Composites Mmanufacturing Overview
Manufacturing of composite materials can be roughly defined in four spaces and each space becomes more complex than the previous.
- Traditional wet layup is usually associated with fiber glass components used in boats, poles, shower stalls and low volume manufacturing runs for automotive. Wet layup uses an open mold process to apply resin either by roller or by spray application and is the least complex form of “Composite” manufacturing. This market space has the highest concentration of companies offering manufacturing solutions. Naxcer Composites Group does not have significant operations in this manufacturing sector and does not intend to participate in this sector of the market.
- Compression Molding uses a press and closed molds to form parts from laminate. Compression molding is the most efficient method of producing large volumes of parts. Mold materials include cast of forged steel, cast iron, and cast aluminum. Matched metal molds can cost fifty times as much as Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) open mold and tooling in the $50,000-$500,000 range is not uncommon. Traditionally this manufacturing process is used in high volume run automotive, industrial and consumer applications. Naxcer Composites Group has limited solutions in this market sector has some competitive advantages of cheaper tooling solutions and efficient manufacturing discussed immediately below.
- Vacuum Bag Molding allows the mechanical properties of open-mold laminates to be improved with vacuum bagging. By reducing the pressure inside the vacuum bag, external atmospheric pressure exerts force on the bag. The pressure on the laminate removes entrapped air, excess resin, and compacts the laminate. A higher percentage of fiber reinforcement is the result. Vacuum bagging can be used with wet-lay laminates and prepreg advanced composites. In wet lay-up bagging the reinforcement is saturated using hand lay-up, then the vacuum bag is mounted on the mold and used to compact the laminate and remove air voids. This is a process usually seen in aerospace, higher end automotive and niche applications. Naxcer Composites Group has some operations in this sector of the market for specific applications, but our primary manufacturing focus.
- Advanced Composites Manufacturing uses heat and pressure within an Autoclave after the parts have been laid out in vacuum bags and placed in molds. Advanced Composites is the most complex and costly manufacturing technique. The application of heat and pressure must be tightly regulated as the quality of the part depends on the duration temperature, pressure and level of vacuum evaporation effective during each period of time. Due to the complexities of manufacturing and equipment, this is the market sector that currently has the least amount of competition. Naxcer Composites Group has the majority of its focus in this market sector and its research and development efforts in this segment.
The advanced composites market is recording rapid growth in non-aerospace and composite armor applications such as sporting goods and even civil engineering. Further, advanced composites and thermoplastics are emerging as a substitute for steel in automotives due to highly advantageous material properties such as exceptional strength and appreciably low-weight.