Fabricación flexible, eficiente y automatizada de componentes en composite de altas prestaciones

Fibre-reinforced polymer composite materials are leading candidates as component materials to improve the efficiency and sustainability of many transport modes. Advantages of high performance composites are numerous including lighter weight and reduced assembly costs due to high level of integration potential. This translates into greater weight savings resulting in improved performance, greater payloads, fuel savings and emissions reductions. However, the current manufacturing processes used in aeronautic and automotive still represent high capital investments for SMEs and this represents a major barrier for their deployment in sectors like automotive and others. In this context, during the LOWFLIP project, Tecnalia, Fill and other partners have recently developed a low cost manufacturing process dedicated to structural composite parts for sectors like automotive and others, with the following features: New fully automated process chain with pick and place multigripper solution providing high production capacity and high quality/ structural performance, with low level of investment, accessible for SMEs. Fast preforming, heating and curing with snap cure prepregs and very significant reduction of energy consumption during the process due to innovative toolings The automated cell developed is ready for implementation in the main sectors using composites.