World premiere from Krauss Maffei underlines the company’s technological leadership in the manufacture of carbon fiber components

Krauss Maffei will present a world premiere at this year’s K 2013 (October 16 to 23, 2013, Hall 15, Booth B27 / C24 / C27 / D24). During a live demonstration, a production cell will produce carbon fiber-reinforced series components with a polyurethane (PUR) matrix for a sports car. One other special aspect – the components come out of the mold with a paintable surface.

Lightweight polyurethane components with a premium quality surface
The focal point of the presentation at the trade show by the Reaction Process Machinery Segment of Krauss Maffei will be a near-series production cell for automated production of CFC series components for a sports car manufactured in Germany. The roof shells (0.6 m²) for the Roding Roadster Targa contain a carbon fibre volume of 50% in a polyurethane (PUR) matrix and come out of the mould with a directly paintable surface since the fibre structure does not stand out on the surface. “This makes subsequent painting much easier since the intermediate processes such as priming or pre-painting are no longer necessary,” said Nicolas Beyl, President of the Reaction Process Machinery Segment of Krauss Maffei. “Together with the automated production process, this manufacturing method is suitable for efficient production in the automotive industry.”

RimStar metering technology for all current matrix resins
The polyurethane matrix resin is prepared by two RimStar Nano 4/4 metering machines, which are equipped for high-temperature process control with material temperatures up to 80°C. The wear-optimized design of the machines in the RimStar series ensure permanent process stability with all current matrix systems such as polyamide (PA), polyurethane (PUR) and epoxy resin (EP).

New mould carrier for RTM technology
The centre piece of the machine is the new RTM mould carrier with a compact mould carrier (CMC) design and a clamping force of 3800 kN. The mould fixing area of 1300 x 1300 mm is ideally suited for typical automotive components measuring up to 1 square meter. Fast clamping movements coupled with high platen parallelism ensure short process times and constantly good component quality. Accessibility from all four sides produces maximum flexibility for operation and automation.

Partnership throughout the entire process chain
The value for users when implementing HP-RTM in everyday production is multiplied if they have the support of a reliable partner network. Effective network activities are therefore an important aspect for Krauss Maffei, for example in this trade fair project which is being implemented together with Deiffenbacher, Zoltek Automotive , Chomarat, Henkel, Rühl Puromer, Alpex, Mühlmeier and Roding Automotive as the manufacturer. The end result is a mature production chain extending from the fibres and matrix materials through to the finished component.