- Quickstep has successfully manufactured and cured a number of ‘thick laminate' test panels following numerous enquiries from aircraft OEM's and their Tier 1 suppliers.
The ability to rapidly cure thick laminates represents a major competitive advantage for Quickstep, as existing technologies currently require extended curing times.
Prototype sections of Quickstep-cured thick laminates were displayed at the JEC Composites Show in Paris, and attracted very positive attention from the aerospace industry.
International advanced composites group Quickstep Holdings Limited (ASX: QHL - "Quickstep") has further demonstrated the benefits of its patented composites manufacturing process, today announcing that the Company has recently been successful in curing a number of solid carbon fibre composite laminates of up to 60 mm (2.4 inches), including one void-free tapered panel ranging from 50mm down to 20mm. The laminates were made with unidirectional tape and woven fabric prepregs from industry suppliers Cytec Engineered Materials and Hexcel Inc.
Thick laminates represent a key component of composite aerospace parts, and include primary aircraft structures such as wing skins. They represent a major potential market for the Company due to the significant time saving benefits that the Quickstep Process could achieve, as well as from the ability to potentially cure different sections of a single composite part using different cure profiles.
The panels have been produced at the Company's regional demonstration centres in Munich, Germany and Dayton, Ohio. Managing Director of Quickstep, Mr Nick Noble, said the Company's decision to increase emphasis on thick laminates was a result of ongoing enquiries from aerospace manufacturers and their Tier One suppliers.
"The establishment of Quickstep showcase sites in strategic ‘aerospace locations' such as Munich and Dayton has undoubtedly put us on the radar of the major aerospace groups," Mr Noble said. "We've had numerous enquiries about what benefits Quickstep could bring to thick laminate curing times, so this has emerged as a major new opportunity for the Company."
"Our discussions with aerospace companies have indicated there is significant industry concern about future production rates of composite intensive aircraft, and the variable curing rates currently experienced in an autoclave," Mr Noble continued. "Our preliminary work and prototype production has indicated Quickstep may be able to offer significant benefits in this respect."
Quickstep's patented ‘fluid based' composites curing technology provides the ability to control the cure reaction at any point in the cure cycle or apply varying cure profiles along a single part - for example a wing section which tapers in thickness. A key benefit is the ability to control the exothermic reaction in thick carbon/epoxy laminates, in that the heat transfer fluid used in the Quickstep Process acts as a ‛heat sink'.
Professor Andrew Walker, Chairman of Quickstep's Technology Advisory Board and a leading consultant to the global aerospace industry, said the Quickstep Process offered very significant potential in thick laminates.
"The Quickstep Process offers the potential for very large composite parts to be cured quickly," he said. "In areas such as aircraft wing construction, this represents a very significant benefit over existing technologies."
Mr Noble said Quickstep displayed several prototype samples of Quickstep-cured thick laminates at the JEC Composites Show in Paris, and attracted very positive attention from the aerospace industry.
"There was a definite buzz surrounding the tapered laminate, as large composite parts with widely varying thickness present significant challenges in terms of controlling the cure," he said. "With all of the major aerospace groups attending JEC, we have plenty of interest in our technology relating to thick laminates, and will now move to capitalise on this."
Mr Noble said the Company will now work to achieve technology readiness, with the aim of becoming a preferred solution for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's). One of the key initial aims will be to manufacture subscale and full sized thick laminate parts that can be used to demonstrate the manufacturing potential.
Ben Luedtke, Technical Manager at Quickstep's North American Center of Excellence, with a piece of Quickstep-cured thick laminate. At its thickest end, the laminate contains 350 plies of unidirectional carbon fibre prepreg.