LMAT provides consulting services to improve composite products by eradicating manufacturing defects and lowering risk associated with complex processing. We work closely with the aerospace, wind energy and automotive industries, improving composite production methods and overall product quality. We develop and use state-of-the-art tools for composites process simulation. LMAT is based at the UK National Composites Centre, is a member of the Composites Innovation Cluster and is a partner on the Lightweighting Excellence program.
Our services
Tooling Compensation for process induced distortions
During cool-down and removal from the part from the tool, curved composite laminates distort as a result of the mismatch between the through-thickness and the in-plane thermal expansion coefficients, as well as complex cure shrinkage mechanisms taking place in the early stages of cure. Distorted components may cause problems during the assembly, significantly increasing overall product cost as well as its in-service performance.
LMAT’s numerically compensated tooling surfaces will allow you to manufacture composites within tight tolerances, illuminating the need to re-cut tooling.
Tooling Design to Eliminate Process Induced Defects
Manufacturing defects often originate from errors in tooling design. At LMAT, we can help you mitigate the risk associated with tooling design. LMAT’s numerical cure models allow prediction of fibre bed compaction, ply/fibre waviness, corner bridging, porosity & complex tool-part interaction mechanisms (also involving transfer of preformed material from mandrels to male/female moulds).
Tooling Design for Optimal Infusion Strategies
In the resin infusion process, the correct positioning of inlet and vacuum ports is critical in achieving 100% fill and an optimal infusion time. More advanced infusion strategies utilising multiple inlet gates may produce undesired filling patterns, leading to porosity or complete lack of resin saturation.
Our numerical algorithms include the capability to simulate the entire filling process for both closed mould and semi flexible tooling. We offer a unique simulation procedure which tracks pressure changes in fully saturated, partly filled and unsaturated areas of the composite part.
Our expertise will help you in the development of vacuum or high pressure driven infusion processes.
Material library
At LMAT we have developed a unique procedures for characterisation of material behaviour at the early stages of cure. This knowledge is critical to providing reliable numerical models of the manufacturing process.
Our material libraries include:
- Cure kinetic models based on DSC experiments
- Specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity measurements
- Elastic properties of the material in the rubbery state including cure shrinkage and thermal expansion coefficients
- Elastic properties of the material in the glassy state including cure shrinkage and thermal expansion coefficients
