The latest products, processes and services can all be found at Composites Engineering 2018, held at the Birmingham NEC on October 31st and November 1st. Composites in Manufacturing previews some of this year’s exhibitors.
We begin this year’s selection of exhibitors at Advanced Engineering with Norco (Stand P103) a regular exhibitor in the Composite Engineering zone. The company will showcase its composite design and manufacturing capabilities and processes and provide a selection of its composite manufactured products for display, focusing on small carbon components and large lightweight structures.
Norco has been operating since 1985 in Poole, Dorset where it specialises in large composite structures and GRP mouldings for end users across the globe. Its facilities span five sites with an overall capacity of 100,000ft² and it employs over 150 skilled workers trained to NVQ standards. The company’s capabilities include: design and engineering for manufacture; lightweight structural composites; 5-axis CNC and traditional patterns; direct and indirect mould tooling; silicone reusable vacuum bagging; hand lamination and finishing; resin transfer moulding and vacuum infusion; prepreg carbon; painting; assembly and fit out; autoclave curing and fabric cutting.
Norco’s managing director, Mark Northey and composites director, Henry Nicholson-Cole, will available to talk to visitors face-to-face about their composite requirements.
Nearby CMS, (Stand R93) in addition to promoting its extensive range of 5-axis CNC machining centres, will be taking the opportunity to introduce its range of machines for forming composite and plastic materials.
The Masterform machine has been specifically created by CMS for long-fibre composite material thermoforming and works with a clamp force up to 100 tons, ensuring the best moulding of complex shapes and tight corners. Application fields include: vacuum forming; pressure forming; mechanical forming and twin-sheet forming.
The forming machine enables extremely fast set-up and cycle times and it can process non-composite materials too. Within the Masterform machine range users also have the ability when thermoforming a single sheet to tandem load for increased productivity. Versatility is also enhanced by the heating system which operates on both sides of the sheet. The structure of the machine ensures compact overall dimensions and it is equipped with a special integral moving table system, which enables interlocking between the two die halves. Additionally, the machine can be controlled by a single operator as the functions are all automated and self-programmable.
In the same aisle CGTech (Stand R45) will demonstrate its new version of Vericut CNC machine simulation and optimisation software. Vericut detects collisions, close calls and detects over-travel errors. With input from thousands of users worldwide from every industry, the focus of Vericut 8.2 has been to provide features that improve simulation visibility, speed workflow, and streamline each user’s verification process. These include a Right-Mouse-Button Ribbon which puts favourite Vericut functions just one click away, and provides convenient access to external applications that programmers find useful.
In addition, a configurable Head-Up Display (HUD) improves simulation monitoring and visibility by showing the NC program, or machining and cutting status information, overlaid on top of Vericut’s graphical views.
CGTech will demonstrate Composites 8.1 release of VCP and VCS, which features a completely redefined Graphical User Interface (GUI), enhanced suite of programming and analysis tools, and redefined methodology through the use of the powerful new Laminate Manager. The Laminate Manager helps users easily manage files, processes, and batch actions for the entire composite laminate. Internal refinements ensure that large projects are now able to be programmed and simulated in a fraction of the previous time.
At Rockwood Composites, (Stand P95) the company will be demonstrating its expertise in the design and manufacture of composite components using compression and bladder moulding. Recently it has been using these out-of-autoclave processes to manufacture luxury composite parts for aircraft interiors and also components for projects which require parts that can survive the hottest (100 million °C) and coldest (4° above absolute zero) places in the solar system.
Rockwood will be showcasing its expertise with live demonstrations throughout the show. Visitors will be impressed with the capability of these techniques and be able to take away a couple of very simple applications - coasters and bottle openers made of prepreg materials.
Moving on, optical measurement specialist Alicona (Stand D22) has increased its surface metrology range with the addition of an Optical Micro CMM. The newly-developed Alicona µCMM is said to be the only purely optical micro-coordinate 3D measuring system available and provides high levels of accuracy not available on multi-sensor machines. Users benefit from all the advantages of tactile coordinate measuring technology with optical surface measurement to measure dimensions, position, shape and surface finish of components with just the one optical sensor.
