CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/632301
45 CompositesWorld.com NEWS NEWS N S NEWS E N WS W aspect of FPP for which both companies see great potential. "We can iterate the patches in a design to tweak performance very quickly," Hanel explains, "and keep iterating to get just what we need without having to redesign the whole board from scratch. You could never do this with the old materials." How quick is the turn-around? "Fifteen minutes after we sent the digital design fles to the FPP equipment," says Michl, "we had the patch reinforcements in hand." A board revision might require less than an hour of digital design manipulation. Hanel believes that Cevotec's software and FPP process could speed product devel- opment "once we have more knowledge of how to exploit and build boards with the Cevotec patches." He notes, "In the past I had to look at various layups, fbers and thicknesses of core. Now, I can just add or change the patches. It will be much simpler and very easy to create diferent versions of layups for diferent board needs." Will FPP eventually permeate all of North's boards? "For now, we will start with one model," says Hanel, noting that because patches are layed onto a scrim, the resulting board is heavier than its lightest models, which are made with TeXtreme spread- tow carbon fabrics from Oxeon (Borås, Sweden). FPP layups also are more expen- sive than the glass fber layup currently used on North's entry-level boards. "But there is an upper end where the type of tailored performance the patch technology ofers is worth paying for," Hanel points out. "If we could reduce the cost, we could use the technology in 40-50% of our boards." Cevotec has plans to do exactly that, putting production improvements in place to lower cost. It also says the patches don't have to be layed up on scrim, so there are other options for further reducing weight while maintaining layup placement control. For Cevotec, this program has been an excellent demonstration of what FPP can deliver. "You need so much less carbon fber, just a few grams, because it's placed only where it is needed," Michl points out. Although it is not alone as an automated layup technology, FPP's patch-based system, claims Cevotec's head of business Torsten Groene, is in a completely new category: "Tis approach is best able to utilize the opportunities provided by anisotropic materials," he asserts. "We have full orienta- tion control of every patch placed, and can vary thickness locally by numerical optimization analysis." But the real test comes when North's customers take patch-optimized kiteboards to the water. "We are committed to reach the demands and needs of each rider from every target group and style," says Hanel. "Any technology that helps us do that is a direction we want to take." Fiber Patch Preforms CW senior editor Ginger Gardiner has an engineering/materials background and has more than 20 years of experience in the composites industry. ginger@compositesworld.com Contact AOC today at 1-866-319-8827 or visit us at AOC-Resins.com today to learn more. RESINS Exceptional quality and consistency for every composites market and manufacturing process. GEL COATS Superior color, gloss, and durability backed by the highest quality resins. COLORANTS Advanced pigment dispersions, colorants and additives to improve process effciency. THE FORMULA FOR YOUR SUCCESS @AOCresins