FAGOR ARRASATE’S COMPOSITES TEAM PRESENTS ITS PRODUCTS AT JEC WORLD 2017

The JEC World 2017 trade fair is the largest international gathering of composite professionals, covering the entire value chain of composite materials from raw materials to processors and final products.

The Composites team at Fagor Arrasate, made up by a group of qualified engineers, presented the latest developments in composites, such as hot drape forming for the aeronautics sector or the HCL press solution for the automotive sector. The comprehensive solutions successfully reduce the weight of vehicles and grant them greater autonomy. Fagor Arrasate intends to increase its presence in the aeronautics sector over the medium term, with great plans for development.

The star products presented for the first time at this trade fair were:
• The design of automatic forming lines for SMC and GMT.
SMC (sheet molding compound): lines with the most advanced systems for process control and increased productivity, such as active parallelism control on the press and turnkey processes. These systems make it possible to obtain high-quality parts, making it possible to carry out IMC (in-mold coating).

GMT (glass mat thermoplastic): We have designed our own automation systems for these installations, which include needle grippers and pick-and-place robots, optimized for fast loading and unloading and customizable for each line.

• Continuous fiber processes, variants of RTM, such as high-pressure or compression RTM, for structural parts.
• HCL press design, providing the most efficient solution for forming processes involving composite materials.
• Preforming lines for continuous fibers.
• Hot drape forming, to create preforms with prepreg for the aeronautics sector.
The Fagor Arrasate Composites team. A proactive team.

In addition to participating at the JEC World 2017 trade fair, this team has also engaged in various entrepreneurial activities. Over the last six months, they have participated in several important international conferences and trade fairs, such as:

• The Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE), held in Novi, Michigan. The event was organized by the U.S. Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), whose main activity is promoting the benefits of thermosetting and thermoplastic composite materials for passenger vehicles and light trucks. The multitudinous participation in the event reflects the importance of the use of these composite materials in the automotive sector, echoing a similar upward trend in Europe. GENERAL MOTORS and other Tier 1 American companies showed interest during the event, at which FAGOR ARRASATE presented a project comparing three variations of RTM: Conventional RTM, HP-RTM and CRTM for the mass manufacture of automobile roofs.

• The German INSIGHT EDITION@BMW 2016 conference, organized by the Automotive Circle, was held in Straubing (Germany).It included a tour of the BMW plant in Dingolfing. FAGOR ARRASATE took advantage of the occasion to present one of its latest projects to 17 OEMs. The aim of the project, carried out in conjunction with Mondragón University, is to make vehicles lighter.

• The Composites Europe 2016 trade fair was held in Düsseldorf during the final days of November. The many visits received by active and potential customers credit its success. The event also included the 2nd International Composites Congress (ICC).