There are now 24 different splicers for a wide range of applications, covering all fibres including polypropylene, nylon and glass.
This new range, which is protected by several patents, is innovating the use of fibres, enabling splicing of much higher concentrations and more difficult material.
Some of the key, enhanced capabilities are:
The main structures (bodies) of all Airbond splicers are now 3D printed to a very high standard, rather than manufactured from milled aluminium. These revised products also now come with a much longer, five-year guarantee1 and are tougher than anything else on the market. They are also lighter and more reliable.
The new splicers will make a huge impact on the process of “bit-winding”, delivering a better class of splice. It will also enable partially used bobbins in the composites industry to be combined, reducing waste significantly making bit-winding feasible.
Graham Waters, managing director of Airbond said: “We can manufacture to order, with very quick turn-around times, which is enabling us to introduce about a dozen new products over the next year. We don’t claim that splices are invisible – they’ll never be in a Bentley’s dashboard. However we do claim that there is a big future for splicing in composites.
“This is an exciting period for the company. We have put years of developing and clever thinking into these new products to really improve the range and introduce new capabilities. We believed there was a demand to satisfy the needs of waste yarn recovery, hence we created the new range.
“We carried out beta testing with similar products, designed for textile markets, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with existing customers much preferring the new design.”
Significant cost reductions can be made by companies who work in fibre manipulation through saved time and the elimination of wastage. Splicers reduce waste by producing smooth joints between composite threads.