Summary - Hexcel.com

2008 April
Summary
Nantes and
China Plants
2
HexTow® and
HexTOOL®
3
New Products
4
Hexcel Composite
Solutions
5
6
Hexcel goes from Strength in its 60th year
Hexcel goes from Strength
to Strength in its 60th year
At the JEC show in Paris this year and at SAMPE
in Long Beach Hexcel will be celebrating the
company’s 60th anniversary by promoting the
latest composite innovations for aerospace and
industrial markets.
2008 is a landmark year for Hexcel in which the
company is opening three new plants: in Nantes,
France; Illescas, Spain and Tianjin, China.
Hexcel is also in a major expansion phase having
announced a $180 million investment program to
increase the company’s carbon fiber capacity to 7000
tons by 2010.
Discover more . . .
Stand Number: G55
60 years of Innovation
Hexcel founders, Hughes and Steele,
were awarded their first contract back
in 1948 by the Wright-Paterson Air
Force Base (USA) for research and
development into honeycomb for
radomes on military aircraft. Meanwhile
in the UK, Hexcel’s site at Duxford was
making an early foray into biocomposites
when during the war a lack of metal prompted the site to build a
Spitfire demonstrator fuselage using flax reinforcement and phenolic
resin. Hexcel was even involved in the first landing on the moon having
supplied crushable honeycomb foil for the foot-pads of the Apollo 11
lunar landing module.
60 years of Strength
Hexcel today is the result of a number of
companies with experience in carbon fibre,
reinforcement fabrics, resin formulation and
honeycomb coming together under a single
banner to provide a number of material solutions
to industry. Hexcel proves that large doesn’t have
to mean cumbersome and inflexible. Its approach
of setting up small, efficient satellite plants next to
major customers provides a local and effective resource.
The investment in new carbon fibre capacity demonstrates
a commitment to Hexcel customers to supply their future
requirements. Hexcel’s ongoing development of new
and improved products for aerospace and other
industries continues the pioneering spirit that led to
the creation of the company back in 1948.
We look forward to the next 60 years!
Hexcel’s stand at JEC
composite trend 2008 V02.indd 3 12/03/08 16:12:00

Hexcel opens new Prepreg Facility in Nantes, France
Nantes & China new Plants Nantes & China new Plants
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Hexcel offi cially opened its new prepreg manufacturing facility in
Nantes, France on 24 January 2008. The plant opening was part
of Hexcel’s on-going investment program to meet the growing
requirements for high performance composites in the aerospace
industry and to streamline the supply chain to our customers.
Hexcel’s new Nantes facility manufactures HexPly® M21
unidirectional prepreg which it supplies mainly to the neighbouring
Airbus plant and its subcontractors. Hexcel opened a similar
satellite prepreg plant in Stade, Germany in 2007.
Hexcel’s satellite plant strategy was established to meet customer
expectations in delivery and responsiveness, to enhance product
quality, while making the overall supply chain more effi cient and
reliable.
Typical applications for HexPly® prepregs made in Nantes are the
A380 and A400M central wing box and A340-500-600 keel beam.
Hexcel to Open Prepreg Plant in China . . .
Later this year Hexcel will open a new facility in China to meet
the strong demand for composites used in wind turbines. China
is experiencing major growth in its wind energy market and the
country plans to increase the amount of energy the country obtains
from wind power from 5GW in 2008 to a total installed capacity of
30GW by 2020; a strategy that will require a major increase in the
number of wind power plants in the country.
Hexcel has secured a total fl oor area of 30 000m2 site in Tianjin,
close to the facilities of major wind power customers. The plant
building area will occupy approximately 8,000m2 and manufacture
HexPly® epoxy resin prepregs, primarily for wind energy and
industrial applications.
At the opening ceremony
in Nantes a plaque was
unveiled by Hexcel
President, Bill Hunt, in the presence of Mr Gilles Guillon, Airbus
Saint Nazaire Plant Director.
“We have invested in Nantes to meet the growing requirements
for composites for new aircraft programs and have implemented a
state of the art supply chain model that streamlines the process and
delivers an outstanding level of service and high quality products to
our customers.” said Bill Hunt, Hexcel President.
He added: “I would like to pay tribute to Hexcel’s Operations
team, our suppliers, the local community and particularly Airbus
for their support and assistance during the plant build and material
qualifi cation stages.”
Prepreg is widely used in the wind energy industry where its
outstanding strength and low weight have enabled turbine blades
to grow to today’s giant proportions. At JEC this year Hexcel is
launching a new prepreg for wind energy, HexPly® M19, which
meets the industry requirement for a shorter cure cycle, thereby
reducing shell and spar production times. The shorter cure cycle
means that cheaper tooling resins, coats and support systems can
be used, giving potential cost-savings of up to 10% per mould.
