Welcome to the articles that were included in the Spring 2011 Newsletter. To subscribe please send an email to info@compositesuk.co.uk with Subscribe Composites UK in the subject line.

Composites UK attended JEC 2011 in Paris taking a stand that enabled 7 member companies to share the space alongside the Association; we also provided UKTI TAP awards for a further 7 companies.

 

For the first time we brought in professional stand builders to give the stand a more significant presence. The overall concept was one of raising the profile of the UK composites industry and judging by the increased delegate traffic on the stand we seemed to achieve this. 

 

Highlights of the show for Composites UK included our own drinks reception on the opening night and that hosted by Jim Quinn, and a big thank you goes to Jim for providing this. Both of these events proved a great opportunity for companies exhibiting on the stand to meet with clients in a more informal environment.

 

Based on the growing success over the last 3 years it is our aspiration that the Composites UK stand will form a nucleus of British Companies wishing to exhibit at JEC.  The idea being that the stand becomes an incubator for new and emerging companies to have a relatively cheap way of exhibiting at JEC for the first couple of years.  Having established themselves they can then find stand space around the Composites UK stand thus creating a truly British Pavilion.

 

In collaboration with NCC (National Composites Centre) and UKTI we have already started negotiations with JEC for next year’s exhibition having reserved 200m2 to enable us to work towards a UK area at the show in 2012. Any company expressing an interest for space on the stand or surrounding area should contact the Composites UK Admin office as soon as possible as I am sure there will be a lot of competition for space next year.

 

Last but not least a heart felt thank you goes to all those involved with the organisation and logistics of making it happen and we hope that 2012 will be even more successful!
 

info@compositesuk.co.uk
www.compositesuk.co.uk

Red Composites are offering Composites UK members 10% discount on English – Chinese translation specifically for the advanced composites industry.

 

Red Composites offers a confidential and technically competent translation service from English into Chinese script, specifically for the advanced Composites Industry. Unlike traditional translation services, this is executed by technically proficient Chinese Composite professionals, ensuring that texts are accurately translated and industry specific.

 

Publishing a Chinese language home page or a full Chinese mirror site can provide a low cost and effective tool to expose brand, products or services to a very significant potential customer base in China. Composite specific areas benefitting from Chinese localisation can include materials, processing, manufacturing equipment, operations and sales .

Professional translations can be provided from English into Chinese to include the following scripts;

a)   Chinese language Web site html
b)   Marketing literature
c)   Technical documentation
d)   Material specifications sheets
e)   Operational and laboratory procedural documents
f)    Training manuals (knowledge transfer)
g)   Audit reports
h)   Management reports (all office formats)

 

All text is translated to retain original context and accuracy incorporating the latest Composite terminology employed today in the PR of China.  

 

They are also able to assist with local Chinese business support. For more information on this members can check the members’ area of www.compositesuk.co.uk. Alternatively for an overview of Red Composites on www.redcomposites.com.

Amber Composites - Official Prepreg Supplier to the Honda British Touring Car Championship Team

Amber Composites have signed a long-term technical supply agreement with the Honda Racing British Touring Car Team.

 

Amber Composites’ materials are used extensively in key areas such as the manufacturing of the front bumper, front splitter and the flat floor which sits below the engine bay and extends to underneath the driver. Team Dynamics, who prepare the Honda Civic for racing, used Amber's prepreg technology to significantly reduce weight in these critical areas of the car.

 

“Our partnership with Amber Composites represents the beginning of a long-term plan to use composite technology in a wide range of parts.  Amber’s involvement as our sole supplier of composite materials brings a number of important advantages to the programme including technical support and advice, speed and volume of supply, and most importantly the quality of the product.  We look forward to working closely with Amber both now and in the future as we implement a number of important developments on the car.”
- Peter Crolla, Team Manager -Team Dynamics Motorsport Ltd

 

Amber Composites is a leading manufacturer of composite materials for high performance, lightweight structures. Amber provides materials and technical expertise to a diverse set of industries, including motorsport, automotive, aerospace, communications, marine and wind energy. Amber Composites is ISO 9001 and IS0 14001 certified.

 

www.ambercomposites.com
Tel: +44 (0)1773 530899
 
 

Despite the growing use of composites in high-end manufacturing sectors - aerospace, automotive and power generation - the research into effective machining of composite materials is still at its infancy. Conventional metal-cutting tooling is still widely used, and has shown to be detrimental to productivity and product quality.

