Summary - Hexcel.com

Summary
Jec and Sampe
1
Blatchford launches
new Elite foot
2
Falcon 7X :
innovative technologies
4
HexPly ® prepreg for
performance cars
5
Contacts
6
Hexcel is
exhibiting at two
major
composites trade
shows this
spring: JEC,
Paris (5-7 April)
and SAMPE,
Long Beach,
California (3-5
May). Hexcel’s
exhibits will
represent the
company’s key
markets of
aerospace,
wind energy,
automotive and
sports
equipment.
At JEC the major exhibit will be the
K200 Roadster micro car, manufactured
by Super Light Cars (SLC), part of
the Italian ATR Group (see article on
page 5).
At SAMPE the largest exhibit will be an
engine nacelle demonstrator part, built
by Hexcel customer Goodrich using
HexPly® M50 self-adhesive prepreg
and HexWeb® HRH-36 honeycomb.
At both shows Hexcel will promote
new technologies developed for the
aerospace industry including HexMC ®
high compression moulding concept
and Fibrelam ® 2200, a new high
performance, lightweight aircraft
flooring panel. On display will be a Trek
bike as ridden by Lance Armstrong
during the Tour de France, built with
Hexcel prepregs and honeycombs.
Hexcel will also show a section of a
wind turbine blade built to show the
wide range of materials that Hexcel
supplies to this market.
Stand Number: 633
Stand Number: G 122

New Developments from Hexcel
for the Aerospace Industry
HexPly M50 is Hexcel’s new self adhesive
prepreg for aircraft sandwich structures. Hexcel
has found a way to further reduce the weight of
sandwich constructions by developing a selfadhesive
prepreg that eliminates the adhesive
layer previously required to bond panels skins to
the core. HexPly M50 bonds directly to the
honeycomb, thereby eliminating the need for
additional adhesive layers, with potential weightsavings
of up to 10%. Cost savings result not
only for reduced material count but also from the
removal of adhesive lay-up operations. In
conjunction with woven carbon reinforcements
HexPly M50 gives peel strengths equal to, or
better than, sandwich panels with adhesive
plies, as there is excellent fillet formation at
nominal resin content. Current panel
performance is maintained, with high cured resin
modulus, high service temperature, solvent
resistance and toughness. An added bonus is
the virtual elimination of core-crush problems
thanks to the incorporation of thermoplastic
microspheres in the HexPly M50 system.
Hexcel initially developed HexMC carbon/epoxy
moulding compound for industrial applications
and it has enjoyed great success in replacing
metal in sports equipment. New HexMC
developments have focused on the requirements
of the aerospace industry and Hexcel has proven
that the technology is suitable for manufacturing
aerospace-quality parts such as window frames
and seat supports. HexMC is distinguished from
other moulding compounds by the high
compression strength that results from the
multidirectional carbon fibres and epoxy matrix.
Mechanical performance is almost as high as
with unidirectional prepregs.
Hexcel customer EADS Casa Espacio
nominated for JEC Award
Hexcel customer EADS Casa
Espacio (Spain) has been
nominated for an award in the
Aerospace category at this
year’s JEC Awards, along
with partners Shikibo Ltd
(Japan) and Hexcel. The
nomination was made for the
development and manufacture
of a fuselage for a
recoverable satellite launcher,
built using Resin Transfer
Moulding. The structural
part, measuring 2m by 2m, is
made using Z-shaped carbon
preform (D3D process with
multidirectional fibre) and
Hexcel’s HexFlow ® RTM 6
epoxy resin system. The RTM
process provides a part that
requires hardly any finishing.
The process is automated,
providing a one-piece construction
that gives significant
weight and cost-savings.
New LRI Resins
for Wind Energy
For the
Wind Energy
market Hexcel
has added a
range of twocomponent
epoxy
resin systems to its
product offering, in
a strategic move to
complement the
company’s extensive
range of prepregs, resin
film infusion and resin
transfer moulding products.
