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Dieffenbacher's solutions for high-volume production

14 Feb '18

2 min read

Courtesy: Dieffenbacher

Dieffenbacher will showcase solutions for high-volume production of fibre-reinforced plastic components at the JEC World trade show 2018 during March 6-8. The procedures presented at the show enable shorter cycle times and more efficient production processes, enabling use of large-series fibre-reinforced components in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Dieffenbacher is a supplier of automated, turnkey production systems for the high- volume production of composite components. Three procedures are the stars of the show.

With the tailored blank line using the Fiberforge and Fibercon systems, Dieffenbacher offers a solution for the large-series production of locally reinforced thermoplastic components. In the first step, the Fiberforge produces near-net-shape composite lay-ups from unidirectional carbon fibre and/or glass fibre pre-preg tapes. One laying cycle lasts about one second, making this system the fastest tape laying system in the world.

After a laying pattern is defined, the tapes can be rolled off of coils and laid according to that pattern. The Fiberforge system can carry four of these coils. This makes it possible to mix different materials in one tape lay-up. Even the width and thickness of the tapes can be varied.

With a new angle-cutting system, the start and end of the tape can be cut variably either straight or at an angle of plus or minus 45 degrees. Precise and near-net-shape tape laying reduces excess bleed cuttings. An automatic coil exchange system guarantees uninterrupted production.

In the second step, Fibercon uses vacuum-assisted forming to form the tape lay-ups into a near-net-shape laminate. The Fibercon can process several lay-ups simultaneously and has impressively short cycle times. The vacuum-assisted forming system minimises air pockets and material faults and reduces the level of oxidation, producing unparalleled laminate quality.

Together with downstream systems such as handling robots and compression molds, the Fiberforge and Fibercon systems make it possible to produce more than one million components per year.

Dieffenbacher will also display new generation of CompressLite. The new generation of the successful CompressLite press series offers improvements in many respects. The newly developed control and visualisation of the CompressLite allows a comfortable and intuitive operation. The result is a modern product design that delivers the latest future-proof technology along with maximum profitability and efficiency. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India