When supplied with GD&T software the µCMM offers high geometric accuracy of a number of 3D features in relation to each other. This provides the ability to measure small surface features with sub-micron accuracy in a very short time. In addition to geometric position users are able to measure surface finish in the same measurement cycle.
The range of measurable surfaces includes composites such as plastic, PCD, CFRP, ceramics, chrome, silicon and so on including matt and polished, reflective components. The simple automated operation is implemented by single-button solutions built into a specially designed hand-held remote controller. Air-bearing axles with linear drives enable wear-free use and high-precision and rapid measurement, making the µCMM ideal for permanent use in production.
Back in the composites zone, Group Rhodes (Stand M101) will be highlighting its expertise in bespoke metal and composite forming machinery. The company is a market leader in the field of superplastic forming (SPF) and diffusion bonding (DB), having designed, manufactured and installed titanium and aluminium forming cells for leading aerospace and automotive manufacturers worldwide.
Group Rhodes’ composite machinery is used to produce structural components for production road cars as well as flight critical components for a variety of aircraft. The company also offers a wide range of cold forming technologies for specialist metalforming applications across a number of industrial sectors.
Recent projects completed by Group Rhodes include manufacturing two SPF/DB presses for a North American aircraft manufacturer (rated at 850 and 1,800 US Tonnes respectively) and a 1,000 tonne multi-axis composite moulding press for the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in South Yorkshire. The press for the AMRC is being used as part of a facility to assist a wide range of UK companies to stay at the leading edge of composite development.
Ascent Aerospace (Stand Q83) will be promoting its assembly solutions for airframers from assembly jigs through to automated production systems. Ascent’s solutions are used by OEMs, tier 1s and tier 2s, to build components, major aerostructures, and final assembly. The company will also feature its patent-pending layup mould concept, HyVarC at Advanced Engineering’s Innovations Showcase. Hybrid layup moulds combine the advantageous characteristics of Invar and composite for a lightweight, masterless tool that is faster and less expensive to manufacture. The thin Invar backup structure and face plate results in a tool that is 50% lighter, with the long-term vacuum integrity of a traditional Invar tool. And the tight-tolerance, machined composite working surface is easily modified, making it ideal for prototype and development applications.
Bitrez (Stand T110) is a leading manufacturer of specialist polymers and chemicals. The company manufactures high performance synthetic resin, catalysts and curing agents for companies across aerospace, automotive, defence, energy, oil and gas and general industrial sectors. This is the second year the Wigan-based company will be exhibiting at the show. Bitrez resins can be found in materials across the globe - on road, rail and in the air. The company also offers toll conversion as well as technical support. Its team of highly qualified and experienced chemists can produce materials from laboratory scale through a transient pilot stage to enable scale up and allow for small scale qualification work before moving to commercial manufacture. Its manufacturing plant, is COMAH [Seveso] and ISO 9001/14001/18001 compliant, and comprises numerous reaction units from 3,000 – 30,000 litre capacity, along with exceptional cooling facilities to accommodate high reactivity resins.
Aro PR and Marketing (Stand N122) is a specialist in raising the profile of engineering, scientific and composites companies. The company will show how improving marketing can help small businesses with a range of problems, from boosting sales through to staff recruitment. The Aro team will be on hand to describe how to get the most from marketing activity, including PR, social media, copywriting, graphic design, website development, awards applications (such as the Queen’s Award for Enterprise) and SEO. These need to be working as hard as any piece of plant or machinery, according to Aro PR. Free 30-minute sessions will be available to show companies how they can improve their marketing strategy.
Elsewhere at the show, Aero Consultants UK (Stand Q50) offers a comprehensive range of materials, equipment and allied services to manufacturers of composite components.
