Espoo, Finland - Addcomposites Oy, a provider of Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) system and Heraeus Noblelight Ltd. (Cambridge, UK) have been selected as one of the 15 finalists in the CAMX 2021 “Unsurpassed Innovation Award” category. The “Unsurpassed Innovation Award” celebrates the product with a design that incorporates low-cost materials for high-volume applications that is able to change the outlook of a particular market.
The partnership between Heraeus Noblelight and Addcomposites starts with a vision to expand the implementation of advanced composites manufacturing into industries beyond aerospace, such as mobility, marine, sport, etc. which do not have the required resources to access the same cutting-edge technology.
Bruce Fricks Composites - Sales Manager for Heraeus Noblelight Ltd. described the nomination as: ‘It is wonderful to have been shortlisted and recognized by an industry leader such as CAMX. This truly is a testament to the great working relationship between Heraeus and Addcomposites and the advantages of the technologies.’
Pravin Luthada - Co-Founder & CEO of Addcomposites added: ‘We are excited to be recognized by CAMX for the solution provided in collaboration with Heraeus. It offers both high-speed thermoplastic and dry fiber production while being modular enough to quickly switch to run thermoset prepregs. This is all offered on either a monthly basis or for purchase, based on the manufacturers’ / R&D centers’ needs.’
Judging will be conducted by a panel of industry experts and will be announced on Tuesday 19th October 2021 from 08:30 AM to 10 AM (CDT).
Making aerospace technology accessible to the wider composites industry
Heraeus Noblelight’s humm3 heating technology has been combined with Addcomposites AFP-XS Automated Fiber Placement System to provide a revolutionary technology that extends access to the high-tech composites production capability beyond the aerospace industry. The AFP-XS enables almost any robot cell to be used for automated fiber placement and fiber winding with the humm3 heating system enabling processing of high-temperature dry fiber and thermoplastic materials without the need for a laser enclosure or the associated safety burden.
The modularity of the technology enables users to increase their capability whilst reducing cost and improving the organization’s ability to operate sustainably. Sustainability has been at the heart of this project as the technology enables companies that may have been prevented from playing a leading part in decarbonization to contribute to the development of lightweight mobility and alternative fuel storage, creating the opportunity to incorporate automated production of high performance, recyclable, thermoplastic composites locally. This powerful, yet affordable technology extends the opportunity to contribute to many more with the talent to do so, and hopefully will increase the speed of decarbonization through lightweight progress globally.
Fig. humm3 heating technology mounted onto AFP-XS (video)
About Addcomposites
Addcomposites is the provider of the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) system. The AFP system can be rented on a monthly basis to work with thermosets, thermoplastic, dry fiber placement, or in combination with 3d printers.
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