CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/620463
JANUARY 2016 36 CompositesWorld INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS Wierckx notes that it is important to optimize automated systems for lean manufacturing, adding, "How are the diferent elements connected to each other? What is the optimal placement for workfow?" She claims this is another beneft of a systems inte- grator with years of experience like Composite Alliance's majority partner, Techni Modul Engineering (Coudes, France), "We're not locked into any one type of equipment, but instead look to optimize the process and lower the part cost." Signals on the road ahead Te way forward? KraussMafei sees increased interest in thermo- plastics. "We are getting more and more inquiries about injection molded composites, but it is still in development," says Fries. "Te frst fully automated lines will be installed in 2016, and then the market will understand what this type of system can do." He adds that, for thermoplastic composites, "It's like what we've seen with BMW, where the automotive industry wanted to see if compos- ites would work." Now, the rest of the industry is willing to take it seriously. "But composites is still very young," concedes Fries, "We have only fve years of experience in serial production in some felds. Tis is very young for the automotive industry." For others, systems will be a mix. In the 2015 issue of Diefen- bacher's publication Presses and More: Composites, head of sales Dr. Florian Luginger says that the Asian automotive industry is not just showing an interest in the company's lightweight composites technology, but also investing in it. He notes increased demand "Our goal is to fnd the best overall solution," says head of project development Matthias Mayr. Engel runs part trials on the center's HP-RTM, organomelt, injection molding and in-situ polymeriza- tion equipment, and also helps customers fnd other, more appro- priate solutions, if necessary. KraussMafei's Composites Technical Center opened in Munich in 2011, adjacent to its injection molding tech center. "You can see and run all of our composite technology, from thermoplastic to thermoset, with all of the machines in one place," says Fries. DLR's EVo line was built for process development. "Te goal of the machinery is not to produce parts but to see if diferent tech- nologies work better or worse in an industrialized automated production environment," says Torstrick. "It's also to see if auto- mation is always best, or if it is better to use manual operations for some steps. We are trialing diferent vacuum grippers, cutting technologies and methods for RTM heating. We are also running the process to investigate diferent alternatives for optimization, for example, part quality is key for aerospace but speed and low cost are more essential for automotive." Composite Alliance stresses simulation. "Tere is the possibility to reduce the investment cost if you do production fow simulation frst," says Wierckx. On work for a customer in France, for example, as the latter started to plan production for a high-rate aerospace component, "originally, the line called for 30 RTM presses," says Wierckx, "but thanks to our simulation work, we could reduce this to 23 presses and still meet all of their requirements."