Clever composites: Speed, accuracy & reduced down-time

096 PLASTICS, COMPOSITES & ADVANCED MATERIALS

Clever composites: Speed, accuracy and reduced down-time

Cheetahs are famed for their ability to reach high speeds, but it is in fact their agility that is truly impressive. Cheetahs can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in just three seconds, and then quickly decelerate, turn, and sprint in another direction. But this exceptional combination of speed and precision doesn’t purely belong to the wild, and innovative composite materials are helping bring these qualities to the factory floor. Robert Glass explores how composite components can enhance the performance of automated machinery.

Improving manufacturing efficiency while maintaining high product quality is a common challenge in production facilities. Automation has undoubtably boosted productivity, but rising consumer demands drive a need to further optimise production equipment. By incorporating composite components into automated machinery, production speed and accuracy can be increased while reducing downtime. As fast as you can

Composites, also known as fibre-reinforced plastics, are fabricated by combining a resin matrix with reinforcement fibres. The blend of materials gives composites combined benefits, such as low weight with high strength and stiffness. In fact, composites have a specific gravity a quarter that of steel and two-thirds of aluminium, and have a much higher strength-to-weight ratio. This low weight gives composites the ability to move quickly, making them ideal for fast-moving machine parts. By using composite machine parts, which are lighter and stronger than their metal counterparts, the operation speed of a production machine can be increased, therefore increasing manufacturing efficiency. This is especially true for textile machines. The textile industry must transform millions of miles of yarn into lengths of fabric to supply industries such as clothing and home furnishing. However, producing one length of fabric requires hundreds of weft yarns, making enhanced speed essential to keep up with demand. In rapier weaving looms, finger-like carriers called rapiers repeatedly move the yarn back and forth across the width of the fabric. By using lightweight composite rapiers, as opposed to metal alternatives, the yarn placement process can be carried out faster and in greater volumes, therefore increasing fabric production efficiency. The high strength and durability of composites means the rapiers will be able to withstand working at the increased speed without breaking under greater force. Process precision

Composites not only allow production machines to move with increased speed, but also higher accuracy. Composite materials have low inertia, which means composite machine parts can start movements and change speeds more quickly, therefore performing with increased agility. The low weight and high stiffness properties of composites means they can provide vibration dampening up to 20 times better than steel. This increases the stability of the machine, allowing the composite component to perform with superior accuracy. Composites also have a low coefficient of thermal expansion, so machine components will not change their dimensions even if the temperature rises or falls in the environment. By maintaining the dimensions, the composite components can keep machine operation to tight tolerances. An application where agility is essential is robotics. Robotics on the production line must accurately manipulate products without causing damage. This is especially important when handling small, delicate products like electrical components or even chocolates in boxes. Here, by using carbon fibre for robotic arms instead of aluminium or steel, the arms can perform movements with quick changes in direction and high placement accuracy. Reduced down-time

Composite machine components don’t just perform well — they perform for a long time. Composite materials exhibit high durability, meaning they require less maintenance and less frequent replacement, therefore reducing factory downtime. Vibration-dampening properties mean composite components display reduced wear from processing, as they are unlikely to experience cracking in applications with high levels of oscillation, and their resistance to fatigue means they can withstand repeated load cycles. Composites are also resistant to many external factors, such as chemicals, temperature and moisture. Exel Composites provides strong and lightweight composite solutions to the machine industry, from carbon fibre robot delta arms to textile machine parts. With more than 60 years’ experience in engineering, we work closely with customers to find a solution that is tailored to their unique project. This includes optimising the properties of composites for a specific application by altering the fibres, matting and resin system. The speed and agility of cheetahs demonstrates the incredible design of the natural world, a source of inspiration for manufacturing. Composite components help advance automated machinery, making them perform with increased speed and precision, while also exhibiting extended durability.

Robert Glass is the Head Of Marketing at Exel Composites. www.exelcomposites.com

QUT: Graphene layer to protect communication systems

A collaborative research project involving Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Department of Defence aims to develop a printable ultrathin layer of carbon to shield sensitive electronics from electromagnetic radiation.

Professor Nunzio Motta from the QUT Centre for Materials Science, and Dr Kamal Gupta, from Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) are investigating the use of graphene as a printable shielding material. Graphene is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. Developments in micro-electronic technologies have led to the design of miniaturised circuits and subsystems for high speed and high capacity communication systems that are accurate, reliable, sophisticated with advanced functionalities, and are much smaller in size, light weight, and exhibit lower power consumption. “These electronics systems are also potentially susceptible to electromagnetic radiation, whereby circuits can be upset, reset or thermally damaged, which can lead to the failure of system functionality,” Dr Gupta said. An example of how unwanted electromagnetic radiation can impact on communication systems is when a microwave in the kitchen can interfere with a home’s wi-fi network. The research team will investigate a locally developed inkjet printing technology for printing a graphene film on electronic circuit boards to prevent unwanted electromagnetic radiation from interfering with communication devices. “The flexibility of inkjet printing will allow the design of multiple patterns and the superimposition of different layers to target a wide range of frequencies,” Professor Motta said.

Professor Nunzio Motta (centre), with students Michael Horn, left, and Fraser Williams.

The technology developed under this collaboration will be tested further at DST labs. This project is being funded by the Next Generation Technologies Fund (NGTF), a Federal Government initiative to promote technology development. The project builds upon previous research of Professor Motta’s group on graphene, used to develop supercapacitors, which are devices that can store energy similarly to batteries but can be charged and discharged much quicker. Along with Professor Motta, the QUT research team includes Dr Jacob Coetzee, Dr Soniya Yambem, Michael Horn and Fraser Williams.

www.dst.defence.gov.au www.qut.edu.au

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