At this year’s event, it will be exhibiting new additions to its range of Aqua water-soluble tooling materials. These new materials are designed to offer exceptional strength, surface finish and easy wash out. They also include a sprayable and dippable sealer that allows the range to be offered up for new applications and designs. Capable of withstanding cures of up to 180⁰C and pressures of 8 bar, the Aqua range is perfect for Autoclave, RTM, and pressure cured mouldings. It allows the one-shot manufacture of lightweight components with near impossible twists, turns, proportions, and undercuts. Aero Consultants UK also supplies Henkel Aerospace, Dexmet Lightning Strike Protection and many other lightweight composite products.
For those interested in 3D measurement and imaging solutions, Faro (Stand F21) will be demonstrating its next generation of Laser Line Probes (LLP), the Faro Prizm. Prizm is the first LLP available that includes the ability to scan in high resolution, 3D colour. Prizm is designed specifically to operate as a compact, tightly integrated solution with the Faro Quantum ScanArm arm product family and extends the Faro tradition of delivering maximum measurement consistency for both direct-to-parts contact and non-contact requirements in every working environment.
Prizm has certified accuracy for the most demanding metrology challenges. The colour scan allows users to view and manipulate a detail rich, 3D colour point cloud model of a part or assembly on a computer screen. This is ideally suited for moulded parts where colour and surface texture are an essential requirement of the complete inspection.
Also, at the show will be Faro’s QuantumS. Certified to ISO 10360-12:2016, the most rigorous international measurement quality standard in existence, the QuantumS is said to set new standards in articulated arm coordinate measuring performance and durability.
SHD Composite Materials (Stand M120) is global manufacturers of advanced composite prepreg materials. Accredited to AS9100, and with experienced composite professionals, SHD strives to support every customer with market-leading technical support and short lead-times. Its test laboratory and autoclave allow the company to carry out extensive mechanical testing, thermal analysis and rheometry for internal product development and prototyping, to continually improve product support and prepreg capabilities. This year, its fire retardant prepregs have been significantly developed to meet fire safety standards, with new innovations capable of achieving UL94 V0 rating. FRVC411 has also been developed to achieve EN45545 HL1 rating for rail interiors.
SHD has seen another year of sustained growth, supported by the opening of a manufacturing facility in Slovenia and the incorporation of SHD Composite Materials Inc. to the Group. Initially acting as a distribution facility, with on-site manufacturing commencing early 2019, the facility will support SHD’s growing business in North America, whilst supporting its growing global reach. Jamie Keogh will become CEO of SHD Composite Materials Inc. in October 2018. Coupled with the production facilities in the UK and Slovenia, an additional manufacturing facility in the US will offer strength, stability and efficiency to customers across the globe.
At Third Dimension, (Stand R47) the developer and manufacturer of precision profile handheld and robotic laser measurement systems, is showcasing its best-selling handheld laser measurement system, GapGun.
A double winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, Third Dimension develops and supplies its innovative, non-contact optical measurement systems to the leading names in the aerospace, automotive, rail and energy sectors worldwide, globally enhancing quality control checks.
Another exhibitor in the show halls is Creative Composites, (Stand M110) one of the UK’s most advanced composites manufacturers, it produces innovative products through a combination of better design, better manufacture and better service. The company successfully supports global OEMs through long-term relationships, delivery performance and flexibility to meet demanding schedules.
Creative Composites manufactures lightweight components for some of the world’s most important car brands, some of which will be on display at the show. Products include exterior body panels where a high level of surface finish is a key requirement. To further enhance the company’s ability to achieve the high level of surface finish required a new painting facility has been installed and is fully operational. The bespoke installation includes a state-of-the-art paint process line.
The company is currently located within a purpose-built 140,000ft² facility in UK with state-of-the-art moulding presses, CNC trimming cells and dedicated assembly areas. Its expertise in compression moulding SMCs (sheet moulding compounds) and carbon-fibre SMCs serves a variety of industries including automotive, mass transit and off-highway.
Visitors to Biesse (Stand N100) will be presented with tailored solutions specifically designed for the advanced materials market including machinery to process composites, plastics and light alloys, demonstrating the experience and technological innovation that has characterised the machine builder’s expertise in the wood, glass and stone industries for almost 50 years and how it is now applied to composites, plastics and light alloys.
