MATERIALS | CFRPS
manufacturer of fibre laser machines,
Eagle, was trying to reduce the weight
of, and the deflection exhibited by,
a 3.1m-long steel y-axis transverse
beam for one of its laser cutters. By
adopting a thin-walled composite CFRPS INCREASE MACHINE PERFORMANCE
Why is it that carbon fibre-reinforced plastics are less
likely to be used for the manufacture of industrial
machine tools and automation systems?
If you hear mention of carbon
fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs),
you – like many designers and
engineers – will likely think
immediately of Formula 1 cars, racing
bikes and fighter jets.
“While CFRPs are being
increasingly used in commercial
aerospace and mainstream
automotive applications, where the
stiffness and light weight of these
materials drive reductions in fuel
consumption and carbon dioxide
emissions, they are typically
associated with the expensive,
the exotic and the niche,” says
head of business development at
CompoTech, Humphrey Carter.
“With some creative thinking and
the right technical knowledge,
however, the unique properties of
CFRPs can be exploited in a wide
variety of more down-to-earth
industries, too. And the results can
be striking.”
The manufacture of industrial
machine tools and automation
systems, for instance, is a highly
competitive business, where
end-users demand systems that
deliver high levels of productivity
and quality. As a consequence,
companies operating in this sector
are designing larger machines,
with high-speed moving elements
that can often be several meters in
length.
These elements must be produced
to extremely tight tolerances and must
be stable enough to accelerate and
decelerate rapidly in such a way as to
maintain the accuracy of the machine.
Much like structural parts for racing
cars and aeroplanes, therefore, they
must be lightweight, and demonstrate
sufficient strength and stiffness to
support both static and dynamic
loads with minimal deflection. They
also offer damping advantage for
machine performance and prolong
their lifetime.
Indeed, for load-bearing and
structural components, or for
precision movements, the use of
CFRP can help to improve speed
of movement and acceleration,
especially over extended distances.
The accuracy and repeatability with
which, for example, a tool set can be
returned to exactly the same location,
operation after operation.
Recently, Poland-based
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