HexFlow ® 100 is a
family of two-part epoxy
systems for wet lay-up
processing. HexFlow ®
200 is a range of two-part
epoxy systems for resin
infusion processes.
The HexFlow ® 100
wet lay-up systems
enable manufacturers of
composite components
to benefit from
epoxy resins with low
sensitisation potential,
long pot life and fast
curing at elevated
temperatures. The
HexFlow ® 200 systems
are low viscosity
systems for fast infusion
and shorter production
cycles.
Blatchford launches new Elite foot
to provide greater mobility to amputees
Hexcel customer, Blatchford, is investing
in the future of Prosthetics and Orthotics
by using innovative technologies that blur
the boundary of the real and the artificial.
Central to Blatchford's product portfolio is
the range of prosthetics known as the
Endolite System. Using carbon fibre
composite materials, elastomers and
smart electronics; Endolite provides
sophisticated but practical solutions to the
needs of lower limb amputees. Products
range from simple comfortable feet for low
activity wearers to dynamic knees and feet
for people who take part in sport or have
highly active careers.
A new addition to the Endolite range is the
Elite® all terrain foot, which will be
displayed on Hexcel’s stand at JEC and
SAMPE. The Elite foot has an innovative
twin-toe design which adapts and
conforms to rough and smooth surfaces
with optimised energy return. It has a Tripod
system providing effective propulsion
and controlled stability on all terrain and an
e-carbon heel providing active, responsive
shock absorption and forward
progression. The high impact/high activity
version of the Elite foot enables amputees
to partake in activities that include rapid
walking over uneven terrain, plus sports
and work activities that may include high
impact aerobics, running and lifting heavy
objects.
Hexcel’s HexPly® 920 prepreg is used to
manufacture the foot and the tube. The
foot is compression moulded and the tube
is made using the bladder moulding
technique. The heel is manufactured with
HexPly 913 glass and HexPly 920 carbon
prepregs. HexPly 920 is the preferred
prepreg because it provides the high level
of toughness required. Hexcel is proud to
have been a supplier to Blatchford for over
25 years.
2

Hexcel Announces Carbon Fibre
Expansion Program
Hexcel Corporation announced that it will expand
its carbon fibre production capacity through the
addition of both a new carbon fibre line and a new
precursor line. The expansion will be completed
within three years, increasing Hexcel's carbon
fiber production capacity by about 40%. In the
near term, Hexcel is increasing the output of its
existing carbon operations through incremental
capacity improvements.
Commenting on the expansion investment, Mr.
David E. Berges, Hexcel's Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer and President said, "We are
excited by the accelerating demand for carbon
fibre composites. Market growth and the
increasing penetration of these materials,
particularly in commercial aerospace and wind
turbine markets, bodes well for Hexcel's
prospects. As a world leader in advanced
structural materials, Hexcel is committed to
supporting this growth through product
development and capacity expansion. The
expansion
will cost
about $80
million with
most of the
c o s t
incurred in
2006 and
2007."
Interview with Jon Stowell, Hexcel’s VP
Sales & Marketing for Carbon Fibre.
1. Why is Hexcel expanding its carbon fibre
capacity?
The expansion is necessary to respond to our
customers’ current strong demand and the
projected future growth in their requirements for
products containing carbon fibre - particularly in
the aerospace industry.
2. What is Hexcel’s strategy behind this
investment, how does it relate to the carbon
fiber market?
Carbon fibre is a key raw material in many
Hexcel products; from woven and multiaxial
reinforcements, to prepregs, thermoplastics,
moulding compounds and other fibre-reinforced
matrix products. Our vertical integration through
the product lines enables us to develop
innovative solutions to customer demands.
Carbon fibre is the basis of so many of Hexcel’s
products that to better serve our customers we
need to increase our capacity to manage the
supply chain more effectively.
3. Looking further ahead, is this the beginning
of a series of investments for Hexcel?
Hexcel routinely monitors markets and future
demand, and invests as appropriate. We are
encouraged by the recent trends toward carbon
fiber based advanced materials and this
expansion positions us well for the foreseeable
future.
