Formax Multiaxial Reinforcements — a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of carbon fiber and specialty composite reinforcements — has installed a 35-meter Malitronic® Multiaxial machine manufactured by Karl Mayer Malimo Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH, Germany, as part of a 2.5-million-euro investment program.
Formax installed the cut-and-lay machine at its new 5,000-square-meter automotive facility, which produces tailored non-crimp fabrics specifically optimized for high-volume automotive applications. According to Formax, the Malitronic machine will enable original equipment and Tier 1 automotive manufacturers to design a bespoke fabric or preform that will fit the structure being built as well as the manufacturing process, offering fast, cost-effective and efficient conversion of carbon fiber into parts.
Features of the Malitronic Multiaxial machine include: a variable width of 1,270 to 1,600 millimeters; three axes; the capability to lay ply angles ranging from 20 to 90 degrees with both in-line and off-line spreading technology, with ply weights starting at 50 grams per square meter; and electronic pattern cams that enable the generation of fabric-specific stitch patterns.
“Formax has recognized the demand being shown within the Automotive industry to include carbon composite structures within their multi material platforms,” said Dan Norton, Automotive sector manager, Formax. “With this machine, and its cutting edge spreading technology, we are able to increase fibre throughput whilst maintaining and delivering high manufacturing efficiencies.
“Resin and tooling technology are all advancing at a rapid rate to help deliver the magic 60 second cycle time the Automotive industry is pushing for, and we are confident that textile reinforcements can now be added to this list.”
April 29, 2014
