CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/630867
CompositesWorld.com 1 Award-winning out of autoclave solutions for next generation aircraft primary structures Hexcel's HiTape ® advanced dry carbon fi ber reinforcements are designed for the automated manufacture of preforms at very high deposition rates, which are then infused with Hexcel's RTM6 resin in a cost-effi cient out of autoclave process. Parts produced with HiTape ® reinforcements and Hexcel's HexFlow ® infusion resins can be up to 30mm thick with a 58 to 60% fi ber volume content, resulting in mechanical properties that are as high as those achieved with primary structure prepregs. To fi nd out more on these and Hexcel's other innovative out of autoclave solutions, visit us at JEC Europe in Paris, France, March 8-10 at booth G45 in Hall 5A or online at www.hexcel.com HiTape ® reinforcements earned the JEC Europe 2015 Innovation Award in Aeronautics. OUT OF AUTOCLAVE SUPPLEMENT » Although out-of-autoclave (OOA) processing in aerospace applications has been employed for decades in the manufacture of thermoset composite parts for unmanned spacecraft and, more recently, in the manufacture of substructures for commercial passenger aircraft, the autoclave remains the curing technology of choice for the world's large aircraft OEMs, primarily because of its brute strength — its ability to defnitively consolidate composite parts and remove the voids that can compromise struc- tural performance. Such robust consolidation, however — <1% void content — comes at a high price in terms of capital expense, operational costs and time. As composites move further into aircraft, it's clear the autoclave cannot be the only process available to aerocomposites fabricators. Today, OOA alternatives include vacuum bag-only (VBO) prepregs, dry fber placement, infusion processes (which rely on oven cure), resin transfer molding (RTM) and thermoplastic composites. From a technical viewpoint the question is simple: Can OOA options be matured sufciently to yield parts with <1% void content? Te answer, based in part on the reports in this supplement, is yes, but there is a larger question: Can OOA processes match this parameter and demonstrate enough overall savings in capital expense and time to justify the process development/recertifcation eforts that a move to OOA will require? We may have that answer sooner than later. As the stories in this OOA Supplement demonstrate, the activity level in OOA process development is substantial, involving structures on fying aircraft. And the composites professionals involved with each, as you'll fnd, are strongly invested in making OOA not only feasible, but successful. CW looks at where aero-OEMs and their suppliers are finding out-of-autoclave alternatives. By Jef Sloan / Editor-in-Chief OOA overview: Market & opportunities