Fagor Arrasate’s collaborative project with AZL Aachen of an ultra-fast consolidator machine system, has received the JEC Innovation Award. The project, recognised by a jury of experts in composites for the category of Industry and Equipment, consisted of the manufacture of an ultra-fast machine for the mass production of individual customised performs.

Fagor Arrasate contributed as an associated partner in the project headed by AZL Aachen, the international benchmark research centre for lightweight materials. The project aimed at the manufacture of an ultra-fast machine for the mass production of individual customised preforms, based on a part flow approach in combination with the placement of unidirectional tapes (in dry fibre, thermoplastic, prepreg) by laser-assisted in-situ consolidation, said Fagor Arrasate in a press release .

The new ultra-fast consolidator machine offers both high flexibility and mass production (>500 kg/hour). Fully-consolidated multi-layer laminates with different fibre directions and minimised waste can be produced in cycle times under 5 seconds for the first time, whereas the most recent machines need several minutes. This is accomplished by a new piece-flow principle which is state of the art in the printing industry but has not been used in composite production.

The production principle is based on moving carrier plates (for the transportation of the laminates), which are moved by a conveyor system and fed through several applicator stations. Each applicator station is equipped with innovative narrow applicator cassettes for laser-assisted tape placement with on-the-fly cut-and-add. The applicator cassettes are 50 mm wide and can process a tape width of 25 mm. Larger tape widths are also possible as the applicator cassettes are scalable.

The collaborative project involved the participation of other international partners such as Conbility GmbH (Germany), Covestro Deutschland AG (Germany), Engel Austria GmbH (Austria), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Faurecia Composite Technologies (France), Fraunhofer IPT (Germany), Laserline GmbH (Germany), Mitsui Chemicals Europe GmbH (Germany), Mubea Carbo Tech GmbH (Austria), Philips Photonics (Germany), SSDT Shanghai Superior Die Technology Co, Ltd (China), Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (Belgium).

“The JEC Innovation Awards programme is emblematic and recognises pioneers in composite innovation. The combination of lightweight, resistant materials that allow great design freedom, with a technology that allows complex shapes, is of interest to manufacturers. Many manufacturers have started using it to print automotive parts, aircraft parts, or building walls,” said Franck Glowacz, innovation content leader at JEC Group.

Fagor Arrasate has the widest portfolio of products in the field of metal and composite forming and offers its customers profound knowledge of the sector after a long-standing experience of more than 60 years. (PC)