JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #83 - August/September 2013 - 36

awards

official partner

Process

Integrated process chain for flexible automated fibre production
Industrials have to take into account
the sensitivity of thermoplastic composites to the thermal cycles associated
with all processing actions, as well as
simulation and testing tasks, to allow
the validation and advancement of
effective prediction software. FibreChain Roadmap addresses these issues.
Materials and processes were improved and adapted to each other over a
two-year period. New manufacturing
and machining equipment was also
developed and is currently under investigation. The new processes will be
evaluated over the next 18 months, and
a huge variety of demonstrator parts
will be manufactured to demonstrate
the potential of the new technologies,
both alone and in conjunction. A comprehensive database on thermoplastic
composite materials and processes will
be established as well.
The entire experience will constitute
the first comprehensive cross-industrial market study on current and
future applications for continuous
fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites (FRTC). FibreChain is a flexible

automated process chain that can be
established within a year at an investment cost of under one million euros.
It features 1) integrated quality assurance systems along the process chains;
2) continuous tracking and evaluation
of material properties and property
changes (e.g. strength or crystallinity) along the complete value chain
of thermoplastic composites, from
raw material (fibre) to semi-finished
goods (tape, composite sheet) to final
products; 3) adapted fibre sizing for
carbon fibres to give thermoplastics
better adhesion and processability; and
4) UD tapes with improved performance at reduced cost. Another major
advantage is that it requires only two
processes – laser-assisted tape placement and thermoforming – to produce
all major part-geometry classes (large
structural, developable, small complex
shapes).
Other advantages include optimized
milling tools for thermoplastic composites, and thermoforming moulds that
enable the in-situ integration of holes
and inserts into components during

the forming process. FibreChain also
offers high performance levels and
reduced production times.

Electrical vehicule

Solar car built with carbon fibre
A carbon-fibre solar car was developed
and built using high-tech materials
last year for the Latin American solar
race. The vehicle won the 1400 km
race, reaching 120 km/h at a weight of
190 kg. It also won the Atacama Solar
Challenge in 2012 and will take part in
the World Solar Challenge in Australia in 2013. The team had previously
built a glass-fibre car, but the use of
carbon fibre made it possible to gain
advantages and cut weight. The project
based its choice of technology on the
carbon fibre composite techniques
used in the aeronautics industry, which

Winner: Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT(Germany)
Partnership Network: Toray Carbon
Fibers Europe (France), Suprem (Switzerland), TenCate (The Netherlands),
University of Twente (The Netherlands), AFPT (The Netherlands),
Trumpf (Germany), TWI (UK),
Research Centre of Manufacturing
(Czech Republic), Strojirna TYC
(Czech Republic), Nikon Metrology
(Belgium), Precitec (Germany), Missler (France), CTG (UK), Bf1 Systems
(UK), MX. Composys (Germany),
Fiberdur (Germany)

have helped to draw attention to the
composite world and encourage the development of new products for industrial customers. The master moulds for
the model were created using modern
manufacturing methods, with CNC
water jet and a CNC router being used
for the finishing steps. The whole
vehicle was assembled in the Santiago
plant. The project’s main potential
concerns the application of composite
technology to the automotive industry,
to reduce weight and hence save
energy and reduce fuel consumption.
This challenging project included the

36 jec composites magazine / No83 August - September 2013

Winner: Invenio S.A. (Chile)
Partnership Network: Universidad de
La Serena (Chile), Minera Los
Pelambres (Chile), Enaer (Chile)

participation of the Universidad de La
Serena, Minera Los Pelambres, Enaer
and other companies.

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #83 - August/September 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #83 - August/September 2013