HexPly® M19 has the added benefi ts of being highly durable and
diuron free, in anticipation of new European safety regulations.
HexTow® & HexTOOL® HexTow® & HexTOOL®
composite trend 2008 V02.indd 4 12/03/08 16:12:25

HexTow® & HexTOOL® HexTow® & HexTOOL®
Hexcel invests in additional HexTow® Carbon Fiber Capacity
Hexcel is a major supplier of HexTow®
carbon fi ber to the aerospace industry,
with key programs including commercial
aircraft, aero-engines, helicopters and
military jets. Hexcel manufactures
Intermediate Modulus (IM) and High
Strength (AS) carbon fi bre, including
the industry standards AS4
and IM7, most of which
are available in 3K,
6K and 12K formats.
Hexcel produces more
IM fi bre than any
other manufacturer
worldwide.
Back in 2005 Hexcel
announced a $100 million
investment programme to
expand its carbon fi bre production
capacity and meet the growing demand
Another success for HexTOOL® composite molding material
The CNIM group has joined a number of
companies who have acknowledged the
outstanding benefi ts of HexTOOL® after
their study of the design and manufacture
of composite molds for Airbus A350
XWB fuselage panels.
After examining all the technologies likely
to meet the specifi cations, CNIM chose
HexTOOL® for a number of reasons:
- the quasi-isotropic material eliminates
the need to follow a laminate schedule.
- the average ply thickness is 1.3 mm,
about three times thicker than a tooling
prepreg ply, which saves considerable
time;
- out life is greater than 21 days at ambient
temperature, compared to just a
few days for standard tooling prepregs.
This makes HexTOOL® much easier to
use when manufacturing large molds;
- the machinability is another advantage
for a composite material and is a decisive
safety factor in the mold fabrication
process, since mold accuracy is obtained
by machining rather than relying on
the accuracy of the master model.
CNIM produced two demonstrator
molds, the largest of which was four metres
wide by eight metres long. Machined
tooling was chosen for the master
mold and the HexTOOL® was laid-up
over an infused epoxy skin. The molds
were autoclave cured at 190°C under
a pressure of 7 bar, then post-cured in
an oven to complete the manufacture of
the rough mold prior to machining. The
molds have an operating temperature of
218°C (maximum Tg, 250°C).
Both molds have now been delivered to
Airbus where they have been used to
manufacture two parts that are being
tested. HexTOOL® has many advantages
for the end customer, which include:
- same coeffi cient of thermal expansion
(CTE) as for carbon/epoxy parts, which
greatly facilitates part design;
- use of carbon/bismaleimide (BMI) prepreg
confers an operating temperature
at 230°C and allows repeated 180°C
cures, meaning that the service life is
greatly reinforced;
for carbon fi ber composites. A new
line was opened in Salt Lake City in
2006 and output was also increased at
Hexcel’s PAN precursor plant in Decatur,
Alabama.
As part of that initial investment phase,
Hexcel will open its fi rst ever European
carbon fi ber plant at Illescas in Spain
(near Madrid) later this year. This will
be followed by Line 10 in Salt Lake City,
USA.
Hexcel has subsequently announced
an additional $180 million investment
in HexTow® carbon fi ber production
that will increase the company’s carbon
fi ber nameplate capacity to 7000 tons
(16 million pounds) by 2010. As part of
the new investment program Hexcel will
install additional carbon fi ber lines and a
new PAN precursor line.
- HexTOOL® offers signifi cant advantages
over traditional carbon-epoxy tools
due to its discontinuous fi ber architecture
which reduces potential leak paths
and stress concentrations;
- a density of 1.55 means HexTOOL®
is nearly six times lighter than Invar®
(density: 8.9), meaning a very substantial
weight saving, with greatly facilitated
handling during intrasite transport and
shorter autoclave cure cycles;
- can be modifi ed during the mold’s
service life to adapt to design changes
or to allow repair in case of impact, for
example; the process involves 1) machining
the mold surface to prepare it, 2)
adding more HexTOOL® prepreg and 3)
starting another cure cycle and machining
the surface to achieve the new net
shape.
This presentation is based on a SAMPE
paper presented by CNIM at the conference
in November 2007
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New Products New Products New Products New Products
composite trend 2008 V02.indd 5 12/03/08 16:12:55

New Products New Products New Products New Products
Hexcel launches HexPly® M19 prepreg for wind energy
Hexcel has developed a new prepreg specifically
for the manufacture of wind turbine blades.
