CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/866813
49 CompositesWorld.com Hufschmied USA 203.988.9426 www.hufschmied.net • Quality without secondary operations • High abrasion resistance • Extremely long service life • Highest process stability – roughing and cutting with one tool • Extreme improvements in cycle time See us at CAMX Booth E81 CAMX 2017 Research Institute (Dayton, OH, US) demonstrated repairs with higher quality and 50% better performance, using infusion, compared to an industry benchmark wet-layup material and process. In addition, NONA Composites has packaged the infusion technology into a kit that is said to help increase quality and decrease repair time. Current versions of the repair kit include carbon fiber or glass fiber reinforcement with epoxy resins that cure at either room temperature or elevated tempera- ture. This technology and kit are designed for use in aerospace, marine, wind, automotive and industrial applications. In its booth, NONA Composites is holding a repair challenge to see who can vacuum bag a composite repair the fastest using the company's repair kit materials. The person with the fastest time wins a free repair kit. Booth T11. www.nonacomposites.com Next-generation prototyping technologies Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN, US) is show- casing several next-generation manufacturing technologies from the US Department of Energy's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL. Included are additively manufactured, low-cost steel and polymer automotive compression molds designed to reduce historically slow turn- around time for tooling and enable, instead, rapid, efficient prototyping. Also featured are bio-based feedstock materials combined with bio- polymer resin to create bamboo and poplar-based pellets, resulting in a more sustainable material that can be used for manufacturing molds, prototypes, appliances and furniture. Finally, lightweight syntactic foams, comprising a polymer matrix and hollow microspheres, offer significant weight reduction and improved compressive strength. Booth A6. www.web.ornl.gov/manufacturing Hydraulic presses with robotic tool handling OEM Press Systems (Fullerton, CA, US), a manufacturer of hydraulic presses, is featuring its robotic mold-handling systems, designed to reduce process cycle time and eliminate the lifting of molds by an operator. In the featured system, multiple presses are serviced by a single robot mounted on a 40-ft/12m rail system. The scope of travel can be extended to accommodate any number of presses, allowing for expansion. Booth D61. www.oempresssystems.com Portable, handheld ultrasonic inspection system Olympus (Waltham, MA, US) is featuring its EPOCH 6LT flaw detector, optimized for single-handed operation and high portability applications. The unit fits in one hand and weighs 890g, with a grip-oriented weight distribution. It attaches to a user's leg or harness, and rope-access technicians can secure the instrument for hands-free operation. Users can navigate the menu using just their thumbs, and it is dust- and