2016
