MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
NEW CARBON FIBRE SUSPENSION FORKS ADD BOUNCE
C
ompoTech PLUS specialises in developing innovative automated carbon fibre laying (AFL)
placement and winding technologies to manufacture high performance epoxy carbon fibre (CF) composite components and large structures. Using its R&D resources and design engineering expertise, CompoTech has also developed a proprietary integrated loop technology (ILT) for producing continuous fibre joints that do not require any drilling or fixings. The proprietary automated fibre winding, placement and joining technologies developed by CompoTech is demonstrated effectively on its CDURO carbon composite bike frame. The wound tubular CF frame components include ILT end joints; each section of the bike frame can be bonded together with no added weight from any fixings or loss of mechanical performance due to having to drill through any continuous carbon fibres. The ILT joints also reduce overall assembly time and labour costs. CompoTech’s new CDURO Epona
mountain bike project is fitted with new design ‘Intend Carbonite’ suspension forks, which have much lighter, stiffer epoxy carbon fork tubes than existing aluminium design forks. The innovative
new carbon suspension forks are the result of a recent collaboration project between CompoTech and Intend Bicycle Components, a specialist bicycle components manufacturer based in Freiburg, Germany, to further improve the bike’s ‘extreme sports’ performance. CompoTech’s proprietary software
and automated technologies have been developed to be easy and efficient to use, with flexibility in application, allowing true zero-degree precision placement, and enabling continuous fibre joining technologies. For manufacturers looking to install
in-house automated CF composite component production capabilities, CompoTech now also offers customers ‘turnkey’ automated fibre winding and filament placement machines; each custom-built automated machine comes with the patented advanced winding technologies as part of the package, which includes after-sales technical and produce development support. CompoTech’s advanced winding
technology, developed 30 years ago as a self-built filament winder with the capability of ‘true zero’ degree axial fibre placement, was originally used for manufacturing high performance whitewater sports paddle shafts. Today,
38 / WELDING WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 05 - SEPTEMBER 2024
6-axis Fanuc robot integrations allow automated precision Zero degree carbon fibre axial placement, often using Pitch fibres, for manufacturing square epoxy CF beams and tubes for industrial applications where high stiffness and natural frequency is required. Epoxy carbon parts produced by Compo
Tech provide enhanced mechanical properties, significant weight reduction (typically 25% less than steel), increased efficiency/productivity and lower costs, with the added benefit of reducing a company’s carbon footprint from needing less energy consumption to run machines and production lines. CompoTech has successfully
manufactured a wide variety of epoxy CF and CF-metal hybrid components, that have been custom designed and supplied to OEMs as alternative, lightweight, high performance composite parts, with comparable mechanical properties to steel or aluminium. Examples of CompoTech manufactured parts which have been specified in preference to metal include composite beams, rotary shafts, spindles and tools for production machines and automated lines.
www.compotech.com
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