Cevotec was honored to receive the SKF Award "Processes of the Future" at the Future of Industry Challenge in Vernon, France. Fiber Patch Placement, the solution for the automated production of complex composite parts, was approved by the jury of senior executives at SKF, Atos and ArianeGroup.
ArianeGroup, one of the global leaders in space access, is the global leader in digital transformation and SKF, the global leader in bearings, in partnership with Techniques de l'Ingénieur magazine , The potential improvement of the potential of tomorrow's industrial facilities.
For the grand finale on June 6, 2019 at the Space Campus in Vernon, France, 20 finalists were selected from about 200 contestants coming from 47 nations. Cevotec presented its Fiber Patch Placement solution for the "Process of the Future" award, endowed by SKF. The additive fiber layup technology enables the automated production of complex fiber composites, and thus extends the industrial application of composite lightweight technology to more and more components. Cevotec worked with SKF and ArianeGroup to apply the patch.
"Fiber composites offer great lightweight and functional potential but are increasingly difficult to process when part design or fiber architecture are complex. Thorsten Groene, Managing Director of Cevotec, explains who's currently representing the company at Vernon. "Manufacturers urgently need smart automation solutions to improve cost efficiency, quality and yield of their composites production. We see that also in the applications we've analyzed with SKF and Ariane. Our production systems enable composite manufacturers to do that: produce more with less, that is: save time & money. "
Key application areas for fiber patch placement are multi-material (sandwich) components, complex-geometry parts and tailored reinforcement patches. Time and cost savings for manufacturers, compared to as-is processes, usually range from 20-60%. Cevotec is currently involved in several development programs with aerospace composites factories.