composites | Processing
Right: This Engel e-Insert 400 is used for thermoplastic composite
development in the BASF
technology centre in
Ludwigshafen
then heated, formed and consolidated in a press, employing a mould from Schöfer. The final step involves joining the reinforced parts with some metal ones. The result is a swivel arm with a weight saving of around 40% compared to a pure aluminium one. This provides better dynamics and lower energy requirements.”
finished material is then consolidated by increasing the pressure moderately. This ability to regulate the
temperatures and pressures precisely throughout the entire process presents new levels
Above: BASF’s Ultracom demonstration part combines 20 different functions within an area of 400mm by 400mm
of flexibility in production. With this in mind, BASF has developed a demonstration piece that has allowed the problems of manufacturing with composite materials to be simulated. At almost 400mm by 400mm, the demonstration part shows around 20 different func- tions. These include a ribbed u-profile carrier, diverse mounting elements, areas where material is injected through the carrier and a ribbed field for crash investigations. It also includes a variety of different rib/ wall thickness transitions between the laminate and over-moulded material. A further development from
Centre right:
This composite airbag housing made of glass
fibre reinforced PA is moulded on a Krauss- Maffei CX300 FiberForm
machine (right)
Engel promises to bring additional benefits to injection moulders while also making the most of new thermoplastic composite processing technology. Its new pick-and-place robot, which is aimed at moulders looking for simple, space saving and cost effective process automation, will use a lightweight swivel arm made from thermoplastic composite materials that is designed for fast access into the mould area from above. It is designed for simple part removal, conveyor stacking and sprue cutting tasks. “We are working with thermoplastic UD PA6 CF
carbon fibre reinforced tapes from Cela- nese,” says Peter Egger, director of the Engel Centre for Lightweight Composite Technologies. “These are cut and we make a force-orientated lay-up, us- ing a composites-related component design from Prime Aerostructures. It is
20 INJECTION WORLD | January/February 2015
www.injectionworld.com
Combining technologies Composite developments at KraussMaffei include the FiberForm system for production of automotive compo- nents. The FiberForm technology is designed for large series production of lightweight thermoplastic composite parts. In order to highlight the potential of the FiberForm process KraussMaffei recently demonstrated a 300 tonne machine from its CX Series producing airbag housings made of glass fibre reinforced polyamide with a shot weight of 350g in a cycle time of 45 seconds. The FiberForm process combines injection moulding with thermoforming of composite sheets. KraussMaffei says that this combination of lightweight materials and construction design means that new fibre-reinforced thermoplastic components can be manufactured with particularly high strengths while retaining the part integration benefits of injection moulded components. In the FiberForm process, continuous fibre fabric or textiles impregnated with a thermoplastic matrix are heated, then shaped in the injection mould and over- moulded. According to KraussMaffei, this method allows ribs to be added for additional stiffness, as well as other functions to be integrated into the process. Stefan Schierl, a KraussMaffei engineer in the
Technology Development department, highlights the potential of the FiberForm process. “FiberForm combines the advantages of injection moulding and thermoforming,” he says. “Injection moulding provides good functional integration, while the use of formed composite sheets can
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