HP-RTM’s Latest Progress in Italy – AI Automotive Manufacturing

 

 

RIBA Composites of Faenza, Italy, which had been producing composite parts in small batches using autoclaves and vacuum bags or ovens, wanted to expand its production of composite parts for the automotive and aerospace sectors.

 

The company’s existing production equipment and processes were no longer sufficient for the serial and large-scale production needs of the automotive industry, so it decided to immediately explore high-volume production processes such as HP-RTM and compression molding.

 

Cannon ERGOS accepted the invitation along with several other leading companies that offer such equipment, offering a complete production solution.

 

Cannon not only offers high-volume HP-RTM presses, but also epoxy-based resin metering equipment suitable for high-volume HP-RTM processes – resins that are combined with carbon fiber reinforcements to form lightweight parts. Among them:

 

➤ A three-component E-System high-pressure metering equipment using epoxy resin formula raw materials, equipped with an LN 10 three-component mixing head, which can control the flow and ratio of raw materials in a closed loop;

 

➤ A fast-stroke press with a clamping force of 25,000 kN, a platen size of 3.6 m × 2.4 m, and a very precise parallelism active control system to ensure the flatness of the molded parts.

 

Two reciprocating lower platens at the front and back of the press are ergonomically designed to allow precise preparation of one part while the other is being molded and cured in the press:

 

➤ Demolding the part

➤ Visual inspection and cleaning of the mold

➤ Placing the carbon fiber layup

 

 

Depending on the mold temperature, the curing time of HP-RTM parts varies from 180s to 90s.

 

Generally, the resin injection time does not exceed 30s, and in order to increase production, the curing and injection time may be shorter in the future.

 

The design of two reciprocating platens can effectively improve production efficiency because it allows the press to work all the time.

 

In fact, the press is in the state of mold closing and pressure holding most of the time, so when the press performs the operations of “mold closing-resin injection-curing” in sequence, 1~2 operators can complete the preparation of another lower mold outside the press at the same time.

 

Through this improved HP-RTM work island station, the Italian company can not only produce high-end composite parts for the original small-batch application industry, but is now ready to enter the first-tier supplier echelon of CFRP parts in the automotive industry to compete.

 

Cannon “One Company” can provide all technologies and equipment, and can provide one-stop services for companies that want to invest in a full set of composite production solutions.

 

If a customer wants to integrate a complex factory, having “one company” provide all the technology and equipment can better guarantee the quality of the final product than having several companies each provide single equipment and then integrate them!