 

Against this backdrop, pioneering research and development through the partnership of precision tool specialists, SGS Carbide Tool (UK), and Airbus in the UK, has delivered substantial benefits in understanding the most effective machining strategy for aerospace grade carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) composites for primary aircraft structures.

 

Indeed, the breakthrough has elevated both parties to the forefront of knowledge in composite machining.

 

A case study was carried out by SGS with the Manufacturing Engineering Research department of Airbus Wing Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bristol, with the objective of evaluating and optimising the machining strategy before production of composite components.

 

SGS first introduced a purpose-designed CFRP composite cutting tool to Airbus in early 2008.

 

SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY BENEFITS HAVE BEEN GAINED

 

Early test results did not provide any benefits as compared to baseline PCD tooling. However, after SGS introduced a number of modifications to the existing CCR design and optimised machining conditions, significant improvements in productivity, surface quality and tool life were achieved.

 

Further benchmark testing has shown that the redesigned SGS router outperformed PCD tooling in a number of instances when machining CFRP composites.

 

The Airbus trials have also enabled SGS to develop its carbon composite router through real-life test analysis, as Field Sales Manager, Wesley Tonks, explains:
“The 12-flute SGS tool was the very first of its type when launched in 2007 and, in line with our development philosophy, we are constantly refining the product.

 

“The Airbus collaboration has accelerated the tool’s development significantly, and we have been developing special derivatives to test against our regular production
offer, which is to all our customers’ benefit in time”, he continued.

“The results have been extremely beneficial both to us and to Airbus in generating a greater understanding of the most effective methods of machining CFRP composites,”
he concluded.

 

Wei-Ming Sim, Machining Technologist of Airbus, confirmed that SGS tooling significantly outperformed PCD equivalents in the controlled tests conducted and, specifically, returned double the tool life, whilst minimising delamination of the top/bottom of the composite laminates.

 

The CCR tool is also far more progressive in performance, giving warning of performance drop-off as the tool wears. Wesley Tonks explains: “As further testing progressed, in harmony with further tool development, we were able to cut deeper with our specially-developed long shank CCR tools whilst maintaining consistently high
quality results.

 

“One issue that is critical to effective carbon composite machining in these circumstances is the efficient removal of waste material to reduce the tendency of the ultra-fine swarf from carbon composite materials to clog.

 

This has triggered additional research with Airbus’ machine tool suppliers - a further benefit of the research.” he added.

 

The initial SGS-Airbus research study took some 24 months to improve understanding of the fundamentals of composite machining. The focus of this research was the routing of CFRP composite, and the starting point was to review the industrial
state-of-the-art in composite machining.

 

The review focused the work carried out by the major players in the aerospace industry, such as BAE Systems, Boeing and GKN Aerospace. At that time, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tooling was commonly used by the industry.

 

A number of leading PCD tooling suppliers were contacted and the cutting tools were tested on the baseline CFRP materials, which would be used for the A350
XWB aircraft.

 

TEST PROTOCOL

 

Slotting was chosen, representing the most demanding operation, due to the deployment of up and down milling in one revolution cut, and the tendency of clogging in the slot.

 

The test criteria included uncut fibres on the top / bottom ply, onset of vibration and residual of dust in the slot.

 

A typical test condition was as follows:

Tool diameter: 12 mm
Radial depth of cut: 12 mm
Axial depth of cut: 5 mm
Cutting speed and Feed per tooth: Varied

 

All tests were performed dry on the 5-axis MTorres TorresMill gantry machining centres. The TorresMill has a high speed spindle of up to 35,000rpm and is equipped with vacuum to enable dry machining of composite.

 

Further in-depth testing to characterise the cutting tool quantitatively included cutting conditions, optimisation, cutting force measurement, tool wear analysis, workpiece analysis and tool life testing.

