Photo Credit: Boston Materials Inc.

Bimetal, from Boston Materials Inc. (Boston, Mass., U.S.), is an engineered carbon fiber metal laminate (FML). The carbon fiber in the composite is positioned vertically in the Z-axis as opposed to horizontal, unidirectional (UD) carbon fiber. Sandwiched between two metal layers, Boston Materials says Bimetal positions itself as a viable solution to replace monolithic sheet metals.

With lightweighting becoming a major focus for reducing emissions, there is a need to develop scalable, affordable technologies to reduce weight and improve performance. FMLs like Bimetal are known for having good mechanical properties and being lighter than traditional monolithic materials, the company notes. The benefits of combining two materials to produce structures to outperform individual counterparts on weight and performance highlights the need for developing more efficient alternatives than monolithic materials.

Boston Materials’ Z-axis carbon fiber (Dry ZRT) is able to combine with various thermoplastics or thermosets to create a Z-axis carbon fiber composite that can be tailored to a customer’s needs. The ZRT composite’s strength works much like an I-Beam within the Bimetal structure. The core Z-axis carbon fibers (ZRT) represent the vertical element and the metal layers represent the face and flange, working together to create a higher shear strength, impact resistance and tuned flexural rigidity.

Bimetal panels are a high strength, lightweight material that provides efficient mechanical performance, increased impact resistance and tailored flexural rigidity, according to Boston Materials. Its Bimetal panels are a suitable alternative to monolithic materials as well as traditional core materials, such as plywood, balsa and foam.  

The panels are available in a wide range of sheet sizes and are designed for ease of use in many common applications and processes. Boston Materials says the panels can be engineered to meet specific requirements for strength and stiffness while also being suitable for water cutting, laser welding, forming, stamping and, in some cases, plasma cutting. Applications include, but are not limited to, building products, commercial products, ground transportation, marine and recreation and electronics box-builds.

Photo Credit: Collier Aerospace Corp.

Collier Aerospace Corp. (Newport News, Va., U.S.) features HyperX, its new analysis and design optimization software for composite structures used in aircraft, space, automotive vehicles and many other high-end applications. This computer-aided engineering (CAE) solution offers designers and engineers new tools for balancing weight reduction with manufacturing ability, accelerating part development and helping quickly achieve airframe certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The company’s booth features live demonstrations of HyperX and answers question attendees have about the new software. Collier Aerospace spotlights two major projects illustrating the successful application of the new software. In the first case, the technology was used to size a carbon fiber composite racing sailboat attempting to break the world sailing speed record in 2023. The other initiative evaluated the feasibility of replacing fiberglass with flax plant-based natural fiber reinforcement in wind turbine blades to reduce the environmental impact of the application during the design phase. The software was used to size the blade and define materials and ply layups.

HyperX, licensed on a subscription basis, replaces HyperSizer, the company’s previous product. Existing customers are invited to migrate to the new software. Collier Aerospace continues to support HyperSizer throughout transition periods to HyperX. The new software is said to run faster and handles larger models with a new, powerful graphics engine and underlying relational database to hold terabytes of data. Along with streamlined workflows and a redesigned modern interface, engineers can do more in less time, Collier Aerospace notes.

From greater efficiency and expanded flexibility to analyze and optimize any type of composite, Collier Aerospaces says HyperX offers a new solution that helps designers gain important advantages. The HyperX mantra is “center your design,” which means helping customers find the sweet spot at the intersection of weight reduction, development speed, on-time certification and producibility.

Photo Credit: Helicoid Industries Inc.

Helicoid Industries Inc. (Indio, Calif., U.S.) brings the Helicoid technology to the composites industry, showcasing updates for the few of many development projects the company is currently undergoing with various partners. Inspired by the “smasher” Mantis shrimp and the internal architecture of its hammer-like club, Helicoid consists of layers of aligned fibers which are stacked up with a progressive change in fiber orientation which leads to a helicoidal distribution of fiber orientation. Under impact, the company says the architecture steers and controls crack growth leading to highly diffused sub-critical damage. This enables the structure to dissipate energy while preventing catastrophic failure, resulting in high damage resistance and structural integrity. Helicoid Industries says this architecture is widely investigated at laboratory level across several academic institutions and is now being commercialized in several industries.

The company provides updates on its development for rain erosion-resistant substrates for wind blade applications, such as a fiber-reinforced substrate made of non-crimp fabrics (NCF) E-glass fabrics infused with epoxy resin, developed in collaboration with Saertex GmbH (Saerbeck, Germany). Helicoid Industries reports preliminary tests that are said to show a 34% erosion reduction compared to conventional NCF BX45 substrates (ASTM G73-10). An in-depth analysis with rain erosion tests performed at ORE Catapult (Glasgow, U.K.) reveals the effect of different parameters of the composite substrate in the mitigation of the rain erosion phenomenon.

