Composites technology company Cygnet Texkimp has supplied a multi-mode filament winding cell to TWI’s Materials Integrity Centre in Middlesbrough, UK.

The technology will be used to enable the development, validation and commercialisation of new composite materials and parts, including high-performance pressure vessels and pipes for the aerospace, nuclear and hydrogen markets.

TWI is a UK-headquartered, membership-based research and technology organisation offering R&D support and engineering, materials and joining technologies at 18 sites worldwide, delivered by over 800 scientists, engineers, consultants and support staff. Its Materials Integrity Centre is a state-of-the-art laboratory and test facility part funded by the European Regional Development Fund to provide specialist materials and engineering support to businesses in the North East of England.

The cell delivered by Cygnet Texkimp consists of a filament winding machine, a driven fibre unwinding creel and pneumatic mandrel extraction technology. It is designed to run in a number of modes and can be modified to accommodate different resins and materials, with an adaptable wet-out system and wet winding capability to trial and optimise new resin formulations.

The machine can wind four tows simultaneously and each tow has its own tension control unit and dancer arm to regulate tension. This, coupled with a bespoke fibre handling and delivery system, enables accurate winding at higher tensions and speeds. The machine developed for TWI is currently capable of winding dry fibres and towpregs at tensions in excess of 100 Newtons, but with simple modifications, and depending on the fibre being wound, can be engineered to produce much higher tension in the region of 200 to 300 Newtons.

“The filament winder is a key piece of equipment that will help TWI deliver research and manufacturing projects on composite pipes and tanks,” said  Amir Khamsehnezhad, section manager at TWI’s Polymers and Composite Services Section. “The equipment is already playing a role as part of a bid to develop technology for the European Space Agency.”

“A crucial feature of this highly versatile, multi-mode winding cell is the ease with which it can be modified and customised by TWI, giving the organisation and its partners a very flexible resource to carry out effective product development and optimisation,” added Gareth Davies, international sales manager at Cygnet Texkimp. “As with all our machines, the way the fibres are handled and guided through the cell is critical to the quality and performance of the end product. Because this machine has been designed to look after the fibres throughout the process, TWI and its partners can achieve higher production speeds and fibre tensions, which in turn leads to lighter, thinner parts.”

www.cygnet-texkimp.com