4. Will the additional fibre be for certain
customers or particular markets?
It is clear that the projected demand for carbonbased
technologies in the aerospace industry
will continue to grow over the coming years.
This investment is designed primarily to secure
our position in this growth area. It will also
benefit market segments such as wind energy
and other industries which are seeing an
increase in demand for carbon based products.
Lightning Strike Materials
New Solutions for Lightning
Strike Protection (LSP)
Hexcel offers several advanced materials for
the protection of surfaces subject to
lightning damage, from aircraft to wind
turbines. New lightning strike protection
techniques from Hexcel reduce lightning
impact damage and are lighter weight than
some traditional methods. Our advanced
LSP materials can be combined to offer
one material system, further reducing
manufacturing costs.
Benefits of Hexcel LSP materials:
• Reduction in strike damage area and
depth
• Reduced weight
• Cost effective
• Layered system for foil, surface film and
glass separation plies
• Compatibility with substrates
Hexcel’s LSP products fall into three
categories:
• Redux ® adhesives and HexPly resins,
combined with bronze, copper, aluminum
mesh or expanded foils
• HexWeb ® CR-PAA Aluminum Expanded
Foil – various thickness/weights; combined
with prepregs, adhesives or in layered
system
• Interwoven Wire Fabrics – varying carbon
fibre, weave styles, wire types and gauge.
Hexcel weaves small diameter wires into
carbon cloth fabric to create lightning
protection in one layer. Phosphor bronze,
aluminium or other wires are interwoven in
various weave styles and wire
concentrations to enable the reduction of
damage from lightning strikes. These
Interwoven Wire Fabrics can be
prepregged with a variety of Hexcel resins.
Hexcel can combine a variety of expanded
foils such as expanded copper foil or
HexWeb’s CR-PAA Expanded Aluminium
Foil with surfacing resins or our Redux ®
adhesives. Also available are lightning
protection products using woven wire
meshes of bronze or copper in combination
with hot melt resins/adhesives. If isolation of
a carbon layer from an aluminium foil or
mesh is desired, Hexcel provides many glass
fabric prepregs that can be incorporated into
a multi-layered single product that includes
the metal lighting protection layer.
3

Falcon 7X : a key step in the extension
of innovative composite technologies for aerospace
DASSAULT is today unveiling the FALCON 7X, a
new business jet that is a great example of how
new generation aircraft are making greater use
of composites and benefiting from the evolution
in new materials. The new jet has many novel
features and HEXCEL is proud to be part of this
innovative aircraft.
Dassault has a tremendous
history of innovation in
composites, having worked
in close partnership with
HEXCEL to develop new
parts and new technologies
that extend the use of
composites in aircraft design.
The V10F (Falcon 10),
launched in the early 1980’s,
was a groundbreaking
aircraft, featuring the first
carbon wing to obtain
FAR/JAR 25 certification.
“For Dassault, the idea is to
replace conventional metallic
parts that require time
consuming assembly with
highly integrated composite parts”, said
Monsieur Philippe Vautey, New Technologies
and Materials Department Manager, aircraft
engineering division, from Dassault Aviation.
The Falcon 7X continues the innovative tradition,
with further penetration of composites in an
aircraft design that makes the most of HEXCEL’s
latest composite technologies.
The Falcon 7X benefits from two differing
HEXCEL technologies: high performance
structural prepregs and direct processing, using
a package of advanced multiaxial
reinforcements with Resin Transfer Moulding.
With a global solution, Hexcel is therefore a
major supplier and a key contributor to the
innovation of this aircraft.
Hexcel’s NC2® multiaxial reinforcements are a
new concept non crimp technology that
provides strength and stiffness exactly where
they are required, due to the pre-placement of
oriented plies that are joined by stitching
technology. NC2 allows great flexibility of fibre
orientation and width of the reinforcement and
can produce thick materials with thin plies,
thereby providing customers with a costeffective
solution that saves time during
production. This new technology can
accommodate heavy tows and high modulus
fibers, with total freedom regarding ply
orientation.
