New Composite System Reduces Moulding Times

Surface Generation has unveiled its new Multiplexing compression moulding technology for high-volume manufacturing.

Parts taking more than six minutes using traditional compression moulding techniques can now be produced in two minutes using the company’s Multiplexing technology.

The Multiplexing system has been developed to form fibre-reinforced plastic components in high-volume manufacturing environments with greater speed and precision. It uses a unique transfer process with a pressure containment cassette that allows mould faces and laminates to be held at predefined loads, even outside the press.

Mould faces are loaded into the cassettes and passed through a series of material loading, preheating, moulding, cooling and de-moulding stations, which precisely control the temperature and pressure applied. The use of multiple cassettes, preheating and cooling stations minimises time within the press and makes it possible to achieve Takt times of as low as one minute.

Ben Halford, Chief Executive at Surface Generation said;

Traditional transfer processes use laminate preheating, with cold tools to speed production. With PtFS and Multiplexing the mould heats, stabilises and cools parts, allowing the press to open early and freeing this expensive bottleneck to run again.

The company is planning a series of open days in the autumn for people to see Multiplexing being used for thermoplastic compression moulding, along with PtFS in more conventional injection moulding and thermoset Out-of-Autoclave applications.