JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #33 - June 2007 - 19

Densified chopped strand for hightemperature polymers www.itwplexus.co.uk high-performance range of methacrylate adhesives to bond a variety of composite materials. Plexus adhesives allow faster and easier assembly and produce durable high-strength bonds to virtually all resins and gelcoats, as well as most thermoplastics and metals. Unlike marine putties, the adhesives chemically fuse FRP and composites. They produce bonds so strong that the substrates will delaminate before the bond fails. Because they eliminate surface preparation and cure rapidly at room temperature, Plexus adhesives dramatically simplify and shorten assembly times, taking cost out of the finished product. These adhesives are being used to speed up production, reduce component weight and increase durability. As an example in boat-building applications, the problems caused by having wood beneath the water line have been eliminated by the introduction of composite stringer and liner assemblies. strand at the JEC Composite Show 2007 in Paris. This new product is a specially developed densified chopped strand for high-temperature polymer compounds such as PPS, PEI and PEEK, that exhibits superior mechanical performance, thermal and chemical resistance. ThermoFlow® 768 provides superior matrix bonding and its excellent strand integrity exhibits best-in-class fibre flow resulting in a more effective fibre distribution. A reliable, consistent supply of fibres to the extruder leads to more consistent properties in the customers’ end use product. Available in 4mm length and 10µ fibre diameter, ThermoFlow® 768 will be used in various applications such as throttle bodies, hot water pumps, electrical sensors, power tool parts, insulators, etc. Multiaxial machine gets a facelift Special JEC Composites Show 2007 Automated cutting systems www.jm.com The Multiaxial machine from Karl Mayer Malimo is a high-tech knitting machine with several weft insertion systems. It can process high-performance materials such as textile glass and carbon fibres to produce multiaxial textiles for reinforcing a range of materials. The rigidity of the fibre-reinforced composites produced can be adjusted and they can withstand extreme mechanical loads. Above all, the composites are lightweight and resistant to corrosion and chemicals. These characteristics have opened up new applications and enabled multiaxial fabrics to win a share of the market. For example, they are already being used in aircraft tail assemblies, fuselages and wings; fast-moving machine parts; tennis rackets; skis; snowboards; and rotor blades for wind turbines. The machine technology is continuously being improved in order to make the most of the expanding business in these lightweight “power packs”. The latest modifications made to improve the efficiency and quality of the Multiaxial machines have involved integrating a new suction system and equipping the inserting mechanism with compensators for continuous yarn take-off from the roving, with simultaneous optimisation of the weft yarn tension. This has simplified the electronic systems and software solutions, thus reducing the likelihood of downtimes. www.karlmayer.de Johns Manville introduced a new generation of ThermoFlow® 768 chopped Lectra, a world leader in software, CAD/CAM equipment and related services dedicated to the fashion, automotive, aeronautical, marine and furniture markets, presented its complete integrated offering dedicated to the processing of industrial fabrics at the JEC Show. The company’s stand featured a demonstration of the newgeneration VectorTechTex automated cutting system. Versatile and precise, the VectorTechTexFX solution brings the most advanced response to the production needs of manufacturers working with industrial fabrics. Capitalising on fifteen years of success in automated cutting solutions for small production runs, the VectorTechTexFX benefits from Lectra’s intensive R&D efforts to provide industrialists with the productivity and reactivity they need to preserve their competitive advantage. Cutting precision and traceability are essential for companies that process industrial fabrics, and the VectorTechTexFX is perfectly adapted to these constraints. The new piloting software allows for a reduction of No33 June 2007 / JEC Composites Magazine material consumption and optimises markers and cutting quality. It is user friendly, provides process security, and features an integrated smart maintenance system to ensure maximum performance and production availability. With the new intelligent VectorTechTex range, Lectra has gone a step further to help its customers produce more volume, faster and cheaper than ever before. The predictive maintenance management integrated into the piloting software enables it to act proactively, using warning alerts to prompt maintenance actions before failures can occur. In this way, the system limits the need for intervention and guarantees maximum availability of the

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #33 - June 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #33 - June 2007