SAMPE Journal - May/June 2022 - 72

NEWS / INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Filament Winding Machine FWA 1 Duplex
The Filament Winding Machine FWA 1 Duplex is a new machine type
in the programme of Roth Composite Machinery. The innovative
concept sets new standards in mechanical engineering
for
the
manufacture of products using the filament winding process.
A new process technology enables the winding process from both
sides of a spindle and thus halves the winding times compared to
standard machines.
" Our new machine concept for the large-scale production of pressure
vessels, particularly for the automotive industry, achieves twice the
productivity of our current world market-leading standard. The new
gantry machine generation addresses the highly productive vessel
manufacture, especially for commercial vehicles " , explains Dr. Andreas
Reimann, General Manager at Roth Composite Machinery.
An innovative frame design tames the dynamics of the accelerated
production process with an increased fibre delivery volume with ease.
The new filament winding system of Roth Composite Machinery is
available with three, four or five spindles. It is suitable for production
processes in wet or dry and towpreg winding procedures by using all
common fibre types, especially carbon or glass fibres.
roth-industries.de
Harper International, world leader in thermal processing solutions for advanced materials, has been awarded a contract to
engineer and manufacture a Pitch Carbon Fiber Stabilization Mesh Belt Oven system to be installed at the University of Kentucky's
Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), located in Lexington, Kentucky. The equipment delivery and start-up services are
scheduled within 2022.
This scientific-scale equipment will be used by researchers at University of Kentucky to convert mesophase pitch, a liquid
crystal derived from coal tar, into an oxidized carbon fiber precursor material. CAER's research and investigation into coalderived
precursor material processes aims to lower the cost of producing high quality carbon fibers by over 50 percent, enabling
application into widespread use such as automotive composite materials.
www.harperintl.com
Achieving affordable space exploration will require lightweight structures for vehicles, solar arrays and antennas. Lightweight
materials also will be used for components of structures like pressurized
habitats, cryogenic tanks, landing gears and truss cages.
The problem is that NASA envisions many of those structures will be
made from tailorable composite materials, but no design tool has been
able to fully exploit the materials' full potential. AnalySwift LLC, a Purdue
University-affiliated commercial software provider, and Wenbin Yu, a
Purdue professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, are
conducting research to create one. Yu is the principal investigator. Liang
Zhang of AnalySwift and Xin Liu of the University of Texas at Arlington are
co-investigators.
AnalySwift president and CEO Allan Wood said existing design tools
were developed for traditional composites, which have straight fibers. If an
open area is needed inside a traditional composite structure, this is often
accomplished by creating a cut-out after it is manufactured, which can
compromise the integrity of the structure.
" Tailorable composites, also known as tow-steered or variable thickness
composites, however, can be highly customized thanks to improvements in
manufacturing, " he said. " New robotic techniques can weave fibers around
areas intended for openings, expanding design options while improving the structures overall properties. "
Liang Zhang of AnalySwift (left) and Wenbin Yu of Purdue's College
of Engineering stand in front of models of lightweight structures
made from tailorable composites. Yu is principal investigator and
Zhang one of two co-investigators on a research project funded by
a Phase I STTR contract from the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration. (Photo provided by Wenbin Yu)
analyswift.com
72 | SAMPE JOURNAL | MAY/JUNE 2022
www. sampe.org

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SAMPE Journal - May/June 2022

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