OCTOBER 2017
40 CompositesWorld
PLANT TOUR
e second is high-pressure compression resin transfer
molding, in which the mold is left slightly open, and the resin
is injected into the mold gap at low cavity pressure; the mold
is then closed completely, and high pressure is applied to the
preform, which helps fill the preform in x-, y- and z-directions,
with a lower total cycle time.
A large Wickert Maschinenbau GmbH (Landau in der Pfalz,
Germany) heating unit provides contact heating for unidirec-
tional thermoplastic tape blanks prior to forming in another
press. Says Roch, "We have given our older RELAY unit, previ-
ously in this building, to the IGCV group in Augsburg."
Meeting challenges of compos-
ites applications
Last on the tour is Building 14, which
houses several more work centers and
machines, related to older polymer
composites research that might not be
cutting edge but still deserving inves-
tigation for production auto parts. For
example, a KraussMaffei polyurethane
RTM injection unit sits near a produc-
tion cell for long-fiber injection molding
with polyurethane resin. Within the cell,
a Fanuc (Oshino, Japan) robot works to
transfer cut materials to a heated mold,
into which PU is sprayed. Also still in use
is what Roch calls an "old" process of ther-
moplastic RTM, which includes an injec-
tion unit for a reactive nylon system that
creates PA6 in the mold while wetting out
the reinforcements, to create reinforced
TP parts. e process has been looked at
by several automotive OEMs, including
Volkswagen, for several years.
As the tour concludes, back in the
atrium of Building 90, Roch says, "We're
trying to develop automated processes to
reduce the labor of producing compos-
ites, to create a robust infrastructure
for production of automotive compo-
nents." Indeed, the reach of Fraunhofer
ICT's research and process development
spans several continents, and the drive to
improve composites processing shows no
sign of slowing.
Read this article online | short.compositesworld.com/F-ICTTour
Read more online about the SBHPP cylinder linings in "Composite engine
position cylinder housings" | short.compositesworld.com/SBHPP-cyl
Read online about RELAY technology history in "Fiberforge places RELAY
station with Fraunhofer ICT" | short.compositesworld.com/RELAY2FICT
Read more online about how the "Breathing mold process yields sandwich
composites from LFT" | short.compositesworld.com/BreathLFT
Read more online about the processing of organosheets (continuously
reinforced thermoplastic sheet materials) in "The New Lightweights:
Injection Molded 'Hybrid' Composites Spur Automotive Innovation" |
short.compositesworld.com/OrganoMold
Sara Black is a CW senior editor
and has served on the CW staff
for 19 years.
sara@compositesworld.com
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