The National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol, has installed a new KraussMaffei RimStar Compact 4/4/4 mixing and metering machine into its operation as part of its expansion. The system is equipped with two mixing heads, enabling it to process both epoxy resin and polyurethane in high-pressure resin transfer molding (HP-RTM). The machine also enables short cycle times for production of lightweight components, the company said in its press release.

“Previously, the HP-RTM process primarily used epoxy resin as the matrix material. Recently, however, an increasing number of components are being made of polyurethane in the HP-RTM (high pressure RTM) process. Because the RimStar Compact 4/4/4 can process both matrix systems, it gives the NCC and its member companies great flexibility for carrying out application-oriented test series,” explains Wolfgang Hinz, product and sales manager business unit composites and surfaces at KraussMaffei.

The National Composites Centre is a central element of the UK Composites Strategy, an initiative of the UK government to promote the composites industry in the United Kingdom.

“The composites market is experiencing pronounced growth in the UK. In vehicle manufacturing, the big OEMs are advancing lightweight construction development and the use of CFRP in structural components. The aviation industry is also very active,” adds Stephen Lambert, reaction process technology business manager at KraussMaffei group.

At the NCC, new production methods are being developed for composite materials. The research is focused on areas including the automated manufacturing of fiber preforms, component manufacturing using autoclaves and compression molding and post-mold processing of the fiber-reinforced components. (NA)