size limit for plastic printers?

we don't think so.... this part was laser scanned for accuracy, result: +/-.5mm.... its 600mm long. though that's small compared to our latest print at 1.5m long - you will know about this one once testing is complete and it becomes public knowledge.

laser alignment for laminates

With more of our clients requesting quality and repeat ability we have now installed laser projection equipment to aid in accurate ply location. The projected laser line coupled with reference lines marked on the plies from our cutter plotter makes it quicker and easier to get it right 1st time.
here are some images of parts being laminated...

Forlano Design commission

Our work continued with Forlano Design with the fabrication of a private furniture commission, exhibited at the 'From the Atelier' exhibition at FORM Gallery in Perth city.

 

Built of solid American Black Walnut timber the fabrication incorporated 3 axis milling machining, laser etching and traditional hand-crafted timber making techniques.

Carbon fibre cosmetic finish

Our long time customer TMT Australia recently selected carbon fibre as a preferred finish for their operator consoles for the Typhoon Heavy Work Class Deep Sea ROV.
Working from supplied CAD models we commissioned a composite mould to be made with a high gloss finish. After the mould was made we set about creating the consoles to come out of the mould with an A class finish.
After 12 months of making these parts we are happy to supply the consoles to TMT with a surface finish which meets the expectations a million dollar ROV unit.

Carbon Innegra surfski

In early 2013 Spirit entered into the design and build of a new surf ski The 'FURY'.
Spirit wanted the 'Fury' to continue on from the success of the PRS in the roto-moulded surf ski market. With some fore thought we suggested the composite moulds which are used to make the alloy roto-moulds could be 'recycled' to create an advanced composite surf ski for the Avon Descent.

 

We were excited to be involved in the process and received line drawings to create a 3D model which was used to make the master pattern. Our input in the composite part to make the alloy mould ensured we could also use the composite 'part' as a mould for composite surf ski production.

Building a surf ski for the Avon descent is not trivial, over the last few years the water level has been dropping and the boats and kayaks are subjected to more rocks than usual and in some
years its even become a running event with water too low to pass through.

Considering the chances of rock impact to be high and the need for a light weight craft for carrying - we specified a 50/50 carbon fibre and Innegra hybrid cloth. The first ski was made with epoxy resin and infused to reduce the chance of pinholes (a cause for leaking) and minimise weight.
The final hull weight was 11 kg and the ski performed well, sustaining only one puncture on the keel on the first day in trying conditions Alan Albert finished top 10 on the first day and 13th across the line on the second day. The fury was also the first surf ski across the line beating multiple kayaks.

Based on the performance in this event, Spirit committed to the purchase of a 100m roll of pre impregnated carbon/innegra fabric with a modified toughened epoxy resin system. This years ski will be lighter and tougher than last years... bring it on.

3 ages of foot pedals

For over 5 years we have been manufacturing foot pedals for Spirit Kayaks. In that that time we have redesigned the foot pedals 3 times. The first version was an up grade from the plastic foot pedals with carbon fibre composite foot plate, pedals and stainless steel hinges - we made over 200 of this variety.

 

After comments and questions about reducing weight we re designed the foot pedals and dispensed with the stainless steel hinges and replaced them with a nylon rod and more ergonomic shapes - we made over 300 of this variety.








Last year we made a prototype carbon fibre / Innegra kayak for the 2013 Avon Descent, but we needed a new foot pedal to go into this beauty - so we prototyped the new design. A foot pedal which does not even have a hinge! - the latest design uses particular laminates to allow for flex in a specific region. This idea is not new in fact the very first design (prior to the stainless steel hinges) tried a flex hinge approach but failed, with time and experience we have solved the issues which troubled us earlier and the new foot pedals are performing well. - we hope to make 400 of these ones

V8 Supercars

We recently became a supplier of air box components for the Walkinshaw Racing V8 Supercar team.
Walkinshaw are responsible for running the Holden Racing Team and Supercheap Auto Racing Team, 4 cars in total.
The air box design is a complicated 5 part carbon fibre assembly with vary particular shapes and sizes to fit under the bonnet work around engine components and optimise the airflow into the manifold.


