ZSK has developed a custom fiber placement (TFP) process designed to reduce the cost, wastage, and manufacturing time of carbon composites, while providing new possibilities for improving component design and increasing end-of-life availability.
Unlike traditional methods of weaving composite fibers into a vertical arrangement and then cutting the fibers into the desired shape, TFP bundles the fibers where they are most needed for structural performance and stitches them on a compatible substrate. The person in charge of ZSK company said that this provides the freedom of positioning, allowing the fibers to bear the load in the optimal direction, ensuring that they do not move during processing, and that on typical automotive parts, fiber loss is reduced from the usual 30-70% To only 3%. ZSK's machines can use TFP to create 3D preforms that match the finished shape of typical automotive parts.
ZSK has improved the TFP method with a number of patented innovations that accelerate fiber deposition, increase versatility, and simplify the design process. Process improvements include:
1. Quickly lay fibers to reduce sewing time;
2. A fiber supply device that doubles the deposition rate and allows simultaneous deposition of different fibers;
3. Automatic switching between different materials;
4. A pneumatic cutting system for automatically cutting wires and fibers;
5. Advanced design specifications ensure perfect repetition of results, and even automatically control zigzag sewing.
"As vehicles become heavier and more complex, there is a growing demand for lightweight materials to improve carbon dioxide emissions and product performance. But in addition to the most In addition to professional niche applications, the cost of synthetic manufacturing has always been unaffordable. We use TFP to break through this obstacle, eliminating most of the manual processing and waste of traditional composite manufacturing, while increasing design freedom and improving QC."
TFP allows composite preforms to be produced from hybrid fibers, including optical or metallic materials, to provide specific properties such as electrical continuity or impedance. Bare sky wires and isolated feeders have already formed RFID components in this way.
TFP can also mix polymers with carbon fibers to form a matrix during the molding process, accelerate the production of complex parts, and improve the distribution of resin in the fiber, especially at the end of the mold. By selecting the appropriate polymer for remelting and simplifying the separation in the abandonment recovery process, the difficulty of recycling the current end of life of composite materials can be largely overcome.
ZSK can provide expertise to help auto suppliers develop prototypes and build new TFP facilities, or recommend a network of professional manufacturers to jointly develop TFP components. The company also provides ongoing technical support, including cloud-based and offline quality control solutions, and Industry 4.0 solutions (MY.ZSK) to connect sensors and evaluate data from the manufacturing process.