This work adds to the development effort carried out in partnership with the University of California Irvine to optimize the Helicoid fiber architecture to improve damage tolerance of wind rotor blade skins. This collaboration targets the development of multiaxial Helicoid NCF fabrics for the manufacture of Helicoid NCF structural components for wind applications. Helicoid Industries says the development project will ultimately lead to a leading-edge protection solution for longer maintenance intervals and higher blade durability.

The company will present its latest developments on natural fiber composite performance improvement. Helicoid Industries was recently awarded a Phase I SBIR grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to materialize its discoveries in improving performance of natural fiber composites into full-scale commercial products. The SBIR grant helps to accelerate Helicoid Industries’ ongoing development of a sustainable transportation industry, ultimately demonstrating the benefits of biomimetic composite innovation and technology in natural fiber composite products. 

The project is being out as a partnership with Professor Lawrence Drzal at Michigan State University. As part of the technical developments on sustainable applications, Helicoid Industries displays how high-performance carbon fiber skins for padel and pickle ball rackets can be successfully replaced with natural fiber Helicoid skins. Reportedly, this replacement results in improved durability and a wider sweet spot area, increasing the playability performance of the racket.

Dr. Lorenzo Mencattelli, R&D director of Helicoid Industries, also presents the latest research activity in the field of sustainable Helicoid natural fiber composites and their hybrids, highlighting how biomimicry and Helicoid technology can be a viable and cost-effective way of enabling a more extensive use of sustainable materials in high-performance, high-volume applications

Photo Credit: Instron

Instron (Norwood, Mass., U.S.) presents its 6800 Series universal testing systems. The new-generation testing machine is available from 500 N capacity on a single column system up to 300 kN with a floor model machine. Instron’s CAMX exhibit features a 50 kN table model system.

Instron says its 6800 Series floor models provide a new dimension of performance and durability. Reduction in debris ingress is achieved through gasketing and a patent-pending airflow design. The new frames are fortified against shock and vibration, enabling for continuous testing at the maximum rated frame capacity. Additional design steps include locating internal electrical and mechanical hardware safely away from the test area and an abrasion-resistant coating applied to the 12-mm metal work surface to assist with durability.

Designed with composites testing and other advanced materials in mind, the 6800 Series systems and Bluehill Universal software are equipped with a new Collision Mitigation feature to help reduce accidental equipment and specimen damage. Collision Mitigation enables the systems to continually monitor force during jog and return, automatically stopping the crosshead movement if an unexpected force is detected. Mishaps happen, Instron notes, and the goal of Collision Mitigation is to reduce the negative financial and downtime impacts associated with such occurrences.

All 6800 Series systems are equipped with an Auto Positioning feature which remembers a pre-assigned fixture separation and the starting location for the assigned test method. Instron says testing parameters and workflows can be closely controlled and described within Bluehill Universal software. An operator is shown a picture of the assigned fixtures, reminded to set travel limits and notified when and where the crosshead will move for test commencement. Combined with the system’s position encoder with a resolution up to 1.8 nm for a table model, or 1.14 nm for a floor model, it is ensured that specimen results are measured with complete precision.

Additionally, to ensure axial alignment, wedge grips use a moving body design, enabling for easier specimen placement with laterally uniform grip engagement. The result is improved data repeatability and reduced testing errors.

Instron’s 6800 Series systems are equipped with maintenance-free, brushless AC servomotors supporting continuous cyclic, creep and relaxation testing for up to 10 days. Instron says the 6800 Series features a data acquisition rate up to 5,000 Hz, ensuring test events are not missed when testing composites with abrupt failures.

PINFA North America (Pinfa-NA, Califon, N.J., U.S.) is a not-for-profit trade association of non-halogenated flame-retardant (FR) additive producers, compounders, formulators and FR end-users. PINFA is a global organization with chapters in North America, Europe and China. It focuses on non-halogenated technologies including phosphorus, inorganic minerals and nitrogen additives and synergists. Its mission is to educate and support fire safety as well as promote more sustainable chemistry. The organization is a company membership with three levels of membership: full (FR producers), associate (synergists, compounders, formulators and users) and professional (consultants, NGOs and associations).

PINFA-NA’s objective in attending and exhibiting at CAMX is to network with attendees and exhibitors who have new or ongoing interest in FR products and to support the role and value of FR additives as a fire-safety solution. More and more polymers and composites are being used in product design due to their light weight and design flexibility, the organization notes, which are frequently flammable. PINFA-NA says FR additives are an important solution to assist in stopping ignition or delaying the flash over time, enabling time for the occupants to escape a fire event. As an association, PINFA-NA tries to provide education, outreach and expertise to the supply chain and end markets where fire safety is an important consideration.  

Some members of PINFA-NA’s branch are Adeka (Amfine), Budenheim, Clariant, FRX Polymers, Huber, Lanxess, Nabaltec, US Borax, Technical Fiber Products (TPF), Scott Bader, Avient, Avakian Polychem Consulting, FR Advisers and Luna. Worldwide, the association has more than 40 members.

PINFA-NA offers a free newsletter, product selector, end market brochures and organized training and conference programming. To stay up to date on topics related to fire safety, PINFA-NA offers brochures, company contacts and programs.