To manufacture the 5 components to exact specifications required 28 different matched mould components all assembling for component manufacture, and then disassembling for part removal. Although challenging we embrace the concept and are a proud supplier to Walkinshaw Racing.
(image supplied by HRT)

14 foot skiff hydrofoil mould

Following on from the three hulls we made, we were asked to CAD model and manufacture a rudder hydrofoil mould for a 14 foot skiff - the result is below...

alloy surfboard hydrofoil

Due to our experience in CNC machining alloy foil prototypes for sailing boats, Andy Dovell from Dovell Naval Architects www.dovellnavalarchitects.com.au asked us to CNC machine a hydrofoil and vertical foil for a 'tow in surfboard' to be featured in the upcoming Storm Surfers film, featuring Ross Clarke-Jones and Tom Carroll, first reports are that the format is working...

Art & Furniture project revisited

In 2011, Forlano Design commissioned us to make another side table from Walnut, after the Art Gallery of Western Australia acquired the original  for their permanent collection. The art piece increased in size to 500mm high (previously 450mm) and revolved around incorporation of digital manufacture, whereas the previous piece was 100% hand made from 3D and 2D drawings.

3D CAD models allowed our plastic printers to make 1/3 of the unit from which a silicone mould was made. From the mould three polyurethane parts were poured into the mould, demoulded and assembled into the complete piece.

Using 0.7mm walnut veneer our cutter plotter accurately cut each facet face from the generated CAD model. The cut pieces of veneer were adhesively bonded to the polyurethane component and then hand finished with a satin finish lacquer.
The implementation of digital design and build reduced the manufacture time from 30 hours for the first piece to 12 hours for the second.

UAV Contract

Composite Components signs contract to develop a UAV dedicated to support of naval training.
The UAV will utilise exiting infrastructure and make high use of COTS (commercial off the shelf) components & equipment to reduce costs. The R & D program is expected to last 12 months with a move into production units to follow.

Perth International Airport Terminal 1

Composite Components jointly won the contract with Forlano Design in February 2014, for the design, manufacture and installation of an acoustic artwork at Perth International Airport Terminal 1. Located within the international arrivals baggage reclaim hall (which incidentally will be doubled in size), it will be wall-mounted extending across an area of 20m x 6m. The artwork will be entirely three dimensionally modelled, incorporating 5 axis CNC machining technology and laser manufacturing techniques to create a complex and intricate design. Like our other work with Forlano Design, we will be experimenting with timber whilst utilising the latest digital fabrication techniques.

Here, at the Perth Airport's website you can see the Perth Airport Transformation. We're excited to be involved. By the end of this year it should be installed- look out for it next time you are travelling to Perth from overseas.

wave power turbine components

A contract to develop composite blades for 1 MW power turbine saw us collaborate with By Design Group for laminate design and dynamic load testing of carbon fibre turbine blades.
The original design incorporated a stainless steel shank to hold the blade in place on the hub, but after initial testing the weight proved problematic and we were commissioned to design a composite shank (or root) with stainless steel threaded rings and smooth bearing faces to reduce weight.

 






















Utilising the existing tooling and developing a technique of false tools, removable sections and bladder moulding allowed us to laminate and bond the 'trapped shape' stainless steel components in one cure operation. This reduced the weight from 1.8 kg per blade to 1kg making an improvement to loading of related turbine components.

Forty blades were ordered and final weights of the blades varied by no more than 10gm.
The blades are destined for the 1 MW rated turbine developed by Oceanlinx based in Sydney.
Completion of the blades saw us also win the contract to build the nosecone for the turbine.

fins and foils

Since we have the cutter plotter, accurately cutting laminate for solid fins has become fast & simple. Approaching Chris Lockwood fin designer and windsurfing speed sailor for collaborative work was a good fit. We made several fins for Chris which he is now testing.

carbon fibre skiff hulls

Approached by a local boat builder to make three 14' skiff hulls was like a trip back in time when I started out working as a boat builder. Using pre-preg carbon fibre over a male mould, we laid up the hulls and deck components. Vacuum bagged, oven-cured and pre-preg carbon fibre proved a good combination as the hulls come out with a good weight and excellent structural rigidity. Following on from the 14' skiffs, two Cherub hulls were also produced in the same materials and method.