Production Process of

Non Crimp Fabrics [NCF]

for aviation applications

Composites without borders 2014-10-15 Moskau Rainer Seuß

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Company profile

Multiaxial structures

Spreading technology

MAX 5 technology

Application

Content

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KARL MAYER Group

KARL MAYER Schweiz, Uzwil

Verkauf, Service, Produktion

KARL MAYER, Obertshausen KARL MAYER MALIMO, Chemnitz

LIBA Textilmaschinenfabrik, Naila

KARL MAYER ROTAL Italien, Mezzolombardo

NIPPON MAYER

Japan, Fukui

KARL MAYER

China, Changzhou

Service

KARL MAYER Indien, Mumbai

KARL MAYER Nord Amerika, USA, Greensboro

KARL MAYER GB, Shepshed

KARL MAYER Hongkong

Verkauf, Service

Produktion

(ab 2014 in Indien)

Ca. 2300 employees

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Company Profile

NAILA

1945 Foundation of LIBA Maschinenfabrik

1948 production of first tricot machine

1983 start development multixial technology

2014 Acquisition by Fa. KARL MAYER

2014 Foundation of KARL MAYER subsidiary

KARL MAYER LIBA Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH

Located in Naila, Germany

330 employees in Naila

50 employees in R&D

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Milestones

1983

Start

multiaxial

technology

development

1998

Product

launch MAX 3

2002

Product

launch MAX 5

2007

Product launch

Offline spreading

machine UD 500

2010

Product launch

MAX 5

automotive

2009

Product

launch MAX 4

2004

Start

spread

technology

development

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Competence

More than 30 years experience with multiaxial technology

More than 25 years experience of processing

carbon, glass and aramid fabric

More than 10 years experience in spreading

of high performance fibers e.g. carbon fibers, class fibers

More than 15 years experience as a development partner

in automotive, aerospace and wind energy industries

Over 200 multiaxial machines installed worldwide

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Competence

Produced on Karl Mayer LIBA machines

Preforming/

Tayloring Structural part

Textile

reinforcement Carbon fiber

Woven fabric

NCF

Spread tapes

Braiding

Etc.

Fiber reinforced composites : process chain

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Multiaxial fabric consists of one or more layers of differently aligned

held in place by a stitching yarn

Multiaxial fabric

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Multiaxial fabric

Multiaxial fabric Yarns remain straight, no crimp

Direct linear utilization of fiber strength

Different angles / more then two

angle directions in one fabric possible

Combination with additional material

due to the in-line process

Woven fabric Yarns bend over each other

(= web crimp)

Indirect utilization of fiber strength

Only 0°/90° directions possible

Why multiaxial fabrics ???

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Production of multiaxial structures

Endless weft insertion [MAX 4] – processing of rovings

Finite weft insertion [MAX 5] – processing of tapes

One weft insertion system for each angle position

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Production of multiaxial structures

Process flow

Production of multiaxial structures

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Production of multiaxial structures

Weft insertion

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Production of multiaxial structures

Tape quality inspection system

Inspection system for monitoring the tape structure regarding tape width an detecting defects in

the tape like gaps.

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Production of multiaxial structures

Insertion additional material

Weft insertion for thin yarns

Glass yarn 34 tex and 68 tex

Bottom ply for wide 0° plies

Insertion of thermoset yarn / hotmelt yarn

Let off system

Non woven structures

Core material

Grid structures

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Production of multiaxial structures

Walking needle system

Minimum load and tension = reduced wear on the needle system

Reduced stitch holes = improved fabric quality

Reduced friction = high production speed

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Production of multiaxial structures

Vario stitch

tailored patterning tailored stitchlength

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Production of multiaxial structures

Vario stitch

variable

vari

able

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Production of multiaxial structures

Coating and batching

Powder scattering system with infrared heating zone

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Production of multiaxial structures

Results – new opportunities

Multiaxial fabric with core material

Vario stitch

Tailored Vario stitch

Multiaxial fabric with thermoplastic ply

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Production of multiaxial structures

Results – new opportunities

Quasi organic tension curves

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Production of multiaxial structures

Summarize main topics

Modular machine concept

Available working width 50“ / 101“ / 130“

Processing of finite Tape structures

Weft insertion for pre spread tape structures 14“ wide

Weft insertion for online spread tape structures 12“ wide

Processing angle direction up to 20°, standard execution +/- 45° and 90°

For each ply one individual weft insetion system necessary

Feeding of 0° ply, arranged between weft insertion station or close to the stitching area

Clamping system to keep the tape structures in the right alignment

Production up to 180 m/h by using 14“ wide tapes

Variable patterning in production direction and also transversal to that

Connecting the laid plies by warp knitting technology

Drapility is adjustable by using the vario stitch technology

Apply powder to the multiaxial fabric for preforming pupose

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Production of spread tape structures

Why spreading carbon fiber tows ???

spreading

spread carbon fiber tow not spread (regular) carbon fiber tow

Carbon fiber tows are available in different sizes

(size unit: 1K = thousand filaments in tow‘s cross-section)

Low K tows (1K to 6K): - better impregnation

- expensive

High K tows (12K to 50K): - worse impregnation

- low priced

Spreading = Manufacturing of low areal weight unidirectional tapes from low priced carbon tows (>=12K)

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Production of spread tape structures

Offline spreading machine

Online spreading system

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Production of spread tape structures

Process flow

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Production of spread tape structures

Offline spreading machine

Tangential draw off Spreading zone

Omega roller system Batching spread tape

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Production of spread tape structures

Online spreading system

Direct feeding of spread tapes

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Production of spread tape structures

Online spreading system

-20,00

-10,00

0,00

10,00

20,00

30,00

40,00

50,00

laying cycle

v [m

/min

]

• Compensation of non-linear weft insertion speed by controlled creel motion

Spreading speed

Speed of online creel

Speed of gripper

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Production of spread tape structures

Results

Carbon fiber spread tape

Carbon fiber spread tape with powder

Carbon fiber spread tape with grid

Glass fiber spread tape with grid

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Production of spread tape structures

Summarize main topics

Modular machine concept

Spreading of carbon fibers , glass fibers, aramid fibers

Production of semifinished tape structures or also for enduser applications

Different creel systems avaiable, twist free unwinding

Individual spreading zones for 12K / 24K and 50K Carbon fibers

Tape width 800mm or 2x 355mm (14“)

Max. production speed 25 min-1

Sectional beam for batching up to 40“

Area weights from 75 gsm up to 400 gsm, depends of the fiber Spec.

Adding functional materials like powder or grid structures as top and/or bottom plies

Constant spreading speed for offline and online system

Spreading princip by vibration, yarn deflection and heat

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Applications for the industry

Wind power

Lightweight construction

Transportation

Aerospace

Sports

Nachdruck, auch auszugsweise, sowie fotomechanische Reproduktion nur mit ausdrücklicher Genehmigung der Firma

KARL MAYER LIBA Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH, 95119 Naila · Oberklingensporn 1 · Deutschland

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