JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #137 - November/December 2020 - 37

FEATURE
additive manufacturing

Transforming composite production processes
with FDM additive manufacturing

Eric Bredin,
Vice-President Marketing EMEA
Stratasys

l

Founded in 1986 in Vicenza, Italy,
Compositex specializes in the development and manufacture of structural
composite components and parts. An
established supplier of the aerospace and
motorsport industries, the company has
built a strong reputation for its ability
to design, develop and deliver tailored
solutions for customers.
Leveraging its 30-year expertise and
in-house cutting-edge technologies, it
provides its illustrious clientele - which
includes Leonardo, Airborne, Ducati,
Scuderia Toro Rosso, Hyundai, and
Mercedes-AMG - with a full-service
offering, ranging from project design to
the manufacture of models and moulds,

through to production, lamination,
surface treatment and quality control of
final parts.
"Continuous innovation and a customized
approach have always been central to
our company's vision and strategy," says
Gabriele Fanton, Business Unit Manager
at Compositex. "We consider Compositex
as a boutique in the field of carbon fibre
part manufacturing, always striving to build
unique solutions with strong added value for
our customers. Each of our clients comes to us
with different yet demanding manufacturing
requirements, so it's vital we deploy the most
advanced technologies available to ensure
we effectively fulfill their needs. This is how
our company has succeeded in distinguishing
itself from the competition."
In order to find new solutions to address ever-changing industry demands
and maintain its competitive edge,

Fig. 1: The Stratasys Fortus 450mc 3D printer

Focus
Challenges:
-	 High time and cost pressure from automotive, motorsports and aerospace customers
to produce composite tools and parts in a matter of days;
-	 Tailored structural and aesthetic composite parts too complex and cost-prohibitive
to produce using conventional manufacturing methods and materials;
-	 Lengthy composite tool production lead times due to external outsourcing.
Solutions:
-	 Up to 20% cost reduction and halved production time per 3D printed mandrel;
-	 Increased quality in 3D-printed composite tool production due to 3D printing
material finishing;
-	 Customer base growth due to reliable and diverse ULTEM 9085 resin and Nylon12
Carbon Fibre materials for more varied part production.

N°137 November - December 2020

/ jec composites magazine

Feature Automotive

n order to keep up with its customers'
demands, the Vicenza-based business
invested in a Stratasys Fortus 450mc
- an industrial-grade FDM (Fused
Deposition Modelling) 3D printer
designed to produce complex parts using
high-performance materials. Used for
composite tools and parts, 3D printing
technology not only enabled Compositex
to reduce its cost per part and lead times
by up to 20% per composite tool, but it
also widened its customer base due to the
diverse range of Stratasys materials used
for 3D printing (figure 1).

Italian company Compositex produces high-quality composite
components and parts. The company is facing growing demand
from its automotive, motorsports and aerospace customers
for faster and more complex composite part production, while
maintaining high standards.

37
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #137 - November/December 2020

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