Carbon-fibre winder could 'revolutionise' lightweight plane manufacture

Engineering news

Professor Prasad Potluri, Andy Whitham and Dr Yan Liu with the 3D Winder (Credit: Cygnet Texkimp)

A new carbon-fibre winding machine could “revolutionise” manufacturing of next-generation cars and planes thanks to improved speed over traditional methods, its creators have said.

As the automotive and aerospace sectors aim for lighter and more efficient vehicles to facilitate greater electrification and lower emissions, more parts will be made of composite materials. Researchers from the University of Manchester and specialist machinery manufacturer Cygnet Texkimp are confident their 3D Winder, honed over a two-year Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership that has now ended, could lead the way.

The nine-axis robotic machine winds carbon fibres around a central spindle to create parts. The partnership said the process is quicker and cheaper than braiding and weaving, which combine the fibres in complex ‘under and over’ patterns.

“The 3D Winder revolutionises what the composites industry can achieve with winding,” said Luke Vardy, managing director of Cygnet Texkimp. “It offers benefits in terms of cost and speed of manufacture as well as the strength, uniformity and repeatability of the finished product. There is nothing else like it on the market. It is the first machine of its kind.”

The machine improves on a prototype built by the University of Manchester’s school of materials. It can create complex parts such as fuel pipes and aircraft wing spars, and could potentially do so in “just a few minutes,” according to its creators.

International parts manufacturers, including one of the world’s leading automotive wheel makers, are using a production-scale version of the 3D Winder in advanced trials.

“We’re on the threshold of a new generation of lightweight, fuel-efficient cars and aeroplanes,” said Vardy. “Demand for greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions is driving the need for better ways of producing and using intelligent materials such as carbon-fibre composites. Our long-term objective is to see this technology adopted as a conventional way to produce composite parts throughout the world.”

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