Biesse’s solutions include CNC routers for sheet applications, 5-axis CNC machining centres for 3D applications in large format including 1:1 scale for automotive, thermoforming for thick sheet applications and sheet sizing saws.
Recent installations include 5-axis machining centres for carbon fibre trimming, pattern making, mould production; sheet material sizing systems and a fully automatic storage and handling solution combined with a high-speed CNC router for producing motorcycle visors.
Over the past few years, Biesse has worked hard to complete the existing range of its products, developing solutions that are suitable for use in all applicable sectors. The company can provide specific technology for every manufacturing process, with increased levels of customisation driven by both the material being processed by the customer and the type of component being manufactured. Simplification, increased efficiency, and total reliability are the foundations for Biesse solutions.
At Alan Harper Composites (Stand R88) the company’s reusable vacuum bags are achieving significant cost savings for moulders over outdated consumable bagging. They have also achieved a new way of moulding by mass resin infusion which also challenges the light resin transfer (LRTM) process by eliminating the need for meter mix machines, injection autosprues and sophisticated control technology. Many examples will be on display and a live demonstration of the remarkable process to mould the closest example yet of net size composite moulding.
Many clients are now embracing Reusable Vacuum Membranes as their preferred closed mould route to composite part manufacture. The application of this technology has seen robust and sound growth in the bus and truck, automotive and marine sectors attracted entirely by the lower cost, lower skill need, significant wastage reduction and faster to market production.
With 130 years in the business, Eastman’s cutting machines (Stand L105) have earned a worldwide reputation as essential and practical elements of production systems that seamlessly meet expectations.
Demonstrations of conveyorised digital cutting and material handling for reinforcement materials, including glass, carbon and aramid as well as nonwoven core materials will be demonstrated during both days of the show. Engineered for high-tech materials and composites, Eastman machines can be tailored to customer’s needs, circumstances and productivity goals. The Eastman conveyor and integrated unwinding, rewinding and parts collection systems play an essential role in streamlining the queue from rolled goods through marked, cut and kitted parts. The Eagle C125 conveyor system features an industrial cutting head inclusive of three cutting knives and pen that can optionally be outfit with a router, one of several supplemental printing systems or bespoke tools. The microperforated PU belt surface ensures distributed vacuum hold-down and is easy to clean, reducing risk of contamination when cutting dry reinforcements, prepregs or core materials on one system. The C125 is capable of exceeding 0.5 tons of cut fibreglass per hour when cutting single ply and over 2 tons of fibreglass per hour when cutting four-ply. This equates to real operation cutting speeds averaging 90m/minute.
In the next aisle, fibre handling and converting specialist Cygnet Texkimp (Stand M98) will highlight the benefits of its thermoplastic manufacturing technologies at this year’s show.
The company’s production-scale testing line, which is housed in a secure facility at its headquarters in Cheshire, is one of only a handful in the world that can manufacture composites using high temperature polymers such as PEEK (Poly-ether-ether-ketone) and PEK (Poly-ether-ketone) – high-tech materials typically used to make engine parts for the aerospace and automotive markets because of their stability and resistance to temperatures up to 450°C.
Cygnet Texkimp has a proof of concept processing line creating aerospace-grade thermoplastic prepreg tapes for winding and moulding into high performance parts. The processing line is open to manufacturers wanting to carry out trials. The thermoplastic line can be integrated with Cygnet Texkimp’s associated technologies, including winding, slitting and creel systems.
Thermoplastics are tipped to be the future of composites, as they are inherently stable and flexible, and can stand up to the most demanding applications. Unlike traditional thermoset composites, thermoplastics don’t require curing in manufacture or freezing in storage. This makes them more efficient to process and easier to handle. They can be reheated and reshaped as needed and there are much easier routes to recycling them, which is a vital consideration for manufacturers looking to make this market more sustainable.