An illustration of the effectiveness of this
approach is the vertical stabilizer of the Falcon
7X. Typically built in aluminium
on aircraft of this type, the
Falcon 7X has a composite
vertical stabilizer (carbon,
epoxy) built using Resin
Transfer moulding technology
in a way that is costcompetitive
and enables a
high production rate. The fin
box is manufactured using a
one shot RTM process with
HexFlow® RTM 6 matrix
combined with Hexcel NC2
multiaxial reinforcements.
The horizontal tail plane is also
a composite construction,
made with AS4 Magnamite®
carbon fibres and with 8552
HexPly® prepreg. Many other
parts of the Falcon 7X such as interior
components, fairings and doors also use
HexPly® prepregs from Hexcel.
The Falcon 7X is a great example of what can be
achieved by partnership and it points to the
future in terms of what we can expect for
composites.
Hexcel launches new Aircraft
floor panel
Hexcel has developed a new generation aircraft floor panel that employs all of Hexcel’s
fibre, resin and core technology expertise. Fibrelam® 2200 is an ultralight panel,
providing 20% weight savings over traditional aircraft flooring panels. Yet the
lightness has been achieved with no loss of strength or stiffness. The
panel, which has carbon fiber skins and HexWeb HRH-36 core,
provides very high performance and is designed for use
throughout large transport aircraft, where weight
savings are so crucial.
4

HexPly ® prepreg for performance cars
SLC K200 Roadster
In pride of place on Hexcel’s stand at JEC will
be the K200 Roadster micro car,
manufactured by Super Light Cars (SLC), part
of the Italian ATR Group. The ATR Group
specialises in the production of structural
parts and components in carbon fibre
advanced composite materials. Hexcel’s
collaboration with the ATR Group is based on
the supply of HexPly ® M47, M48 and M49
prepregs, which provide a superior surface
finish to automotive components. The car
weighs in at only 300 Kg (661 lbs). The ATR
Group is recognised as a leading supplier of
structural parts in carbon fibre with quick
production rates and high quality standards
using different technologies. The company
works in cooperation with prestigious
international customers including Ferrari,
Maserati, Porsche, Bugatti and Lamborghini.
SLC is one of nine companies which together
comprise the ATR Group. Each has its own
specific competences and roles. SLC
specialises in designing and manufacturing
technologically advanced cars for niche
markets.
The car displayed at JEC stand is the K200,
the first model from SLC Automotive roadcars.
The new roadster is made almost
entirely of carbon fibre advanced composites,
to provide the highest specific values of safety
resistance and solidity, without limiting an
aggressive and vivacious design. It’s the
lightest two-seater car in the world, designed
with technical solutions typical of
performance cars; it offers the feeling of
being on board a sporting motorcycle
but at the same time it conserves the
safety and comfort of a fourwheeled
cars.
The chassis is a carbon fibre sandwich
monocoque design with a front carbon
Kevlar crash-box. HexWeb ® aramid paper
honeycomb is the core material. The body
panels are made in carbon fibre composite.
The K200 Roadster has a maximum speed of
110 km/h (68,35 miles/h).
For more technical information visit SLC
website: www.superlightcars.it
Vendee Globe
Success Again for Hexcel Materials
© François Mousis
Two 18m mono
hulls, built with
Hexcel materials,
came first and
second in the 5th
Vendee Globe, a
solo, unassisted,
round the world,
non-stop sailing
race.
First to complete the
endurance challenge
was the PRB boat,
skippered by
France’s Vincent
Riou who set a new
record time of 87
days, ten hours, 47
minutes and 55
seconds. The boat, built by the French
boatyard MAG to a Finot Group design,
helped take five days off its previous recordbreaking
performance in 2000/01 same
race.
Second to cross the line, only 6 hours and 30
minutes later, was the Bonduelle boat, built by
the French yard, JMV, to a design by Lombard.
