JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #66 - July/August 2011 - 56

multiaxial

A highly efficient machine for producing carbon-based multiaxial non-crimp-fabrics
Karl Mayer has developed a weft insertion system for the in-line processing of cut-to-length tapes for use in the processing of spread-out carbon material – a new development for challenging applications, particularly in the aviation, automotive and wind turbine industries.

he company is introducing the latest innovation from its multiaxial warp knitting machine range for the technical textiles market. The new system can be used, for example, to produce multiaxial carbon fibre fabrics for reinforcing composites used in blade manufacture, an application which demands highprecision production machinery and a high degree of reliability and reproducibility.

in-line until now. The aim of this homogenising is to improve the way the textile is integrated into the resin matrix of the composite and to make it absorb forces more uniformly.

A two-stage process

High-performance textiles

Manufacturers of high-performance textiles must ensure that they can reliably meet the strict, certifiable requirements of the end-user at all times. High productivity and easy handling are also needed. These requirements are at the top of the list of features belonging to the Malitronic® MULTIAXIAL C&L (Cut and Lay) – a highly efficient machine for producing carbon-based multiaxial noncrimp-fabrics (NCF). This innovative machine is designed to process spread-out carbon tapes. The filaments are in the form of a narrow roving of varying width and tension. During spreading, they are formed into a uniform, lightweight smoothed out tape. This process has always been carried out

jec composites magazine / No66 July - August 2011

Karl Mayer has now separated the spreading process and the textile manufacturing process, so that heavytow materials can also be processed effectively with high quality, improved energy consumption, increased productivity and better working width. The key feature of this new system is an external fibre spreading line (FSL) which actively pulls the carbon tapes from the More information: bobbins on the creel, homogenises the www.karlmayer.de width and grammage of the rovings, merges them as defined together, and winds the originated tape onto a doubleflanged bobbin with a maximum width of 600 mm. The yarn package, which is similar to a sectional warp beam, is then fed into the Malitronic® MULTIAXIAL C&L. The weft carriage of this innovative machine picks up the spread carbon-fibre tape and lays it diagonally at a working width of 2.55 m for example. It is then brought to the required length by KARL MAYER’s Malitronic® MULTIAXIAL machine

the cut-and-lay process. When processing the carbon-fibre tapes, the Malitronic® MULTIAXIAL C&L combines the high product quality typical of this series of machines with an unprecedented level of efficiency and a reduced consumption of raw materials and resources. Material consumption is minimised since selvedge waste is lower than with the continuous weft insertion process. Compared with the in-line process, this two-stage process enables higher production speeds and more efficient energy use. These are important requirements for producing carbon-fibrereinforced components efficiently and cost-effective, and should guarantee the future of these versatile materials. n

http://www.karlmayer.de

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #66 - July/August 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #66 - July/August 2011