Carbon fiber specialist Rock West Composites (RWC) says that it has increased its filament winding operation by acquiring new winders and a long-length oven and expanding into a third manufacturing bay. The equipment reportedly makes it possible to produce extra-long part lengths and large diameter tubes and add manufacturing capacity.
Use of the new bay will add 20,000 square feet of space for staff and the new equipment, the company said, while its Titan-1-4-8M-FLEX filament winder has by 60 new mandrels. This machine can wind tubes up to 30 inches in diameter, as well as lengths of over 22 feet, and is now setup for towpreg winding.
RWC has also scheduled the installation of a new six-spindle winder, similar to the one currently operating at the facility, expanding the company's high-volume manufacturing capacity. An oven with the volume to accommodate the new large format tubing is now onsite along with a high-power, long-stroke, mandrel extractor set to be production ready early February.
RWC says that it has also expanded its stock products to include a wider selection of large diameter filament wound tubing, with 52 diameter and material combinations.
This story uses material from Rock West Composites,with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
