JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #98 - July/August 2015 - 10

SME

VN Composites:
from prototype to finished part

interview

VN Composites, a company located in southern France, specializes in
the design, engineering and manufacturing of technical parts made of
composite materials. As the company celebrates its 20th anniversary
this year, we had an interview with manager Jean-Paul Tronquoy,
who told us about the company's activities and goals for the next
few years.

Jean-Paul Tronquoy
Manager
Vn CoMPosiTes

took the opportunity to invest in additional
production plant, including two new presses
- one 90 metric tons, and the other, 150.
JEC Composites Magazine: Can you give us a
brief rundown of the company's field of action
(business, expertise, turnover, number of
employees, production capacity, etc.)?

JCM: You also operate in the sports & leisure,
defence and industrial sectors. Do you think
you will extend your scope to new sectors?

Jean-Paul Tronquoy : VN
Composites is a small business that specializes in the design, engineering and manufacturing of tooling and composite parts.
We have a working knowledge of all the
parameters and means required to provide
comprehensive services, including systems
design, structural analysis and sizing of
complex parts/systems, tooling design and
manufacturing (models, moulds, compression bladders, jigs, etc.).

J.P.T. : Those three sectors are the ones we
have operated in the most, ever since the
company was established. But now, we also
have a foothold in the automotive racing
sector, and we would like to develop into the
aviation and space sectors, where we could
make all our know-how available to our
customers.

JCM: You are celebrating your 20th anniversary this year - what are some of the
company's milestones?

J.P.T. : We would like to be able to manufacture tooling and/or tier 2 parts. For that,
we have a numerically controlled machine
with a machining capacity of 1500 x 1300
mm x 400 mm. This equipment enables us,
among other things, to make moulds and
models, to machine composite parts, to cut
and etch parts, and to cut prepreg fabrics.
This certification is very important for our
company. It is becoming indispensable for
access to aerospace markets and maintaining a foothold there. The system is global,
and certified companies are entered into

J.P.T. : There are not very many. In June
2011, VN Composites left the MontBlanc
Technologies Group, leading the company
to regain its autonomy and to plan a move
of its business, that same year during the
summer, to a new industrial site at Solliès
Pont in southern France. This change and
move provided us with the opportunity to
significantly increase our industrial surface,
from 350 m² to more than 700 m². We also

JCM: Last year, you received EN 9100 aerospace quality certification. What are your aims
in that sector, in particular?

10 jec composites magazine / No98 July-August 2015

the international Oasis (Online Aerospace
Supplier information System) database.
EN 9100 certification concerns companies
in the aviation and/or space sectors that
manufacture onboard products. Since the
2009 version, it has extended to the defence
sector. It is a high-stakes issue.
JCM: What currently are your main strong
points with regard to pursuing your development?

J.P.T. : We have a lot of autonomy, and a
good command of a range of converting
processes like autoclave and vacuum oven
cure, RTM moulding of polyester and epoxy,
infusion and compression. We also have a
perfect command of compression moulded
composite (CMC), a composite material
that enables significant cost savings for

Four-cylinder intake manifold (long fibre/CMC
technology)

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #98 - July/August 2015