JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008 - 102

USERS’ PLATFORM Applications From motor sport to aerospace Building on its motor sport success, ACG now provides the global composites industry with a unique combination of materials, design and manufacturing expertise, as well as custom-formulated, innovative materials and manufacturing solutions for complex applications. - tailored mechanical properties, - environmental and corrosion resistance, - low coefficient of thermal expansion, - vibration damping, - fatigue resistance, - simple repair procedures. STEVE MILNER, TECHNICAL AUTHOR, DR. JOHN NIXON, TECHNICAL MARKETING MANAGER, Ongoing innovation ACG’s products evolved rapidly over a period of ten years. It all started with the LTM® (Low Temperature Moulding) series of resins. A key aspect of LTM technology is its ability to “step ahead” cure. These resins are formulated to cure at low temperatures and can be transformed into highly robust structures by further heat treatment. From a performance viewpoint, these resins have better mechanical and thermal characteristics than those expected from a particular curing condition. This enhanced stability allows initial curing to take place at 50 to 60°C, thereby utilising relatively lowcost tooling. The cure can then continue to a much higher level, with stability still running ahead of the cure temperature, but with the part now out of the mould and without risk of distortion. This concept was first exploited in the LTM tooling systems, which have formed a solid foundation upon which the Group has grown. A truly international group ACG is now a truly international group that operates through four divisions: two in the UK, one in North America and one in South Africa. Currently employing over 560 professionals, including specialist design engineers and formulation chemists, ACG is underpinned by a network of dedicated market sector development managers and a host of independent agents and distributors. This experienced team is supported by a UK-based Technology Centre, a central research and development facility that has been focusing on advanced fibre reinforced composites technology for many years. Over the years, the Group has been engaged in a range of major development programmes in the aerospace, motor sport, automotive, marine, space, sports & leisure, wind energy, and construction industries. Its determination to push the boundaries ever further and develop innovative solutions has led to significant involvement in a range of programmes that have paved the way for the successful application of new technologies for tomorrow’s ground-breaking products. What you get from ACG is advanced, fully-compounded reactive systems ready to laminate. While off-theshelf products are available, the Group is profoundly motivated to provide products designed for application, thus ensuring that optimum suitability for purpose is achieved at all levels of functionality, performance and environment. ADVANCED COMPOSITES GROUP T he Advanced Composites Group (ACG), which is part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, has been operating in the advanced composites industry for over 30 years. In its early days, the Group manufactured composite parts for race cars, i.e. skirts, body panels, etc., but it soon realised that if the full potential of these exciting new materials could be acknowledged, a new generation of safer, faster, composite race cars would become reality. This would also initiate an era of boundless design freedom. Many recipients, including major race car, sports car and yacht building manufacturers/competitors, have – for many years - benefited from the application of ACG's advanced composites materials. ACG's perpetual product evolution programme has led to the development of customized resin matrix systems that have been used by leading names to manufacture functional, aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing structures. Recent press articles, reporting successes and trophies held aloft, bear witness to these accomplishments and the realisation of many dreams. Today’s design engineers now have access to a range of products that offer: - high specific stiffness and strength, - low weight, SpaceShipOne ACG initially developed innovative, robust tooling systems for a range of applications. The LTM resins developed for these systems were extremely resistant to high temperatures, but their inherent brittleness made them totally unsuitable for structural applications. A prepreg laminate requires a JEC Composites Magazine / No39 March - April 2008 Courtesy of Scaled Composites

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008