JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #111 - March 2017 - Special JEC World - 90

JEC WORLD 2017

Multi-sector

Conductor: a cuttable heating blanket
> Booth:
for customised heating
Hall 6 - C76
With this innovation, GMI offers end-users a highly promising product that improves the quality and productivity of bonding operations.
Conductor is a silicone sandwich that integrates a special heating
mesh. This mesh conducts electrical power in a distributed way over
the whole surface of the blanket, thus
gaining in temperature homogeneity. Its
particular design enables the user to cut
the blanket at the exact shape needed for
the application, a feature that is particularly useful whenever there is a need to follow
contours that inhibit the use of a standard
rectangular heating blanket. Lead outputs installed at pre-defined spots allow easy connection for power supply.
The specially selected connectors can be handled by technicians easily and
with maximum safety. Conductor delivers the benefits of a heating blanket
"customised for the application" manufactured in place, rather than ordering a special circuit, thus totally eliminating the lead times associated with
the procurement of heating blankets. It offers high versatility in the design
of geometrical patterns. The user can adapt the shape of the blanket to a
special geometry in order to distribute heat where it is strictly necessary.
The prepared blankets can be further cut in smaller shapes if required. The
product was especially developed having in mind A350/B787 repair curing
(omega/T stiffened panels, etc.) in conjunction with GMI's AdaptHEAT
multi-zone methodology. It is designed to be optimally compatible with the
latest ANITA series hot bonders.
www.gmi-aero.com

Multi-sector

Mäder UV solutions: developed to enhance > Booth:
productivity
Hall 5A - Q34
Mäder's new patented range of products
was specifically developed to cure under a
light source. They can be cured using UV
lamps, LEDs or blacklights. Topcoats, gelcoats, resins and additives based on UP resins
are already available, further products are at the
testing stage. Polymerization speed is highly increased (curing is immediate with LED or UV
lamps and strongly accelerated with blacklights),
resulting in two main advantages: highly improved productivity and reduced styrene emissions due to faster closing
of the surfaces. The new systems are easy to handle, especially with blacklights. With the company's solutions adapted to this light source, investment is low and there is no critical change in the process. They are suitable
for all types of products and workshops. With these new solutions (process
+ products), 3D parts can be produced easily and quickly (curing time: 1-2
minutes instead of 20-30 minutes for a gelcoat and a few dozen minutes
instead of hours for a glass-reinforced resin). Using the same resin, a comparison was made between light-cured and standard-cured laminates. The
quality of the final composite is equivalent. The final properties of the lightcured products are the same as those obtained with standard curing, but
they cure much more rapidly. As these new solutions are extremely versatile (different part shapes, thicknesses and constructions are possible) and
adaptable according to customer requirements, they could be interesting
for a wide range of applications.
www.madercomposites.com

> Booth:
Website platform ensures easy entry into lightweight technologies
AZL's recently launched Business Platforms provide technology-related information, established suppli- Hall 6 - C79
ers as well as innovative development partners for various lightweight technologies. The websites allow industrial users
an easy entry into the following mass production lightweight technologies:

- Thermoplastic composites: tp-composites.com
- High-speed RTM: high-speed-rtm.com
- High-performance SMC: high-performance-smc.com
- Composite pipes and vessels: composite-pipes-vessels.com
With background information and use cases for each technology, as well as an overview of products and services, these websites inform on existing solutions and functions as a one-stop shop to find suppliers and partners along the entire value chain. The websites are jointly built up by the AZL partner network, which consists of more than 80 companies representing the entire value chain of lightweight production and working closely in R&D and business
development.
www.lightweight-production.com

Application
Sport & leisure

CRTC gives second life to aerospace scrap prepreg
> Booth: Hall 6 - R39
The Composite Recycling Technology Center in Port Angeles, WA, is repurposing scrap carbon prepreg that has typically been landfilled. The CRTC's
mission is to transform scrap previously considered waste material into new products contributing to a complete recycle solution. CRTC moved into
a purpose-built facility in August 2016 and has launched its first product using recovered aerospace scrap from Toray Composites America (TCA): a
pickleball paddle (serving one of the fastest growing sports in America). The ultralight, quiet paddle benefits from both material form and cost reduction, and will be commercially available in Q1 2017. Using this product for strategic development of rapid compression moulding, CRTC is scaling into
transportation and infrastructure applications to use greater volumes of scrap prepreg. CRTC is working with TCA and partners on an IACMI project for
automotive composites. Fast cycle times (6 minutes) have been demonstrated with excellent quality using scrap prepreg. Several new products for 2017 are in
development with a compression moulding approach. To produce these, CRTC is acquiring three presses from Wabash/MPI, a 200kW RocTool induction
heating system, a 3 x 2m waterjet by Flow Corporation, a second Wisconsin oven for larger infrastructure projects, and a 5-axis 3 x 1.5 x 1.2m DMS machining
www.compositerecycling.org
cell. These capabilities provide volume manufacturing capabilities to 500 tonnes per year displaced from landfill by 2022.

jec composites magazine / No111 March 2017

http://www.madercomposites.com http://www.gmi-aero.com http://www.tp-composites.com http://www.high-speed-rtm.com http://www.high-performance-smc.com http://www.composite-pipes-vessels.com http://www.lightweight-production.com http://www.compositerecycling.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #111 - March 2017 - Special JEC World