
SAMBA Systems installed in USA & Italy, new ARTIST STUDIO features, the H2 tank revolution and FPP for aerostructures
Dear friends of Fiber Patch Placement,
The current year started at high pace for us. Already mid-February, our teams installed the first FPP system on U.S. soil at NIAR, directly followed by a second installation of a SAMBA Pro system at Leonardo in Italy. Meanwhile, our Software Team released the 2022 version of ARTIST STUDIO – packed with many new features – and our Application Development Team produced an optimized, dome-reinforced type 4 pressure vessel together with industry partners. Also noteworthy, in particular for design engineers: We published brand-new test results comparing standard FPP laminates with classical continuous fiber laminates.
I’m proud of our team who accomplished all of this despite the ongoing pandemic and related restrictions! But our team also needs your support: We are currently hiring for several tech positions – if you know someone who might be a good fit, please forward this newsletter to them!
Personally, I’m quite excited about our upcoming industry events, in particular JEC World in Paris in just about two weeks, and SAMPE in Charlotte (USA) end of May. We will be present with booth & team at both events, and I hope to meet you again “live” and discuss current FPP developments
For now, enjoy your read!
Your
Thorsten Gröne
Contact
+49 89 2314 165 0
advantages@cevotec.com
Technology
New SAMBA systems installed at NIAR (USA) & Leonardo (Italy)
First quarter of this year was already busy and successful for Cevotec: We commissioned two SAMBA Pro Prepreg systems for aerospace customers. Mid-February, one SAMBA Pro Prepreg system was installed at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University (WSU) in the U.S. The second SAMBA system stayed in Europe and found its new home at Leonardo in Italy. Both systems feature new and upgraded functionalities: Besides an advanced material cooling and an ultrasonic cutting unit, it is now possible to configure a system with two 6-axis pick & place robots. Click on the button below to read more about the new features:
If you would like to see our FPP system dancing and patching, check out our new video about the SAMBA Pro features:
Technology
ARTIST STUDIO 2022 release: New features & updates
The backbone of FPP technology is our CAD-CAM Software ARTIST STUDIO. It is the perfect tool for digital product development with FPP, enabling optimized patch laminate design (PATCH ARTIST) and automated robot offline programming (MOTION ARTIST). With our big 2022 release, we added several new features such as variable patch length, closed curves, 12 axis robot support and our brand-new FE-module. Besides our existing FE plugin for HyperMesh, we now offer a FE-module integrated in ARTIST STUDIO which results in significant time savings for the FE model creation. Sounds interesting? Read more in our dedicated article:
We created a short video for you to show the new ARTIST STUDIO features live – click on the button below to watch it:
Projects
Full scale pressure vessel demonstrator in Paris
As announced in previous newsletters, we have developed an industrial automation solution to reinforce the domes of hydrogen pressure vessels, using FPP technology. The reinforcements are placed directly on the liner by a robotic FPP system substituting the high-angle helical layers. This translates into valuable material and weight savings up to 15% while achieving equivalent mechanical properties.
To underpin our approach, an optimized, full-scale demonstrator was developed and tested in a joint project with industry partners. The goal is to optimize the fiber lay-up, also by simulation, in order to minimize cycle time and cost, ensure required mechanical properties and subsequently evaluate the impact of FPP dome reinforcement in an industrial production setting. The project comprised the laminate design, simulation and optimization, as well as the production and comprehensive testing of dome-reinforced type 4 pressure vessels.
While the project team is still working intensively, we are already planning to present a reinforced, full-scale pressure vessel demonstrator at JEC World in Paris (May 03-05, 2022). Interested parties can find us in hall 5 at booth Q 80.
Company/Jobs
Join the cevoTeam to revolutionize the H2 tank production!
Cevotec is known for manufacturing innovations in composites. Besides further enhancing the multi-material lay-up capabilities of our SAMBA systems and serving ongoing customer projects, our technical teams focus in 2022 mainly on the realization of a SAMBA system dedicated to the production of H2 tank dome reinforcements.
In order to make the new SAMBA Pro PV systems “dance”, we are now looking for motivated C++ software developers, expert robotics & control developers, experienced automation engineers, creative composite engineers and skilled mechatronics. If you are looking for your next technical challenge paired with innovative technologies and a motivated, international team, join us here at Cevotec! Check out our latest job offers:
If you want to stay tuned about our job openings, subscribe for our jobletter:
And if you know somebody, who might be interested, please forward this newsletter!
Technology
Fiber Patch Placement for composite aerostructures
Cutting patches from a fiber tape and placing them precisely on predetermined positions of a 3D mold are at the core of the FPP process. The possibility to orient each patch individually along principal or also local load paths opens up new and efficient design opportunities for automated fiber lay-up applications in aerospace. However, since an FPP laminate features a large number of patches representing a discontinuous fiber pattern, the question of material equivalency to classical laminate designs with continuous fibers arises. To investigate that question, we conducted several mechanical tests according to relevant aerospace testing standards. The results show the potential for FPP to become a standard manufacturing technology for high-performance composite aerostructures while maintaining material equivalency in terms of aerospace design standards.
We summarized the results in a peer-reviewed paper for you, which our Technical Director Dr. Florian Lenz will present at this year’s North America’s SAMPE Conference, May 25 in Charlotte. Interested parties can meet our management and sales team at booth S 30 during the show.
Too curios to wait for SAMPE? You can download the results paper here:
Events
See you around
After 2 years of mostly virtual meetings, we at Cevotec are looking forward to re-joining live events this year. Starting with JEC World beginning of May, SAMPE North America end of May, some aerospace B2B meetings in Spain among others, and several other events and conferences, our calendars are fully packed. We hope to also meet you “live” again! Check out our cevoCalendar:
JEC World 2022
May 3 – 5, 2022
Paris-Villepinte, France
Hall 5, booth Q80
SAMPE North America Conference & Exhibition
May 23 – 26, 2022
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Booth S30 – Composite Automation & partners
Wednesday, May 25, 10:00 AM: Additive Manufacturing presentation, Dr. Florian Lenz speaking on “Fiber Patch Placement in aerostructures: Investigation on material equivalency”
Aerospace & Defense Meetings Sevilla
June 7 – 9, 2022
Sevilla, Spain
ICS International Composites Summit
September 21 – 22, 2022
London, United Kingdom
Booth N3
CAMX The Composites And Advanced Materials Expo
October 17 – 20, 2022
Anaheim, California
Thank you for spending some time with us
We hope, you enjoyed reading our latest cevoNews. Stay tuned and don’t miss our next newsletter in summer. See you around at JEC or other upcoming events!
Your
Henriette Morgenstern
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