Photo Credit: Propex Furnishing Solutions

Products using Curv technology from Bauer, Teijin, Samsonite, Rossignol and more are available for exhibitors to feel and inspect. Representatives from PFS are available to distribute samples, provide additional insight into the technology and answer any technical questions in detail. Live impact testing compares Curv to common and composite materials including carbon fiber, polypropylene, ABS and more at relative thicknesses.

Curv has achieved widespread commercial success in large part due to its ability to be thermoformed, relative low cost and its impact strength compared to plastics and composites, PFS says. It is made of heat-compacted woven polymer fibers and requires no additional fibers to maintain its strength or impact resistance. Because traditional Curv is a pure thermoplastic, it can be fully recycled and is suitable in cold weather applications.

PFS higlights Curv’s structure, enabling it to absorb and resist large amounts of energy without permanent deformation. When compared to typical plastics, metals and other composite materials, Curv is said to be designed to withstand high impacts at low thicknesses, enabling for significant weight and cost reduction. PFSs notes Curv is well suited for applications demanding very low weight and high impact strength.

Propex’s efforts in composite technology aimed to develop a lighter, stronger and more robust Curv thermoplastic composite material that is straightforward to process and easy to recycle. It can be cut, sewn and drilled through with traditional processes and formed into 3D parts through pressure thermoforming (a technique PFS can advise on). Manufacturers, PFS says, also benefit from the ability to customize Curv to match their brand with new custom weave patterns, colors, and aesthetic and functional finishes.

PFS is ready to assist customers around the world with consultation and implementation of thermoplastic composites in their specific applications. Continued investments streamline the manufacturing process from design to delivery.

Jomesa’s product line includes the HFD Optical Analysis System; Precision Scan for Elements – SEM/EDX Analysis System; filter membranes for cleanliness analysis; and filter membrane handling and archiving solutions. Photo credits: Jomesa North America Inc.

jomesa.com

Contact:

248-457-0023

info@jomesa.com

Mission Statement

It is our mission to deliver the highest quality automated microscope systems and cleanliness analysis accessories to the world of manufacturing.

About Us

Since delivering our first automated microscope system for particle analysis in 2001, Jomesa has grown to be the leader in automated cleanliness analysis microscope systems in accordance with ISO 16232, VDA19.1 and many other company-specific standards. Jomesa operates globally and has direct representation in all major automotive manufacturing markets. Jomesa offers optical and SEM automated analysis systems as well as high quality filter membranes and accessories for use in the cleanliness analysis process.

Our Team

Jomesa employs approximately 100 people around the world, spread across our six global offices. All engineering and product development takes place in our Munich, Germany, headquarters. Accessory production takes place in Munich, as well as Shanghai, China.

Our Products/Services

• HFD Optical Analysis System
• Precision Scan for Elements – SEM/EDX Analysis System
• Filter membranes for cleanliness analysis
• Filter membrane handling and archiving solutions

Awards and Recognition

• World leader in cleanliness analysis microscope systems
• ISO 17025 accredited for Particle Standard certification (first and only lab in the world)

Jomesa North America Inc. staff, located in Troy, Michigan.

Photo Credit: Xenia Materials

Xenia Materials (Mussolente, Italy) has announced the introduction of XECARB ST, a new family of supertough carbon fiber-reinforced composites, reportedly custom-engineered to close a performance gap in the market and provide superior impact strength performance.

“There is a growing demand for lightweight composites in various new markets, such as sustainable mobility and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), where we have identified a need for higher impact resistance than previously offered by carbon fiber-reinforced composites,” says Cristian Zanchetta, technical manager for R&D at Xenia Materials. “Our new XECARB ST family meets these challenges while at the same time opening new opportunities for innovative applications in existing market segments, such as sports equipment, appliances, supercars and even additive manufacturing.”

XECARB ST builds on the proven mechanical strengths of Xenia’s successful XECARB range, but is reported to show significantly higher notched impact resistance, low temperature ductility and tensile elongation at break. With slightly lower density, XECARB ST is said to offer further lightweighting possibilities. Xenis Materials notes that major customers seeking to improve impact and cold impact performance of carbon fiber composite applications are already evaluating this added potential for weight reduction and lower material and energy consumption, as well as the associated cost savings and reduced environmental impact.

XECARB ST thermoplastic composites are based on selected polyamide matrix materials — PA66, PA6, PA11, PA12, PA6.10, PA6.12 and PA4.10 — to address different mechanical, thermal and physical requirements. Standard carbon fiber content is 30% (CF30). The PA6-based composites are also available as CF20, CF25, CF35 and CF40 grades. In addition, the portfolio includes two high-modulus materials for enhanced flexural strength and provides a wide engineering window for further customization depending on specific application needs.

“Beyond winter and mountain sports equipment, from boots and running shoes to bikes, these new high-impact carbon fiber composites will help us reach into other markets and further expand our customer base in Europe, APAC and North America,” adds Enrico Mancinetti, sales manager for Xenia Materials. “Driving this growth, Xenia Materials will also increase its European sales force with a strong focus on qualified local customer support and service.”