JEC World attracts top composites exhibitors from around the world. Aerospace Manufacturing previews some of the companies showcasing their latest products and innovations during the show.

We begin our exhibitor round-up with Anaglyph (hall 6, stand D86). The company will demonstrate PlyMatch, the latest version of its hand-layup ply placement technology at the event. PlyMatch uses augmented reality to show the live combined images of actual and target ply outlines and fibre orientation details on a monitor, so that the two can be matched by the operator. PlyMatch is particularly useful in the case of complex geometries, with high curvature or enclosed spaces. PlyMatch is used by manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, bicycle and transport sectors at this stage.

Elsewhere, Composites UK (hall 6, stands S62/T62) is once again organising the UK Pavilion for the third time in as many years. The UK Pavilion will comprise two adjacent stands and house over 20 companies. Among those exhibiting are DK Holdings, the National Composites Centre, Advanced Engineering Show, C&J Antich, CiMCOMP, CNC Robotics, Dolphitech, Hive Composites, Hypetex, Leading Edge Strategy Consulting, Loop Technology, Plyable, Slack and Parr and TWI.

As mentioned, Composites UK member, DK Holdings, a manufacturer of precision diamond tooling will be exhibiting on the UK pavilion stand.

“We are excited to be back at JEC World in 2024,” states company sales & marketing manager, John Emptage. “Face to face networking with our global partners in the composites industry is vital as it enables us to understand their requirements and develop diamond tooling solutions to optimise production processes as well as assisting with new projects.

“You’ll find us at Composites UK’s Pavilion for the first time since becoming members earlier this year which we are very much looking forward to. Attending as part of the UK trade community for the composite sector enables us to work with our fellow members exhibiting and share what innovative projects we have in the pipeline for our 65th anniversary year. Come and meet the team – we are looking forward to seeing everyone there.”

Moving on, Loop Technology (hall 6, stand S62) says it is looking forward to exhibiting at JEC World. As an industrial automation and robotics specialist, the company provides systems that radically accelerate the production of composite structures.

FibreLINE is Loop Technology’s high rate preform system that can be configured to suit specific customer requirements. At its centre is FibreFORM, a new generation of end effector that is said to be world-leading because of its capacity to effectively pick, shape and deposit composite plies at groundbreaking speed. Where traditional methods, such as automated fibre placement typically operate at 20kg per hour, FibreFORM deposits material at up to 200kg per hour.

Plataine (hall 5, stand P74) will present the latest advancements in its scheduling solution for advanced manufacturing. Plataine’s Production Scheduler uses AI-based algorithms to automatically create and optimise plans to maximise the use of the factory floor resources and ensure on-time delivery. Upon any change on the factory floor, the algorithm re-adjusts the tasks. The result is 100% visibility and 15% work orders execution increase. Stop by Plataine’s stand to see how the Scheduler Application works and play the company’s trivia game to win some cool prizes.

Next up is Thermwood, who will be LIVE printing an autoclave-capable tool for composite layup of an aircraft engine air inlet duct on an LSAM Additive Printer 510 in the LIVE Demo Area located in hall 6 at the show. The company will print a new tool each day with material from a different material supplier. In addition to LIVE printing throughout the day, Thermwood will also present an interactive demonstration once per day that will allow participants to see a real-world application of creating high-temp tooling with an LSAM system. This live demonstration will help bridge the gap between theory and practical application and help understand the full potential of LSAM and how it can help enhance productivity and innovation. Thermwood will also have its regular booth staffed by its sales team in hall 6, stand P52.

The Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) brings together public, private, community, industry and education partners to assure growth and sustainability of Utah’s advanced material and manufacturing industry. Located in hall 6, stand Q62, the mission of UAMMI is to ensure that Utah is the global leader in value-added advanced materials, manufacturing, technology development, and design by integrating industry, academic and government contributors in ways that enhance collaboration, promote business opportunities, share knowledge resulting from relevant research and engage a skilled and trained workforce.

Finally, Zünd (hall 5, stand S57) will be on hand as a leading provider of complete solutions for digital cutting in the composites industry. Visitors will have the opportunity to get a close-up view of how data management, cutting and assembly can be intelligently digitalised, automated and streamlined. Digital production cells offer particularly large cost reductions in materials and personnel. Zünd uses two practical examples to demonstrate how such digital production workflows for cutting composites can be structured.

One production line illustrates how easy it is to integrate a robot and all of its functions and thereby fully automate the removal and sorting of parts. The robot arm is controlled by the ZCC Zünd Cut Centre operating software via the Pick&Place Interface. Thanks to central control via the ZCC, cuts of any shape can be removed and individually sorted in a flexible manner by the Zünd G3 Cutter. If the cut parts are removed by hand, the operator can mark each part with labels with printed barcodes and job information, with visual support provided via a projector. The required parameters are derived from the job metadata.

On a second production line, the focus is on maximum material utilisation while cutting fibre-reinforced composite materials. This is made possible by a fully digital workflow. The Zünd PreCut Centre – ZPC software plays a key role in the process. In particular, the ability to integrate selected metadata in the output file and transfer it to the finished cut parts via inkjet printers and label printers enables efficient and flawless kitting as well as end-to-end traceability.

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