Pultrusion specialist Thomas Technik & Innovation (TTI) plans to rewrite the rulebook when it presents pullCUBE, a new pultrusion machine, at JEC World 2020.
At only 3.5m in length, pullCUBE machines are around 75% shorter than existing pultrusion machines, providing manufacturers with a space-efficient and ultra-portable production solution.
As a leading innovator, manufacturer and technology expert in the pultrusion market, TTI developed pullCUBE to make pultrusion more accessible to composite manufacturers and provide a flexible, mobile, rapidly installed production capability for advanced pultruded composites profiles.
At only 3.5m, pullCUBE machines allow manufacturers to install machines within current sites without building dedicated new production halls. The pullCUBE machines are so easy to transport and quick to set up that they can be even be located at the job site itself. This on site production enables pullCUBE to deliver profiles with no length restrictions, allowing full length structural profiles for large civil projects such as bridges to be produced without joins.
In addition, TTI has also redesigned the start-up process with the shorter machine path drastically reducing set-up scrap. Production waste is also reduced massively as regular mould cleaning purges are no longer required – optimising cost and efficiency in high volume pultrusion.
TTI estimate annual savings of over €144,000 can be achieved (based on a carbon profile with price per meter at €10, three shifts and a normal purge every 20 minutes).
The new pullCUBE machine uses TTI’s patented moving mould technology and Radius Pultrusion process and can be configured to produce both straight and curved profiles.
TTI and their US customer Shape Corp recently demonstrated the advantages of TTI’s technology with the launch of the automotive industry’s first curved, multi-hollow pultruded carbon fibre bumper beam for the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. This highly functional part delivered a weight reduction of 50% and a production rate of 70,000 parts per year.
“We are thrilled to be launching our new pullCUBE machine technology at JEC World 2020. Our most highly automated machine yet packs a massive amount of integrated technology into the world’s smallest pultrusion package, offering flexible, transportable, high rate production with huge reductions in waste costs,” commented Sebastian Mehrtens, head of sales at TTI.
A pullCUBE machine will be on display on the Composites United Booth (Hall 6, Booth G85) at JEC World 2020 with the TTI team on hand to present more details on this exciting pultrusion equipment.