HexPly® M19 is a major step forward in prepregs
for wind energy as it cures in 15-20% less
time than current prepregs used for the same
application. The cycle time savings mean less
energy is required to cure the prepreg and more
blades can be produced in a week.
In addition HexPly® M19 is diuron free, making
it more pleasant to use and friendlier to the
environment (and anticipating the new EU
regulation that is now being phased in over the
next 11 years).
One of the major advantages of HexPly® M19 is
its low risk of uncontrolled exotherm. When curing
composite laminates there is a risk of exotherm
(excessive heat) being generated, particularly
in thick laminates where the heat is slow to
dissipate. The heat generated by the process
further increases the reaction which can become
HexPly® Surfacing Prepregs
Hexcel has developed a range of prepregs for an
optimum surface finish for a range of applications
including performance cars and wind energy.
HexPly® XF3 is a new surfacing film that provides
an excellent surface finish for applications requiring
performance and aesthetic appeal, such as the
bodywork of performance cars. HexPly® XF3
is used, along with HexPly® prepregs M47 and
M49, to manufacture the bodywork of the new
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. HexPly® XF3
is a lightly reinforced surface film that provides a
Hexcel is pleased to announce that its newly
developed Redux® 870 adhesive has achieved
Airbus AIMS qualification 10-07-001.
a vicious circle and turn into an uncontrolled
exotherm. To avoid this effect, cure cycles often
involve a dwell (rest period) at low temperature
(eg. 80°C) to allow the heat to dissipate and drive
the reaction forward in a controlled manner, but
this is time consuming and obviously prolongs the
production process.
All of this can be improved by using HexPly®
M19, a low exotherm prepreg that is designed to
reduce the overall cure cycle for the shell and spar
by 15%. Hotspots are reduced during the cure
process allowing more aggressive ramp up rates
to be used to reach the higher temperature. The
dwell with HexPly® M19 is at a higher temperature
and for a shorter time than with conventional
prepregs. This allows for a controlled exotherm
so that the higher temperature can be reached
safely. The higher exotherm temperature enables
the component to cure in less time. The final
post-cure dwell time can also be reduced.
superior smooth finish that is ready to paint with
minimum preparation. HexPly® XF3 is compatible
with Hexcel’s epoxy systems that are already in
use for automotive applications, adapting to a
range of cure cycles from 100 to 140°C. Parts
made with HexPly® XF3 look wonderful when
newly manufactured – and the highly durable finish
does not degrade over time. The system has been
submitted to the full range of demanding automotive
aging tests at low and high temperatures and has
proven to be extremely resilient.
Hexcel achieves aims qualification for Redux® 870 Adhesive
Redux® 870 is a two-component, gap filling,
high performance liquid shim adhesive that was
developed by Hexcel to support Airbus requirements
for new aircraft programs. The technical
challenge was to provide a shimming adhesive
that could be injected and did not suffer from significant
slump. The resulting product is easy to
handle, has a long working life and cures at room
temperature. The cure process may be accelerated
with heat to reduce production time.
The shorter cure cycle
means that savings
in mould costs are
achievable as less
expensive tooling
resins and tooling
coatings can be used
along with a cheaper
tooling support system.
All of this can result in
10% cost savings per
mould. In addition the moulds are more durable
with an increase in cycle life of up to 30%.
HexPly® M19 has the same excellent mechanical
and handling properties as the established
HexPly® M9 prepreg range. It is suitable for
the manufacture of shells, spars and the root
end and is available with glass and carbon fiber
reinforcement.
Other HexPly Surfacing Prepregs have been
adapted specifically to meet the requirements for
large composite structures (including wind turbine
blades) and provide a surface that is ready to paint
with little or minimal finishing operations.
Other benefits of Redux®
870 are its outstanding
compression
and shear properties
and performance at high
temperatures.
HexWeb® EC Innovative Custom Solutions in Honeycomb
Hexcel’s EC (Engineered Core) team combines
the capabilities, experience and resources of three
world class manufacturing facilities. Our US sites
are located in Burlington, Washington and Pottsville,
Pennsylvania, while our European site is based
in Welkenraedt, Belgium.
HexWeb® EC starts with standard blocks and
slices of honeycomb which are formed, shaped,
machined and bonded using advanced computer-aided
design and manufacturing techniques to
achieve precise, complex honeycomb shapes that
we call HexWeb® EC.
Hexcel’s HexWeb® EC facilities feature the equipment
and manufacturing systems to handle the
most complex production requirements. Our Engineering
and production staff have the experience,
organizational structure and systems in place to
manage and support your program.
