Globe Machine Advanced Composites

Globe is once again participating in JEC World; the only trade show that unites the global composite industry. JEC World 2021 has recently changed dates, and is now set for June 1-3, 2021 at Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center. 

Due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, tradeshows originally scheduled for March have been postponed.  SAMPE plans to reschedule in November.  JEC World is trying for May, and Aerodef hasn’t published it’s new date as of mid-March.

Meet us at JEC World 2020, the leading international composites show in Paris, France, March 3-5, 2020 Paris-Nord Villepinte, Booth P50c.  http://www.jeccomposites.com/  

We will be featuring our latest innovations in Thermoplastic Unidirectional Tape Formatting, advancements in Globe's RapidClave® Consolidation and Curing Systems, recent installation of factory automation for Filament Wound Carbon Fiber Structure and developments in Panelized Reinforced Plastics.

Dan Allman invites you to join him while you are in Phoenix.  Use the information below to make an appointment:

Daniel Allman Director, Composites Business Development Globe Machine Manufacturing Company (C) 859-982-2342 [email protected]

Register for JEC Paris and use promotion code EXPFREEJW19VF for a complimentary 3-day pass!

Register HERE.    Promotional code box will show up on the actual registration page, not the first screen.

Dan Allman, Director of Composites Business Development has been asked to present an overview of RapidClave Technology at the Composite$ Innovation$  workshop being held at the University of Dayton Research Institute on November 14 & 15.   The workshop, co-sponsored by Composites One and the Closed Mold Alliance, in partnership with IACMI will be focused on composite structure cost reduction innovations.

For more information on the program, click here.

Globe’s Advanced Composites Equipment team, in collaboration with the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) is pleased to announce the establishment of the UDRI-Globe Composites Technology Center (CTC) to be located in Dayton, Ohio. This is the culmination of 18 months of discussions between Globe and senior members of the UDRI leadership team resulting in a collaboration agreement signed in August-2018.

Globe will install and update a RapidClave® system at the CTC to support materials/process development and applications development/demonstration projects for US DoD, commercial aerospace, automotive and other markets that lead to machine revenue generation opportunities. Globe’s manufacturing engineering expertise combined with UDRI’s proven capabilities in polymer development, carbon fiber preforming and low-cost 3D printed tooling capabilities offer a unique opportunity to further establish Globe Machine Manufacturing Company as a system-level supplier of the next generation of composites processing technologies.

In addition, Globe and UDRI are in discussions to add a larger, second RapidClave® system to the technology center in late 2019. The establishment of the CTC offers a setting for Globe to showcase the RapidClave® system and its proprietary low-cost tooling technology in an “open environment” where any customer from any market can develop and demonstrate their specific applications with engineering and strategic support from Globe and UDRI. 

Dan Allman Director, Composites Business Development (859) 982-2342

As Globe’s Advanced Composites Equipment team continues to develop and mature process technology for composites manufacturing, our customers remind us that our core competency of systems engineering is what typically wins the purchase order.  Novel and improved processes are critical to taking next steps in manufacturing, but integrating simple and cost-effective automation around and between the process steps improves quality, production rate, worker safety and economics of the finished product.  Globe Machine Manufacturing Company engineers, builds and sells process equipment, but more frequently sells entire manufacturing lines that embed those processes in the manufacturing flow.  Process equipment from partner machine builders often helps complete our lines. More than ever, our customers need a systemic solution to their manufacturing needs, so a catalog-item approach is inadequate.  Strong manufacturing engineering expertise recognizes that each machine element must interact with the one before and after; whether this is a RapidClave® and its tooling, thermoplastic tape re-orientation/lamination/consolidation/blanking, or our systems in an oriented strand board (OSB) manufacturing plant.

 Contact us to arrange a meeting at CAMX Dallas, October 15-18

https://www.thecamx.org/

As anticipated in the June newsletter, Globe’s Advanced Composites Equipment team received an order for a complete production cell to manufacture a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRT) composite product.  This European application is indicative of the growth of aerospace, automotive and industrial utilization of CFRT tape and tow products.  Globe has focused on developing and demonstrating novel and improved process technologies, consisting of formatting and conversion equipment, to better enable use of CFRT tape and tow by our composite structures manufacturing customers.  The mass-reduction opportunities and mechanical properties offered by CFRT tape and tow are hard to beat, but conversion of these materials to finished parts comes with challenges.  By re-orienting the continuous fiber in 90, 45, -45 and other orientations, re-spooling as a single ply thickness on rolls to complement the incumbent zero-degree direction tape from suppliers, downstream layup and consolidation become simpler and allow for basic automation to replace manual cutting and re-orientation.

The CompositesWorld Overmolding Conference in Novi, MI earlier this month provided further reinforcement that thermoplastic composites in general and CFRT materials specifically are a targeted growth area for volume manufacturing.  Presentations by TPRC, Fraunhofer, Van Wees, SGL Composites, Sabic and others included content demonstrating the utilization of CFRT in various forms to improve properties and reduce mass of overmolded components.  Examples of real applications, targeted research and funded development showed strong dedication to maturing these materials and processes.  CFRT formatting and conversion process equipment will continue to be an important area of growth for Globe Machine Manufacturing.

Globe’s Advanced Composites Equipment team is pleased to announce the receipt of an order to provide automated tool handling around an automated composite manufacturing process. Manual handling and positioning throughout the factory was acceptable at low production volumes, but our customer’s product segment growth now demands comprehensive automation to meet demand for their high-performance carbon fiber composite structures. Complete systems engineering packages for production cells like this are the goal for innovative process technologies developed by Globe and our partner machine builders. Developing manufacturing processes with future automation in mind is a smart way to incrementally add capacity in step with business growth. This U.S. customer will realize the benefit of the combined resources of Globe and our partner.  

We also expect to receive an order this month for equipment to support manufacture of a thermoplastic composite product. More on that European application in the July newsletter.

Strong partnerships provide opportunities for business growth and strengthen the technology and manufacturing portfolios of the involved parties.  The Globe composites team has been quoting work with other machine builders who are leaders in their respective fields and we look forward to announcing first projects with these partners.  One of the challenges of the custom equipment supplier is physically demonstrating new technology.  Most new projects are based on past proven machines and systems, but there is nearly always an element of development and invention required (the custom part).  Having equipment available to demonstrate specific manufacturing processes to a broad clientele represents a capital commitment that is often unrealistic.  Globe expects to announce a partnership opportunity in the near future in which Globe process equipment is located in a well-supported environment with the goal of soliciting funded development work from a variety of industry customers and partners.  Stay tuned for this exciting announcement.

Globe's Advanced Composites Equipment team wishes to thank all those who dedicated a portion of their time at JEC Paris to meet with us. It is exciting to exhibit at this event every year, to meet with like-minded individuals, and to discuss trending ideas in the composites arena. Our own advancements in composite processing; aerospace thermoset prepreg cure in RapidClave® and continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRT) tape re-orientation and high-volume consolidation remain at the forefront of the composites industry. It is also clear that a number of complementary manufacturing technologies for 2D and 3D tailored CFRT blanks are being offered by other manufacturers. This is good news for the growth of thermoplastic composites when multiple machine suppliers offer choices for an ever-widening range of applications from higher cost, lower volume aerospace to lower cost, higher volume automotive. JEC was also a good opportunity to strategize with our friends at RocTool, as we review candidate materials and applications for induction heating combined with RapidClave® or one of Globe’s thermoforming process technologies.

 We’re looking forward to follow-up activities generated at the show, but for those who were unable to meet in Paris, we invite you to spend some time with us at the SAMPE