thermoplastic composites | Innovation
coupled on the same Z-axis. One handled the composite sheet prepregs that were heated prior to being placed in the mould and thermoformed before being over- moulded while the other demoulded the finished components. Robots and composite sheet feed unit were integrated into the standard CX 300 housing. The processing of highly concentrated long-fibres
Right: This airbag housing by Takata was
produced using the KraussMaf- fei FibreForm process at
Fakuma last year
also offers economic benefits, says KraussMaffei, which says material cost are less than when using standard granules while the wall thickness can be further reduced due to the high strength of the long fibre granulate. “In conjunction with the great potential for lightweight construction that the FiberForm technology offers, the investment pays off very quickly and can therefore be considered a cost-effective lightweight construction solution,” says Udo Gaumann, manager for core engineering materials at Takata. Arburg’s long-fibre direct injection moulding
process was discussed in the January 2015 issue of Injection World. Since then, the process has been renamed as FDC (Fibre Direct Compounding) and was demonstrated at NPE 2015 in the US producing parts that combine long and continuous fibres. The FDC technology was jointly developed by Arburg and the SKZ Plastics Centre of Southern Germany. As with FiberForm, the process can combine continuous- fibre reinforced thermoplastic inserts with over-mould- ing. But in the FDC system the long fibres are fed directly from reels and added to the molten plastic in the plasticising unit via a side feeder. “In order to
cost-effectively produce high-strength, lightweight components, the fibre length is a decisive factor and individual adaptation to the specific component properties is desirable,” Arburg says. Arburg says the advantages of FDC include flexibility in the choice of fibre length, from 15 to 50 mm, as well as a low incidence of fibre damage. “Moreover, there are considerable cost advantages over filled granulate, because the plastic and fibreglass roving base materi- als are cheaper than ready-made long-fibre granulate,” the company says. “Until now, the processing of longer fibres failed due to limita- tions in material preparation and dosing or due to the granulate form.”
For the NPE demonstration Arburg partnered with mould maker Georg
Kaufmann Formenbau and fpt Robotik. All three firms are involved in the LIPA (Lightweight Integrated Process Application) project - as is KraussMaffei – to develop technologies for forming and back injection moulding of organic sheets. The aim is to develop continuous-fibre- reinforced components and the associated manufactur- ing processes required for series production. In the NPE demonstration a six-axis robotic system
Right: Integrating
automation into the CX 300 FiberForm machine reduces required
production
space by up to 40%, according to KraussMaffei
heated the fibre-reinforced thermoplastic inserts directly in the gripper before transferring them to the mould at the precise forming temperature. In a cycle time of around 55s a hydraulic Allrounder 820 S simultaneously formed the preheated organic sheets into a W-shaped profile and injected functional and reinforcing elements such as edging, bearing eyes and ribbed structures. “Because the temperature of the organic sheets is higher than the melting temperature of the base plastic, a perfect mechanical bond is assured,” Arburg says. The 500mm long component weighed 200g, which Arburg says is 62% less than a comparable die cast part.
Hybrid research German car maker Volkswagen, currently in the media spotlight over its diesel emissions, is continuing with construction of the Open Hybrid LabFactory govern- ment-sponsored research campus for R&D in materials and technologies for lightweight vehicles in its home city of Wolfsburg. The campus, which brings together various partners aside from VW, will house one of the largest Engel v-Duo injection moulding machines ever
built - a vertical clamping 3,600tonne model. The v-Duo machine is characterised by a very high
24 INJECTION WORLD | January/February 2016
www.injectionworld.com
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