 

THE SGS CCR BENEFIT

 

The learning obtained in this study and research on the effective machining strategy for CFRP material, using the SGS CCR Series tool, over 24 months, included:

 

- The choice of cutting speed was critical as it affects the wear mechanism. Two dominant wear mechanisms observed were abrasive wear and chipping.
- A high cutting speed lead to premature failure or chipping of the CCR cutting edge.
- High cutting condition lead to high cutting temperature at the cutting tool and workpiece material contact area. Consequently, the swarf generated had a greater tendency to bind, leading to clogging at the cutting edge and smearing on the fibre-matrix.
- Coating appeared to have a negative effect on the cutting edge of the CCR cutting tool.
- In uncoated form, the SGS CCR tool outperformed the baseline PCD tool in terms of tool life by 59%, with even greater life gains over metal cutting tooling.

 

sales@sgstool.co.uk
www.sgstool.co.uk

CruxTex™: Thermoplastic covered filament winding yarns and reinforcement fabrics launched on Composites UK stand at JEC

 

Generating significant interest when launched recently at JEC Composites in Paris on the Composites UK stand, CruxTex™ is a family of hybrid yarns and fabrics from Aptec Products Ltd.

 

Building on existing technology within the business and driven by demand from its customers, Aptec have developed a range of yarns and fabrics that can ensure thermoplastic matrix material is very evenly and accurately distributed along the length of a functional core fibre, and therefore throughout a reinforcement fabric or yarn. This means, lower process times, less health and safety issues and ultimately consistent interfacial bond throughout the finished material.

 

David Mitten, Joint Managing Director at Aptec talks about the interest in the product and why the company is excited by the response to it so far.

 

What is CruxTex™?  “Our hybrid yarns and fabrics are different to most standard materials and hybrids due to the novel core/sheath yarn construction. They offer an almost infinite array of possibilities to combine different materials and their individual performance characteristics to get the best performance for specific applications. Essentially, we fibre coat the main performance fibre. We take a continuous filament – for example E-Glass, Carbon fibre or Aramid - and spin a staple fibre, thermoplastic material around it.”

 

Is it new technology? “No. CruxTex™ uses core and sheath technology that was originally used to make cleaning mops and fabrics due to the highly absorbent characteristics of the yarn. We have built on this by combining this technology with our rare ability to engineer and produce highly innovative hybrid fibre blends, which we apply as the sheath.

 

We have been making CruxTex™ yarns and fabrics for several years for use in resin based systems and have seen a hundreds of tonnes produced at our plant. These historical applications have needed greater resin retention, resin system flexibility and ensure increased resistance to chemical environments. We have listened to what our customers are looking for and in response to demand, have further developed our ability so we can now process thermoplastic short staple fibres and apply them as a sheath to functional, core fibres”

 

Where can CruxTex™ be used? “The possibilities are limited only by the customers physical processing constraints, however we work closely with our customers to develop products that are bespoke and suit each individual process and end product. Current applications include automotive, industrial parts and marine.
What was the interest at JEC? “The interesting opportunities were from companies looking to take process time and ultimately cost out of their production. “

 

Will you be exhibiting at JEC next year? “We got great support from Composites UK and would recommend this to anyone looking to test the water. It offered good value for money and we hope to be involved next year"
 

 

Want to learn more?

 

Call us now on +44 (0)1388 832 321
Email: enquiries@aptecproducts.co.uk
Web: www.aptecproducts.co.uk
 

PRF Composite Materials is now stocking Compoflex® products in the UK

 

Compoflex® products are 100% polypropylene breathable microporous peeling materials designed to replace several consumables in composite manufacturing. Breather, release film and peelply fabric can be replaced by a single product.

 

The benefits of using Compoflex® products are:

 

Superior peeling properties
• The microporous surface and the low surface tension of polypropylene nonwovens ensure that Compoflex® peels at 1/5 of the force needed to peel conventional peelply.

 

Time and cost-savings
• Fewer consumables combined with easy peeling reduce costs and handling time simplifying the process considerably.

 

Minimise resin dust
• Compoflex® peels easily and hardened resin remains in the liner reducing the amount of airborne resin dust. The peeling force required when not using Compoflex® generates intensive resin dust activity causing an unhealthy working environment.

 

Variations of the standard product are available with better than peelply secondary bonding characteristics or incorporating a resin flow mesh for infusion, or both.

 

Contact PRF and find out how Compoflex® products can save you time and money.

 

Tel: +44 (0)1202 680022, email: mail@prfcomposites.com, web: www.prfcomposites.com
 

PPG-Sinoma Jinjing is pleased to announce the introduction of a new improved M79 product.  This product has the same characteristics you would expect from previous versions of M79; however, through investment and research, these have now been significantly enhanced to yield a superior M79 product.