Nearby, MSA Manufacturing (Stand N107), based in Dorset, is once again at the event to promote its extensive CNC cutting, slitting, 2D preforming and sequenced kitting capabilities for a wide range of glass and carbon fabrics, both dry reinforcements and prepregs, along with 3- and 5-axis CNC machining and kitting of cores for manufacturing composite parts. MSA also waterjet cuts and kits metal, honeycomb and phenolic sheet, plus other composite materials, such e-glass, carbon and ballistic plate.
The company supplies leading OEMs and tier 1/2 manufacturers of hi-tech composite components and finished products for the marine, renewable energy, defence and aerospace industries. Small and large-scale material parts are produced for moulding components as small as brackets for a composite bicycle frame up to complete kits for infusing structural sections in the hulls and decks of luxury superyachts and renewable energy blades.
In-house production facilities enable it to supply a wide range of machined, cut and shaped parts. Prepregs and reinforcement fabrics up to 2.5m wide can be cut to size, with roll slitting to provide tapes in custom widths down to 25mm. Waterjet cutting machines can handle composite plates and other sheet materials up to 100mm x 4m x 3m, with CNC milling up to 2.44 x 1.22m.
Elsewhere, Zünd UK (Stand F32) will showcase its leading modular cutting equipment, including the Zünd G3 L-3200 digital cutting table - a fast, versatile and robust system that is popular with many manufacturing companies worldwide.
With intuitive and production-friendly software for digitising templates, nesting CAD files and driving the Zünd cutter, Zünd will demonstrate this complete workflow solution for cutting, marking, routing and other processes.
In addition, members of the Zünd UK team will be on hand to discuss the versatility of Zünd systems with visitors. Each Zünd digital cutting system is precision-built in Switzerland to a modular design, meaning users can choose the exact configuration to meet their needs at the time of installation and adapt it as their requirements change and grow. The vast array of tooling that can be interchanged on the Zünd range allows for a wide variety of materials to be processed, up to 50mm thick, including carbon fibre, glass fibre, textiles, foams, plastics and many more all on the same machine.
Zünd UK offers finishing solutions into a wide range of different markets such as graphics, sign and display, textile, aviation, motorsport, packaging and retail. Its cutters are highly versatile, thanks to integral elements such as an automatic tool changer and easy-to-use software - yet are robust enough to withstand years of 24-7 operation.
When it comes to the supply of resins, Epoxy Technology Europe, found on the John P Kummer stand (N88), says it has doubled the size of its production site in the UK to keep up with ever-increasing demand for packaged EPO-TEK adhesives.
Epoxy Technology Europe offers various processing options, including vacuum degassing. All syringes are centrifuged to remove bubbles. From the customer’s point of view all other aspects of processing are avoided (process documentation, scales, mixing tools, dispensers for transfer of material to end syringe, centrifuge, etc.) and importantly there is no requirement to set up a QC process to document the quality of the mixed material and equipment to perform QC tests on mixed material. A full range of Quality Control tests are provided by Epoxy Technology Europe and full traceability is given back to each raw material. For each order the customer receives a C of C for his documentation which provides traceability at the ‘Mix-Lot’ level. Standard syringe sizes are 3, 5, 10, 30 and 55cc. The syringes are compatible with standard dispensers.
Close by, Cevotec (Stand N86) has further developed the entire Fibre Patch Placement (FPP) process according to the requirements of the industry. Its specialists are particularly interested in complex sandwich components with their sophisticated material mix, such as adhesive films, glass fibre and carbon fibre layers. These different materials are used to improve the adhesion and processability of carbon fibre material with the often-used aluminium honeycomb sandwich cores.
Cevotec’s SAMBA Multi production systems enable the automated lay-up of these special multi-material mixes in one single system. In addition to glass fibre fleeces, metal structures and wood cores, also honeycomb cores, solid foams and additional materials have already enjoyed load-adjusted fibre patch reinforcements. Depending on process requirements, this can be done in-line or parallel to line production to optimise cycle times.
