UV PREFORM SYSTEMS
This is a UV Preform Curing System. The robot is a Fanuc Long Arm Model 100 and is designed to place fiberglass in net shape and then cure it with the mounted UV light system. Ultraviolet light curing of composites can reduce VOC emissions by 60% to 90%, says Rita Loof, Director of Environmental Health and Safety at RadTech International This is a time and money saver. Call us now for more information.
This is a fiberglass preforming process based on the use of an ultraviolet light curable binder. This binder is applied to chopped fiberglass, which is then formed into a fiberglass preform. The process comprises the following steps:
The fiberglass material is chopped and laid-up into a steel mold into a near net shape by applying fiberglass and binder either by a robot or by an operator run PLC controlled spraying system. The finished product will approximate the finished shape as much as possible. The binder is applied by weight at 3%-6% of the weight of the glass material. The mold can be male or female depending on the application.
Once the fiberglass material is chopped onto the screen, it is consolidated and then is exposed to the UV light source. The binder material is cured in under 30 seconds, depending on light intensity and part density. After curing the preform can be removed from the mold. Holes and cutouts can be added at this time.
After trimming, the result is a finished
UV System with robot and automated fiberglass consolidator system.
Brenner International
Designers and Builders of Specialized Machinery for the Composites Industry
Designers and Builders of Specialized Machinery for the Composites Industry
32 East North Street · Newark, Ohio 43055 USA · (740) 345-8845 (740) 345-8846 (fax)
Toll Free: US & Canada: 888-345-8808
Email: rfitz@igbint.com
preform. At this point the preform can be stored for future usage, used immediately or combined with additional preforms and/or core material in a secondary forming process which allows multiple preforms to be unified into a single preform via energetic stitching.
This process allows for the creation of very complex preform shapes. These shapes can be created be a single preform or a more complicated shape might be formed using multiple tools and combining multiple preforms. These individual preforms might be very simple, but when combined they form a very complex shape which may not have been created as a single piece due to tooling limitations. This can be accomplished by the use of “energetic stitching” in which several preforms are “stitched” together using the UV curing binder to form a single preform.
Energetic stitching is the process of combining multiple preforms or adding additional pieces to a preform after its initial forming an can be done in three ways:
· Two or more preforms are treated with additional binder at the seam. These preforms can then be combined into a single preform
· Two preforms, which have been selectively cured, would have several uncured areas. These areas would have been covered to prevent exposure to the UV light during the curing process. These uncured areas could then be “stitched” to each other during the secondary curing operation where the two pieces would be brought together in a single tool.
· One preform might be fully cured and an additional uncured piece of material is added to the cured section.
In any of the three above methods of stitching, a foam, wood or steel insert could be added. This insert could be for filling or a hard point for attachment of hardware.