These enhanced features include:

• Excellent strand distribution
• Quick wet-out with exceptional air release, especially on multi-layers  
• Superb wet carrying properties
• Improved suppleness and handling for ease of moulding

The benefit of the new and improved M79 is its ability to conform rapidly to highly contoured molds.  This well bonded chopped strand mat maintains its integrity throughout the impregnation process and provides a uniform wet-through rate.

These significant enhancements were achieved through extensive research and following trials in conjunction with our European distribution partners, Euroresins Holdings.
The results clearly demonstrate the strengths of improved quality and continuity of the new improved M79, coupled  with the excellent support and service elements provided by Euroresins UK, as the key supplier of a full ‘systems approach’ for the UK GRP market.

PPG manufactures the product in Zibo, Shandong Province, China (a joint venture of PPG and Sinoma Jinjing Fiber Glass Co Ltd).

PPG Industries’ vision is to continue to be the world’s leading coatings and specialty products company. Founded in 1883, the company serves customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, PPG operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2010 were $13.4 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com.

Euroresins Holdings is the leading premier composites distributor with presence in 13 countries across Europe. For more information, visit www.euroresins.com.

 

 

Zwick Launches an Innovative Solution for Composites Testing

 

Zwick offers a patented new fixture which they are confident will quickly become a standard for the testing of fibre-reinforced plastics.

 

The Hydraulic Composite Compression Fixture (HCCF), with its hydraulically operated specimen grips, offers several technical and cost saving advantages compared to existing and often troublesome mechanical fixtures such as Celanese or IITRI devices.

 

The open C-frame construction facilitates the simple and fast loading of specimens and allows for easy attachment of extensometry. The difficulty in specimen alignment and mechanical set-up, often found with traditional fixtures, has been eliminated mainly due to a friction free and precise guidance system. 

 

The HCCF reduces variance in test results and speeds up test throughput, saving time and money.

 

Hydraulic operation guarantees reliable and reproducible clamping of the specimens, as the clamping force is applied uniformly and securely across the test specimen.

 

The compression testing fixture can also be used at high or low temperatures ranging from -60 to +150° C, and the ability to utilise extensometers saves even more and money by avoiding the need to bond strain gauges to the specimen.

 

The Zwick Hydraulic Composite Compression Fixture (HCCF) is used specifically for the testing of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP) and glass-fibre-reinforced plastics (GFRP) with unidirectional fibre-reinforcement. It is suitable for testing standards such as EN 2850, DIN EN ISO 14126, DIN 65380 and QVA-Z10-46-38.

 

For more information please contact: alan.thomas@zwick.co.uk

 

www.zwick.co.uk

 

Scott & Fyfe Ltd Announce New UK Distribution Partnership with Azelis Composites

 

Scott & Fyfe Ltd is delighted to announce that they have appointed Azelis Composites as their distributor for their range of glass fibre reinforcement products in the UK and Ireland.

 

Commenting on the new partnership Paul McMullan, Operations Manager of the Composites Division at Scott & Fyfe Ltd said “With the demand for our range of Polymat products increasing along with our range of knitted and combination glass fabrics, we believe that forming a partnership with the well respected Azelis Group who have established relationships within the Composites Industry will demonstrate our commitment to providing innovative reinforcements suitable for today's advanced composite manufacturing systems. Azelis share Scott & Fyfe’s customer focused values, understanding the needs and complexities of the composites industry and we are looking forward to working with them in the future.”

 

Laurent Nataf, International Business Director Azelis Composites : “ Azelis is Europe’s one-stop supplier of composites, with over 2,000 high quality products backed by in-depth sales support, technical service and marketing expertise. With over 50 years’ experience in the market, Azelis Composites has a hard-earned reputation for quality, offering one of the most complete ranges of prime materials, additives and consumables in the composite sector.”

 

About Azelis:
Azelis is the leading Pan-European specialty chemicals distributor providing a diverse range of products and innovative services to more than 25,000 customers in the chemicals, coatings, plastics, MPA and polymers, composites, rubber, food & health, animal nutrition, pharma and personal care industries.
Through sourcing and distribution channels in every major market around the world, Azelis with its corporate service centre in Antwerp, Belgium, offers chemical producers market penetration, in-depth local knowledge, value-added services and tailored multi-territory solutions.

