Aerospace

The use of composites in the aerospace industry is growing rapidly.

Initially restricted mainly to autoclave/prepreg processes, manufacturers are now increasingly concentrating on ‘out of autoclave’ processes such as RTM and Resin Infusion.

Composite Integration is working on process development with some of Europe’s leading aerospace manufacturers and has an ongoing commitment to develop cutting edge equipment for processing aerospace grade resin systems.

The Ciject® Two Injection machine for RTM and Infusion is based around a powerful modular touch-screen PLC, enabling the addition of a wide range of options and control functions.

Features include:

  • Mixed output from 0.1Kg up to 10Kg per min (dependant on resin viscosity)
  • Injection pressure range -1 to 9 Bar Gauge
  • In-mould pressure sensors (IMPS) can be connected to the machine to enable pressure control based on internal mould pressures
  • Fully automatic open/close mixing head
  • Low volume/high velocity mixing head flush system to ensure simple and quick cleaning with minimum solvent use
  • Unique catalyst/hardener monitoring system

The Ciject Three range is the result of several years of focused development work in advanced composite manufacturing technology.

Working with tier-one aerospace and advanced materials manufacturers in combination with collaborative project work, such as the AMSCI funded Propound project, has enabled us to develop the most advanced equipment currently available.

A combination of advanced control methodology and intelligent process mapping enables a step towards the target of ‘Industry 4.0’.

Originally developed for R&D and lab-scale processing, the Ciject Three had now been developed further to suit the specific requirements of the aerospace and other hi-tech composite manufacturing industries. These machines allow different resin systems to be prepared (i.e. heated, mixed, degassed) and then dispensed without the need to clean and re-prime a mechanical pumping system.

The Ciject Five has been developed as an extension of the existing Ciject range of meter-mixing injection/infusion machines. Designed specifically for large scale infusion processing, the Ciject Five uses precision gear pumps to achieve output rates.

The Ciject® Five is designed to achieve the following:

  • To replace manual resin mixing and handling in the infusion process.
  • To automatically control the rate of injection based on pressure feedback from the mould.
  • To enable the operator to have full control of the process with relevant checks, interlocks/alarms and feedback before and during the process.
  • To be easily, safely and efficiently flushed/cleaned after the process.
  • To enable real-time process data to be recorded.