SAMBA Multi has parallel feeding units for different materials that are processed in one production system and placed precisely on 3D sandwich cores or preforming tools. By mounting the FPP unit on a linear axis, the concept also enables the production of particularly long and wide components in aerospace applications. Adapted to specific component sizes, the patch grippers are scaled to DIN-A5 and DIN-A4 size to meet the requirements of common aircraft components. An integrated gripper station enables the exchange of grippers during the process.
On the software side, Cevotec now offers a plug-in for the modelling software HyperMesh, one of the leading FEA pre-processors. Based on the data defined in PATCH ARTIST regarding geometry, position and alignment of the patches, the ARTIST STUDIO plug-in automatically generates a detailed image of the patch laminate in HyperMesh. The contour of each individual patch is used to model fibre orientations and overlap areas. Ply-based shell models as well as solid and cohesive zone models can be used for analysis, which can be performed on both sublayer and patch level.
Innovation, versatility, durability, productivity and efficiency are the five key pillars being presented by abrasive specialist Mirka UK this year. The products on display on (Stand M94) include the new Iridium and Novostar abrasive ranges, which have been developed with these requirements at the forefront of their design, meeting the constantly evolving requirements of end users, while providing a consistent high-quality finish and a dust-free environment to work in.
Novastar has been developed to be used on hard surfaces and lacquers, where a robust film abrasive is required. It provides an aggressive initial cut especially with coarse grits (80-100) and is P graded from 240-600 to provide a finer finish.
Iridium has been designed to speed up the sanding process with a faster initial cut. Its new multi-hole design and non-stick coating avoids loading or pilling from the dust that is created when the abrasive is in use, so the grains stay sharper for longer and the dust extraction is faster and more efficient.
To complement the new abrasives, Mirka’s DEOS is the only electric orbital sander on the market that has been optimised for net abrasives by incorporating more than 45 holes in the pad. It is suitable for use across multiple applications including sanding composites. Other sanders on show include the Mirka AOS-B 130NV and Mirka AROS-B 150NV.
Oxford Advanced Surfaces (OAS) has developed a range of surface treatments to prepare composites and engineering plastics for coating and bonding, while addressing some of the shortcomings of the currently surface preparations. Visitors to (Stand Q84) can witness its new patented reactive chemistry platform, Onto which has the ability to improve the surface adhesion of most polymeric materials, creating an effective adhesion promoter.
Onto removes the need for time-consuming and labour-intensive surface preparation, such as abrasion or grinding to allow fast, easy and repeatable surface preparation of composites and plastics. Onto is simple to apply by spray so that painting or coating becomes easier, and providing a uniform surface across different materials to help achieve a high class, durable finish.
While using heat is a common and effective method for curing existing Onto surface treatment solutions, Oxford Advanced Surfaces has acknowledged that for some materials and higher volume applications this may not be the most suitable method, so the company has also introduced a product that can be cured using a drying step followed by Ultra-Violet (UV) light activation that is more suitable for use in painting processes.
Another composite specialist at the show is Pentaxia, (Stand M85) which is celebrating 10 successful years in business this year. With 39 new staff already recruited in 2018, a move to a former Rolls-Royce composite facility in Alfreton Road completed and an AS9100 Revision D quality accreditation achieved ahead of schedule, Pentaxia’s growth in the manufacturing and composites market, has been dramatic.
Pentaxia has grown rapidly in the last ten years and it’s continually looking to the future, investing in both our staff and facilities. It says demand for advanced composites from original equipment manufacturers is rising, and with its new quality accreditation plus a fully equipped 70,000ft² facility, Pentaxia is ready to embrace the next 10 years.
Moving on, PRF Composite Materials (Stand Q92) has announced the opening of its new factory – the third site the company now operates from – and a new corporate brand. 2018 has seen the completion of a significant phase of development for PRF, with the team moving into a new purpose-built facility in Summer 2018. PRF now operates over three sites, with increased office space, warehousing and cold storage facilities. The new site is dedicated to sales and sales support, whilst the original site now has space for increased lab and R&D facilities and the installation of a second prepreg line, which will be complete by the end of the year.