 

Azelis, backed by private equity investor 3i, has a turnover of €1,100 million and employs 1,100 knowledgeable people located in 36 facilities in 27 countries across Europe, India and China.

 

For more information, please visit: www.azelis.com
 

Formed in 2001, URT established itself as a composite component supplier to the motor sport industry, working closely with multiple Formula 1 teams and Le Mans sports car programmes.

Recognising a gap in the market for a new breed of manufacturer, with a rapid, no nonsense attitude to production, URT has now become a major presence in the composite industry, celebrating 10 years of trading this year. 

With enormous drive and ambition and working tirelessly to create long-term relationships and supply partnerships, URT now supply into the motor sport, aerospace, automotive, and defence industry sectors amongst others.

URT realised early on that any company is only as good as its employees, so it has been imperative to assemble a highly skilled, very experienced and motivated workforce.

Adopting a keen understanding of cutting edge materials and manufacturing techniques has led to a greater awareness of low to medium volume composite manufacturing. As important is aiding technology transfer from traditional metal fabrication and casting technologies to composite structures that has been challenging but highly successful.

URT has seen significant growth in its business in 2010, and into 2011, through both diversification and the further development strong relationships with existing and new customers.

Recent highlights in the motorsport sector include the development of a chassis for Le Mans 2011 – fully designed, crash tested and homologated by URT.

In the defence sector – developing, with others, the first composite ballistic proof vehicle (URT were nominated the lead laminator on the FPE Ocelot / Foxhound project) to enter the modern warfare arena, has changed the face of military expectations to lightweight, highly manoeuvrable, highly protected vehicles.

A strong current order book, sustained growth and diverse market development means that URT are expanding in manpower, assets and facilities, and that has demanded that we move to a new manufacturing facility, which is taking place in the middle of April 2011.

Our expansion plan includes the following in addition to our existing capabilities;

• The leasing of a modern 50,000 square foot manufacturing facility – Heath Place, Bognor Regis – ½ a mile from our existing facility at Beeding Close.
• 2.5 x 7 metre autoclave.
• 6m long conveyorised cutting facilities.
• 4m x 7m paint spray booth /oven.
• Multiple CNC machining centres (3axis – plans for 5 axis / Vari-axis) for patternmaking, final trim / machining of components.
• Non destructive test scanning equipment – project specific.
• The appointments of numerous staff spanning middle management (including production manager, quality manager), designers, engineers and laminating operatives to support the various market sectors we now operate in. Once the recruitment plan has been completed we expect to be operating with approximately 120 personnel.
• We are also investing heavily into a training and R & D facility which will benefit both our in-house requirements and also offer external support.
• Employment at the company has doubled in the past 12 months (30 - 60) with plans for further recruitment in the next 6 months.

 

It is our intention to retain our existing premises at Beeding Close (18,000sqft) Southern Cross Trading Estate in Bognor Regis, whilst still having an option on a further 35,000 square foot at Heath Place.
The planned move will take place a busy motor sport period and we cannot interrupt supply to any of our critical customers. The future plan for Beeding Close has been developed which means we will use this facility for R&D and highly confidential projects, and overspill production if required.

 

URT are now capable of designing, producing and machining any composite component or assembly to the highest quality and keenest of deadlines, whilst still achieving a competitive edge.

We work to ISO9001 accreditation standards and are planning to work towards ISO14001 (Environmental) and 18001 (Health and Safety) accreditations in 2011.

URT Group of Companies
URT Composites – Prototyping / Low / Medium volume production
URT Machining – CNC machining – patterns / moulds / components
URT Production – High Volume production

 

Website: www.urtltd.co.uk

Interview with Jean Millorit—Automotive and Industrial Fabrics project manager

A new combination of fibers is revolutionizing the aeronautics sector and opening up new prospects for production

Composites are entering commercial airliners. What are the reasons for this trend?

 
Jean Millorit: Light, resistant, and insulating, composites, in particular carbon fiber, are widely utilized in military aeronautics. They have recently found a second wind by replacing aluminum as the idol of civil aircraft manufacturers. Carbon fiber reduces an aircraft’s mass by 20–40%, a savings that directly impacts operating costs, particularly in terms of fuel consumption. This allows airline companies to expand their field of action without increasing costs, which ensures business growth and increased turnover. We have seen the arrival of new aircraft with composite materials accounting for 50% of their composition, including wings and fuselage. This revolution points to a radical change in production; a fully carbon fiber aircraft is no longer a dream of science fiction, but rather today’s goal.