Today’s powerful CAD software combined with
the expertise of our customers result in increasing
complex core configurations required to meet performance
requirements and aggressive weight targets.
In addition, the use of Six Sigma practices
throughout our industry has resulted in the drive
to reduce manufacturing variation and tighten tolerance
requirements. Parts that were historically
manufactured using hand tools including routers,
band saws and belt sanders, now require the use
of 5 Axis machining. Hexcel recognizes this shift
in product mix and continues to make significant
investment in 5 Axis NC Machining capacity to
support our base business and prepare for industry
wide build-rate increases and emerging aircraft
platforms.
Hexcel’s 5-Axis NC machines range in size to support
a broad range of products from small parts
such as tail rotors with lengths less than 2 feet to
larger parts such as slats and rotor blades that can
exceed 30 feet in length.
In addition to investment in 5-Axis NC machines,
Hexcel keeps pace with latest CATIA V5 CAD/CAM
software and uses VERICUT software for machine
simulation and NC program optimization.
Hexcel’s Quality Assurance methods accommodate
the most stringent conditions found in aerospace
and defense specifications. Hexcel’s Engineered
Products facilities are ISO9001, AS/EN9100 and
NADCAP Certified for Composites Processing.
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Corima Tubeless Wheel
The AERO+ TUBELESS first ever
tubeless wheel for a road bike,
developed by Corima (France), is an
extremely responsive and lightweight
wheel with a high performance carbon
fibre composite design that eliminates
the need for an inner tube or rim tape.
The low air pressure provides improved
acceleration, greater comfort and
increased roadability.
The setting of the clincher tyre is
easier than on a wheel with an inner
tube and safety is enhanced as the
clincher tyre cannot detach itself from
the rim in the event of a puncture.
Cosmic Carbon Ultimate wheel
from Salomon SA-Mavic Division
HEXCEL composites Solutions HEXCEL composites Solutions
Boats built with HEXCEL composites took
1st and 2nd place in Transatlantic Jacques Vabre sailing race
Hexcel was quick to congratulate skipper
Michel Desjoyaux, co-skipper Emmanuel
Le Borgne and the FONCIA team on their
victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre race
last November. Congratulations were
also extended to the SAFRAN sailing
team, skipper Marc Guillemot and coskipper
Charles Caudrelier, who finished
in second place. Both boats, which
set off from Le Havre, France for their
destination in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
were built with composite materials from
Hexcel.
The FONCIA boat, designed by Farr
Yacht Design, was built by the Chantier
CDK shipyard in France. CDK selected
Hexcel composite materials due to their
previous winning experiences and tried
and trusted performance. The FONCIA
has a honeycomb sandwich construction
and was built with both woven and
unidirectional HexPly® M10 prepregs,
using high strength carbon fiber and
Hexcel’s HexPly® M10 resin that is
particularly suitable for racing boats.
The innovative design of the SAFRAN
monohull was conceived by leading
marine architects: Van Peteghem-
Lauriot Prevost and Guillaume Verdier.
Working to an extremely tight schedule,
the team took four months to plan and
design the boat with a view to building a
high-tech carbon honeycomb sandwich
structure, as lightweight as possible
but strong enough to withstand singlehanded
sailing in the worst ocean-going
conditions.
The Chantier Naval de Larros shipyard,
which specialises in the composite
construction of boats, was selected to
build the SAFRAN. Materials selection
was critical and, as preferred partner
for the supply of composites, Hexcel
took up the challenge and helped
the architects optimize the choice of
carbon fibers and composites, within
the confines of the Open 60 restrictions.
A range of HexPly® M10 prepregs with
woven and unidirectional reinforcements
was selected. Hexcel’s carbon fiber was
used extensively: HexTow® IM7 very
high strength carbon fiber was used
for the hull and deck structures; while
HexTow® IM9 super strength carbon
fiber was selected for the bow section
and the hull.
The SAFRAN achievement is all the
more outstanding considering the boat
lost its large spinnaker on day 10 day
of the race, resulting in a 15 degree
wind angle loss in relation to the other
competing boats. According to the
skipper, Marc Guillemot: “This boat has
so many assets and is state-of-the art.
The extreme lightness and rigidity make
it highly manoeuvrable, which is a major
asset”.
The Transat race was superb training for
the Vendee Globe solo, round the world
race that starts in November 2008,
which has always been the main goal for
the SAFRAN team, and in which the two
boats will again compete.
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composite trend 2008 V02.indd 1 12/03/08 16:11:22

Contact : communications@hexcel.com
www.hexcel.com
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composite trend 2008 V02.indd 2 12/03/08 16:11:32
Hexcel goes from Strength in its 60th year