Evolving together with the company, the PRF brand has been refreshed with a new logo and corporate image which reflect these exciting developments. PRF has changed significantly in the last 10 years, with the company now on three sites, with increased manufacturing capabilities and an expanding range of innovative products.
Also attending the show is OB2B Industrial Marketing & PR (Stand N120). Here multinational industrial sales and marketing experience is combined with technical expertise in materials, manufacturing processes and engineering, particularly metals, polymers, composites, elastomers and structural adhesives. This enables a rapid understanding by OB2B of what marketing and PR help a business needs that will work in practice to reach target customers and improve sales. Services offered range from strategy, sales tools, websites and social media to press release researching, writing and targeted circulation of news and application stories to sector specific media. Now in its ninth year, OB2B Industrial Marketing & PR has an established global client base of multinationals and SMEs, providing cost effective services which help customers to better market their products and services with higher impact.
Nearby GRP Solutions will be exhibiting on a new innovative two-storey (Stand R95) as well as sponsoring the Composite Engineering Networking Area at the show. GRP Solutions is a leading composite solutions provider setting the standard in composite distribution. As well as innovative solutions, technical support and a preeminent portfolio of composite products, customers can expect to receive a first-class service from a highly experienced and passionate team of dedicated composite experts. GRP Solutions is holding a free drinks reception on its stand on Wednesday 31 October at 3pm.
Another returning exhibitor to Composites Engineering is Cristex, (Stand P100) who will be featuring a range of products suitable for various markets. It will be showcasing a new range of fire-resistant materials recently launched by its partner, SAERTEX. The SAERTEX Leo Coated Fabric has a very high level of fire resistance integrated into the fabric that meets the most demanding fire protection requirements for rail transportation, the marine sector and the construction industry.
Cristex will also feature a range of other products from its partners: G. Angeloni, a manufacture of fabrics using carbon, aramid, thermoplastics and hybrid fabrics; Eurocarbon, a producer of tubular and flat braids, woven tapes and fabrics mainly used in the composite industry; and Elantas Europe, a leading manufacturer and supplier of epoxy resins and adhesives.
From the Composites Engineering Open Forum, Mouldbox will be presenting ‘Innovating composite tooling through the use of applied AI’ during Advanced Engineering 2018. Formed less than 12 months ago, its mission is to make bringing composite solutions to life ten times easier.
Mouldbox is a supplier of tooling hardware to a range of composite manufacturers, and uses digital technologies and machine learning to automate the design and procurement process for composite tooling. It removes bottlenecks, lowers barriers and creates new opportunities for innovation and growth.
Earlier this year, the company’s first-of-its-kind solutions were recognised by Innovate UK with endowment of a significant grant to fund and accelerate their technology development. The project is now well underway.
Mouldbox says its momentum continues to build with the news that it has been shortlisted for the Innovation of the Year award in manufacturing by Composites UK.
“This is a testament to all the hard work by everybody back at Mouldbox headquarters,” says company CEO, Martin Oughton. “It’s been a rollercoaster year taking this concept from idea to reality. Manufacturers often talk about industry 4.0 but the truth is that most are somewhere between 2.0 and 3.0. Like other industries before it, manufacturing needs its tech moment. We are happy to be at the forefront of this revolutionary period and also to be recognised by our peers.”
Since its launch at JEC World in March 2018, the company has had over 2,000 parts uploaded onto its online platform in less than six months.
Finally, ZwickRoell (Stand N32) provides the testing technology and expertise required to assist engineers and researchers acquire high quality test results in their materials or component testing applications. Whether the focus is on evaluating the strength and durability of materials or components, ZwickRoell can assist customers in determining the optimum testing solution to satisfy their particular requirements.
Its comprehensive product range enables it to configure testing systems, which satisfy the prescriptive requirements of internationally recognised aerospace testing standards and deliver test results which are accurate, repeatable, reproducible and traceable. Its stand will feature a representative range of testing products and the industry standard testing software testXpert III which is the result of close cooperation with software users in the materials testing industry and the experience of over 30,000 successful testXpert installations.
