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Projects

Carbon Fiber Composites - we have significant experience with carbon fiber composites processing machinery. Applications include thermoforming thermoplatics, thermosets, fiber placement and tape laying equipment. Specific examples include:

Thermoforming Press Retrofits - our team partnered with a major aerospace tier 1 supplier to retrofit and upgrade 10 production presses. The retrofits varied by application and some of the features we developed include:

  • New control systems - Human Machine Interface(HMI)

  • Shuttle system(s) - multi axis servo motors with absolute feedback(no homing required)

  • Machine structures

  • Closed loop heat control of thermoplastic warming blank hopper

  • Multi-zone closed loop control for custom and commercially available oven systems

    • Infrared based ovens

    • Resistive based ovens

  • Multi-zone closed loop heat control for custom heated platens

  • Current monitoring for individual heating elements

  • Servo controlled hydraulic press control with real time position and force control

  • Machine safety integration

    • Scanner based systems

    • Light curtains

    • 2 hand control

    • Hard guarding-fencing, interlocked doors, etc

  • Custom machine software development

    • Recipe based control
    • Factory MES integration
    • Machine status and feedback screen
  • Software designed specifically for each process and customer

Fiber Placement Machinery  - our team has significant experience in the development of complex fiber placement processing equipment including:

  • Large gantry based systems

  • Creel based material systems - as many as 32 servo based tension controlled spools

  • CCR (cut/clamp/restart) system development

  • IR heat based material deposition systems

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Sand Milling Robotics  - we have successfully developed numerous robot(6 axis)  based sand milling systems with a partner

  • Integration of commercial 5-20hp spindle on a Kuka and ABB based platform

  • Custom tool magazine and automatic tool changing system

  • Cell PLC supervisory based system to serve as operator and plant interface

  • Custom software to suit

  • Servo and hydraulic controlled work-holding system

  • Complete cell safety design and integration

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Additive Manufacturing Sand Printer  - we worked with another partner to develop a 3D sand printer for the foundry industry, it is currently being used in a research facility

  • "Sandbox" is 1 cubic meter in size

  • Sand deposition layers are as fine as 0.010"

  • Commercial integration of 400DPI print-heads

  • 10+ servo controlled axes

  • Sand delivery and reclamation system integration

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Custom Automation  - other projects we have developed

  • Moving wall - servo based wall system for a residential client who wanted to hide office AV equipment when not in use

  • Wood processing equipment for barrel manufacturer

  • Processing equipment for commercial nursery and greenhouse - we automated a manual process and increased production by a factor of 3

  • Heated platen control system for a carbon fiber research facility

  • Vacuum control system for a medical application

  • Robotic grippers for numerous industrial applications

  • Manual heat control system for heated tooling

  • Test stands, power panels, backup systems, etc

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