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Quality tooling is a fundamental requirement for the manufacture of composite parts. This is due to the fact that every step in the composite part manufacturing process must be tightly controlled to ensure superior material properties and predictable performance in the final product.
This program explores the wide variety of materials used to create composite tooling, including:
A wide variety of tool materials are used in manufacturing operations. For most applications, more than one type of tool material may be satisfactory, with final selection governed by material availability and economic considerations.
This Tool Materials program, provides a comprehensive examination of the three principal tool material groups: ferrous metals, nonferrous metals, and nonmetallic materials.
The Ferrous Tool Materials segment details the various carbon steels, alloy steels, tool steels, and cast irons, and how they are best applied.
The Nonferrous Tool Materials segment explores the three primary material types: aluminum, carbide, and cermet.
The Nonmetallic Tool Materials segment features in-depth information on tooling produced from wood, composites, rubber, ceramics, diamond, and cubic boron nitride.
The "Automated Composite Layup & Spray-Up" program focuses on the various automated processes and equipment developed to manufacture composite products of high quality. The use of CNC gantry ply-cutters, robots, tape lamination machines and fiber placement machines are among the automated technologies detailed.
The "Composite Materials" program features a detailed explanation of the important mechanical properties of thermoset fiber-reinforced composites. The primary types of reinforcement materials: glass, carbon and aramid are examined, as well as the major matrix materials: polyester, epoxy, bismaleimide, and polyimide. The use of thermoplastic composite materials is also highlighted.
Most composite parts and components require some type of post fabrication and/or joining for finishing. This program examines the various methods used to cut, mill, turn, and drill composites effectively. The use of adhesives and mechanical fasteners to join separate composite components together is also explored in detail.
The use of compression molding in high volume, high quality composite parts production is featured prominently in this program. The various sheet, thick and bulk molding compounds are detailed as well as mold types used. The transfer molding process, which is a technological extension of compression molding is also highlighted.
The "Filament Winding" program examines both the wet winding and dry winding processes. The primary types of filament winding methods are detailed including: hoop winding and helical winding. This program also features an in-depth look at the types and uses of filament winding mandrels.
The "Liquid Molding" program encompasses several process variations of typically low-viscosity resin systems which are used in the production of detailed, high quality composite parts. Just a few of the liquid molding processes featured includes: resin transfer molding and vacuum infusion. The use of preformed reinforcement materials is also featured.
Manual composite layup and spray-up are the most common methods of producing composite parts. This program follows each process thoroughly, detailing each step from molds preparation through to the curing of finished layups and spray-ups. The use of vacuum bag molding and autoclave molding to further consolidate layups and spray-ups is also presented.
The "Pultrusion" program details the high-throughput, continuous pultrusion process. The reinforcement materials used to produce pultrusions are followed step by step through the process - from resin saturation and impregnation, preforming, shaping, curing, and cut to length sawing.
At Glastrusions, pultruded fiberglass and polyester are used in the net-shape production of ladder rails. Century Plastics uses a sheet molding compound of fiberglass and polyester resin for a water tank seal. Also, Structural Composites Industries uses filament winding of carbon fiber and epoxy on an open-end cylinder.
This DVD program explains the basics of composite materials and manufacturing by featuring segments on: composite matrix and reinforcement materials, composite manufacturing processes, and composite fabrication and joining methods. The first segment features the primary types of matrix and reinforcement materials, as well as the various forms in which they are available. The composite manufacturing processes segment highlights the numerous methods of producing composite parts, including: manual lay-up, automated lay-up using tape laying machines and fiber placement machines, vacuum bag molding, spray-up, filament winding, pultrusion, and resin transfer molding. The various ways in which composite parts are cured is also presented. The composite fabrication and joining segment features the use of cutting, machining and drilling to fabricate composite parts, as well as, adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening methods for joining composite components.