Bonduelle was skippered by Jean Le Cam.
Both boats were built completely from Hexcel’s
dry carbon fabrics, HexPly ® M10 carbon fibre
prepregs, with HexWeb honeycomb with a
110° C (230° F) oven curing vacuum process.
The Vendee Globe, which finished at Les
Sables d’Olonne in France, is a 25,000 mile
voyage which began in 2004 November and
finished on February 1 2005.

Kevra OY
Finland
Tel : ++ 358 9 612 68 20
juha.kokko@kevra.fi
www.kevra.fi
Skolil Komposit
Czech Republic &
Slovakia
Tel: + 420 220 873 550/1
www.skolil.cz
AMT
South Africa
Tel : +27 (011) 392 42 32
gebi.bargehr@amtcomposites.co.za
www.amtcomposites.co.za
AIM Composites
United Kingdom
Tel : +44 1223 441000
materials@aimcomposites.com
www.aimcomposites.com
Composites Distribution
France
Tel : +33 (0)2 28 01 70 20
marc.janeau@composites-distribution.com
www.composites-distribution.com
SF Composites
France
Tel: +33(0)4 67 99 85 50
sfcomposites@sf-composites.com
www.sf-composites.com
Esterhammer
Germany
Tel: +49 7152 58724
info@esterhammer.de
www.esterhammer.de
Lange & Ritter
Germany
Tel: +49 7156 2006 0
www.lange-ritter.de
Wela
Germany
Tel : +49 (4152) 8824 0
info@wela-handelsgesellschaft.de
www.wela-handelsgesellschaft.de
Axson Iberica
Spain
Tel: +34-93-225 1620
axson@axson.es
www.axson.fr
Caldic
Spain
Tel: + 34 90 221 0314
afont@caldicspain.com
www.caldic.com
Hi Tech Composites
Sweden
Tel : +46 13 212220
hitechcomposites.ab@telia.com
www.hitech.servehttp.com
Amber Composites
United Kingdom
Tel : +44 1773 530899
sales@ambercomposites.co.uk
www.ambercomposites.co.uk
Composite Materials
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1606 738 811
JonPMiller@aol.com
SilMid
United Kingdom
Tel : +44 (845) 130 1110
garym@silmid.co.uk
www.silmid.com
Wessex Resins
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1794 521111
linda@wessex-resins.com
www.wessex-resins.com
Kevra OY
Finland
Tel : ++ 358 9 612 68 20
juha.kokko@kevra.fi
www.kevra.fi
A. Andreou and Co
Greece
Tel: +30210 4828452
andreou@aandreou.gr
www.andreou.gr
Myko Engineering
Israël
Tel : +97209 7481262
zeev-lavi@barak-online.net
www.myko.co.il
Imatec
Italy
Tel : +39 (0) 2 39002168
commerciale@imatec.it
www.imatec.it
Mates Italiana
Italy
Tel: +39 0 292 1603 57
info@mates.it
www.mates.it
Romar Voss
Nederland
Tel: +31 475 491 019
info@vosschemie.nl
www.romar-voss.nl
Apatech
Russia/CIS
Tel : +7 (95) 2070265
zhilenko@apatech.ru
www.apatech.ru
For more details on products and markets
covered, please contact your Hexcel
Representative
AMT
South Africa
Tel : +27 (011) 392 42 32
gebi.bargehr@amtcomposites.co.za
www.amtcomposites.co.za
Hi Tech Composites
Sweden
Tel : +46 13 212220
hitechcomposites.ab@telia.com
www.hitechcomposites.info
ASES Aviation
Turkey
Tel : +90 (216) 574 7000
ases@asesaviation.com
www.asesaviation.com
“All information is believed to be accurate but given without liability.
Users should make their own assessment of the suitability of any product for the
purposes required. All sales are made subject to our standard terms of sale which
include limitations on liability and other important items.”
Core
Prepregs
Adhesives
Fabrics
6
Contact : communications@hexcel-eu.com
www.hexcel.com