The increasing use of composite materials is a definite benefit for the professionals who work with them. Other than load-bearing parts, manufacturers currently produce more complex parts in carbon fiber and need to increase production rates.

Hybrid materials have also been developed. How do they benefit aeronautics businesses?

Jean Millorit: The aeronautics sector recognizes that carbon fiber presents unique benefits; nonetheless, it remains a very expensive material. Professionals in the field are constantly concerned with optimizing production costs. Thanks to the combination of fiberglass and carbon fiber, they have finally found the solution to reduce spending: fiberglass is six to seven times less expensive than carbon fiber. Combining both materials gives manufacturers a competitive advantage since they are selling a finished product which costs less while remaining just as robust. This composite is the perfect compromise between price and product quality.

Technological solutions also offer businesses a way to optimize expenditure. For example DiaminoTechTex, Lectra’s marker-making solution, maximizes material use by up to 5%. This solution also enables you to anticipate the best marker to accurately determine material requirements. An accurate cutting solution, such as VectorTechTex, is also an important way to reduce material consumption. Thanks to unrivalled cutting accuracy without buffer spacing between pieces, VectorTechTex enables significant raw material savings. Finally, with PostPrint®, the identification software included in Lectra cutters, composite companies can increase their business by mixing common material reference pieces, using a bar code attached to all pieces. This system guarantees traceability at each stage of production.

New materials means new processes to implement them. What changes are taking place in the production process?

Jean Millorit: Carbon fiber, combined with fiberglass, simplifies the industrialization process. Thanks to the resin transfer molding process (RTM), certain parts of the aircraft are molded and glued in a single step. This means that many machining operations are eliminated and the manufacturer has no size constraints. This process, in addition to reducing the number of parts to manufacture, offers improved mechanical adaptability and a more fatigue- and corrosion-resistant part. However, to cope with this new trend, businesses must use manufacturing machines capable of processing large sizes of composite fabric, such as the VectorTechTex range, which offers larger and longer cutting tables to cut material directly from single-ply or multi-ply rolls.

Maintaining a continuous production rhythm is essential for these manufacturers. How do you achieve an optimum availability rate?

Jean Millorit: New challenges in the market require just-in-time production models, so production speed must be precise. The slightest delay could alter the material, affecting delivery deadlines and the time-to-market of the finished product. It is therefore essential to guarantee the availability of manufacturing equipment. Technology included in VectorTechTex provides accurate data and allows real time analysis of production. The data is processed by business and solutions experts at five Lectra International Call Centers. They intervene either remotely or on-site to guarantee a record availability of 98%, safeguarding production and improving return on investment.

About Lectra

Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions that automate, streamline and accelerate product design, development and manufacturing processes for industries using soft materials. Lectra develops the most advanced specialized software and cutting systems and provides associated services to a broad array of markets including fashion (apparel, accessories, footwear), automotive (car seats and interiors, airbags), furniture, as well as a wide variety of other market sectors, such as aeronautical and marine industries, wind power, and personal protective equipment. Lectra serves 23,000 customers in more than 100 countries with 1,350 employees and $252 million in 2010 revenues. The company is listed on NYSE Euronext.

For more information, please visit www.lectra.com

 

Nidaplast, specialist in polypropylene honeycomb, presents its products applicable to the boating market.

 

To respond to an ever-increasing need for weight reduction, improved strength and increased productivity, nidaplast composites offers different honeycomb products for marine applications:

 

- nidaplast® 8 et 8HP: certified by DNV (Det Norske Veritas)
- nidaplast® 8DB: pre-cut (in a “checkerboard” grid) polypropylene honeycombs adaptable to curved shapes
- nidaplast® 8R and nidaplast® 8RI: for structural parts using RTM or infusion process

Nidaplast’s honeycombs being very lightweight (95% air), can lighten the upper parts of ships to save fuel and gain speed on the water. Users will also appreciate its good vibro-acoustic properties. Due to the visco-elasticity of polypropylene and its honeycomb structure, the honeycombs have very good vibration-damping properties, making it a very good technical and economic alternative to foam or balsa. Used in structural partitions or floors, it absorbs some vibrations, thus reducing the noise level generated by the motor and the boat’s movements.

