Infrastructure

    Polymer and composite additive manufacturing laboratory

    Laboratorio Fabricación Aditiva de polímeros y composites

    Laboratory that supports the development of additive manufacturing technologies for high performance plastics and composites, based on FDM (fused deposition modelling) – direct extrusion and hybridisation with liquid moulding processes.

    Description

    The laboratory has equipment for developing developing continuous fibre-reinforced polymeric composites and filaments, fine tuning manufacturing processes and impregnation and solidification post-processes.

    It can also develop new design concepts to create moulds and tooling, final pieces, composite preforms, structural grids, 3D organosheets, and localised strengthening for integration in pre- or post-processes.

    The main equipment the laboratory has includes:

    • Material development unit: extruders for reformulating materials and filament extrusion.
    • Injection machine and additive dispersion equipment (calender mill, Dispermart, ultrasonic baths and tips).
    • Coating head using wire.
    • Additive manufacturing unit: ZORTRAX M200, DYNAMICAL TOOLS DT600 and EOS printers – SLS and 6D equipment.
    • TFP (tailored fibre placement) equipment and stitching head for manufacturing preforms using TFP.

    Aimed at:

    • Manufacturers of products and components made of thermoset and thermoplastic composites.