 

The nidaplast product range is used for powerboats, sailboats and yachts. It has various applications: decks and superstructures (flooring, decks, enclosures, roofs, cockpit floors, rears, etc.), and interior construction (walls, furniture, sanitary cabins, etc.). The honeycomb products have well-recognized physical and mechanical characteristics that respond to many requirements for the production of strong, lightweight structural panels for shipbuilding.

 

Already rot-proof, the honeycombs products requires no specific treatment. Nidaplast honeycomb is also very easy to use, very flexible and can be shaped to fit any curves of the finished product.

 

Certified ISO 14001, 9001, OHSAS 18001 and with a DNV and Germanischer Lloyd Certificate of Approval, nidaplast composites is known for its experience and expertise in different areas such as the marine industry. For further information, nidaplast composites team is available by phone (+33) 3 27 44 72 00 or by e-mail composites@nidaplast.com. We also invite you to visit our website www.nidaplast.com/en

nidaplast products are distributed in United Kingdom through Gazechim Composites.
 

In the midst of Bristol, just a stone’s-throw from the historic 1843 ‘SS Great Britain’ steamship , a nondescript commercial unit is home to some of the greatest design and engineering talent in the world.

 

It’s the home of the BLOODHOUND World Land Speed Record Project, a mission that’s focused on becoming the first in the world to travel on land at 1,000mph... and SGS
is with them, every step of the way, “This is just the sort of extreme engineering challenge we relish,” said SGS UK Managing Director, Alan Pearce.

 

“We have been Official Product Suppliers of high-performance carbide tooling and ancillaries since the project began two years ago”, he explained. “Such is our interest, enthusiasm and backing of the project that we have now extended the relationship to also become financial sponsors, alongside our technical support” Pearce added.

 

Fulfilling the tooling needs of manufacturing specialists in the supply chain, SGS delivers tooling solutions for a high-technology cocktail of titanium, carbon composite, steel and aluminium that makes up the 40ft BLOODHOUND SSC (Super-Sonic-Car) projectile. The manufacture of specific components is already
underway, with build of the vehicle commencing very shortly at the Bristol HQ.

 

Website: www.sgstool.co.uk

South West Composites Gateway is a new project designed to help small to medium-sized businesses in developing specialist technology innovation and advanced engineering
in composite materials.

Business sectors that will benefit:

- aerospace
- automotive
- marine
- renewable energy
- advanced engineering.

The Gateway is an ERDF/RDA backed programme. City of Bristol College is the grant recipient and lead provider.

How can we help your business?

- Gain strong networked links
- Be part of a composites knowledge community
- Opportunities for business innovation through specialist technology services
- Single entry point access to Further Education and Higher Education providers
- Courses to teach assembly workers, designers and engineers how to work with composites
- Access to technical skills and knowledge,and business critical solutions.

Small to medium-sized companies (SMEs) in the south west of England can access FREE support to maximise business development, remain technologically competitive in international markets and respond directly to a fast-changing industry.

Our range of services include:

 

Consultancy

A consultant with high level expertise in composite materials will analyse your needs and collect information to identify support opportunities. This will involve a half-day visit, with a business support proposal delivered within the following two weeks.

Our business support is geared towards improving your performance. In turn, jobs will be safeguarded and new roles created, including further research and innovation opportunities.

Training and Qualifications

Our partners offer a range of training courses that lead to qualifications and focus on developing specific skills and knowledge.

Technology Solutions

Learn new techniques through active consultancy advice or information including prototyping and testing, seminars, workshops, networking events. Flexible access to high quality facilities and you can visit your chosen facility centre as often as you like.

Knowledge Exchange

The Gateway provides a hub that SMEs can tap into, helping you take up and exploit new technology.

This includes:

- Placements of students / learners with employers
- Skills delivery and mentoring
- Consultancy services
- Use of facilities
- Applied research
- Brokering expertise and manufacturing capacity between industrial organisations

Contact us

For further information and to find out if your business qualifies:

Visit www.swcompositesgateway.co.uk

Email compositesgateway@cityofbristol.ac.uk

Phone 0117 312 5270