2016 ENTRANTS
SPONSORED BY:
AWARDS FOR COMPOSITES EXCELLENCE
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2016 ENTRY FINALISTS
For more than 20 years, the Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE) have recognized the superior product and process achievements that are the forefront of innovation to the industry. This annual competition and product showcase hosted by the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) recognizes superiority in engineering and design as well as improvements and innovation in equipment and manufacturing. The products, equipment and processes that receive this distinguished recognition have significant impact within the market as well as a proven understanding of composites. Join fellow industry peers at the ACE Pavilion (Booth: B106) in the Exhibit Hall on Tuesday, September 27 at 2:00 PM to celebrate the innovative companies that are shaping composites as the 2016 ACE winners are revealed and receive their awards.
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AWARDS FOR COMPOSITES EXCELLENCE
DESIGN CATEGORY MOST CREATIVE APPLICATION AWARD This award is presented to the composites product that showcases composites use in a unique, new application or use composites’ attributes in imaginative, innovative, or artistic ways. The composites product should show evidence of significantly replacing traditional materials, or show innovative use or refinement of existing composites materials that impacts current or new markets. Candidate product entries for this award include both production and prototype/research and development. Customizable Thermoplastic Sandwich Core
T Plates Global, LLC. The product is a performance-customizable core used in sandwich panel fabrication. With desiger-selected fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite, truss leg thickness and angle, and loadbearing component spacing, sandwich core attributes such as density, mechanical performance, environmental compliance, multifunctional service and cost are tailored to the panel application requirements. Through expertise in FE analysis, fiber-aligned mold flow, and thermoplastic composite material characteristics, optimally-formed cells are injection-molded and subsequently assembled into a conformable, load-bearing matrix. Applications requiring design optimization for accomplishing efficient energy usage or large-structure fabrications benefit from customizable core. These applications include wind energy, aerospace, transportation, marine and infrastructure. High Performance, Heavily Contoured Composite Skateboard
Loaded Boards, Inc. The Loaded Icarus: Complex contours and innovative composite construction paired with large grippy wheels create an ergonomic, intuitive, and powerful carving machine. Epoxy and triaxial fiberglass sandwich a 5-part vertically laminated bamboo core, pressed into concave and convex cambers for liveliness, responsiveness and high energy potential. Drop-through cutouts are CNC milled for precision. To achieve the dramatic wheel well contours without cracking the core, we developed “biscuit” inserts. We machine out the cores in areas of extreme curvature (where the wild wheel flares are) and drop in four separate bamboo “biscuits” to mitigate the stresses. Pultruded FRP Replaces Aluminum for the Silver Flow
Strongwell Strongwell’s custom pultruded 2” x 16” x 1/8” rectangular bars were utilized by Dimensional Communications Inc. (DCI) to replace aluminum bars originally specified for “The Silver Flow,” a unique display of thin “lamella” panels designed by Jangled Nerves of Stuttgart, Germany. 125 of these panels in varying lengths were hung over the Mercedes Benz USA auto show exhibits to create the illusion of movement using programmed lighting effects. Aluminum proved heavy, costprohibitive, and complex to erect. Strongwell was able to produce a product strong enough and capable of handling DCI’s rigging requirements and at a cost lower than extruded aluminum. Undulating Gills
University of California, Los Angeles Large scale panels that utilize mold less composite fabrication techniques and robotics as tool to achieve a twisting gesture that creates a parametric relationship between a series of panels to allow for lighting control on a facade.
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2016 ENTRY FINALISTS
Customizable Thermoplastic Sandwich Core T Plates Global, LLC.
High Performance, Heavily Contoured Composite Skateboard Loaded Boards, Inc.
Pultruded FRP Replaces Aluminum for the Silver Flow Strongwell
Undulating Gills University of California, Los Angeles
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AWARDS FOR COMPOSITES EXCELLENCE
MANUFACTURING CATEGORY EQUIPMENT AND TOOLING INNOVATION AWARD This award is presented to the equipment, tooling, production aid, or software that is designed to improve manufacturing production, environmental sustainability, or product quality and performance in composites manufacturing. The entry must demonstrate improvement or efficiency in the manufacturing of a specific end-use composites product. CrossTrack Material Tracking Lite
JETCAM International s.a.r.l CrossTrack Material Tracking Lite (MTL) is a low cost application to track material location and life for all rolls and kits within composite manufacturing. Logging information from the freezer to the autoclave, it provides a simple user interface to log material movement between the freezer and cutting room floor, with on-screen or PDF reports showing complete traceability of both rolls and kits. Companies can define unlimited locations to track through all stages of the manufacturing process. CrossTrack MTL is also upgradable to link to JETCAM’s nesting software to provide integrated dynamic nesting and traceability to ply level. Highrise Building FRP Cladding Kreysler & Associates Kreysler & Associate’s Fireshield 285 is a Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) facade cladding system. It was recently deployed on the facade of the SFMOMA expansion in downtown San Francisco which opened in May 2016. It is the largest application of FRP on the facade of a building in the United States. The major innovation is the development of a system which passes the demanding NFPA 285 multistory burning test required for such use on a building. The project stands as a major precedent and milestone for the 2 billion sq. ft. opaque architectural cladding market. Industrial-IoT Technologies Leveraged to Create Digital Thread & Digital Twin
Plataine Technologies Plataine’s innovation leverages IIoT and Artificial Intelligence technologies, to offer a new software intelligence layer that sits between ERP, PLM/CAD and the shop-floor. This platform allows manufacturers to track critical assets, provide instant alerts, and generate reports and analytics for complete control over manufacturing processes with real-time context-aware actions and recommendations to further drive dramatic increase in overall throughput and worker productivity. This solution holistically evaluates any stream of information to produce ready-to-cut dynamic production plans and streamline operations, while maintaining full genealogical data, weaving a digital thread from raw material to end product, to guarantee quality and quality control. Innovative Robotic Preform Cell Providing 3D Stacking and Control
Composite Alliance Corp. Through extensive experience and innovative technology, Composite Alliance Corp. (CAC) has introduced intelligent automation to improve composite preforming operations. While the latest generation of robots on the market are able to accurately cut, pick and place; CAC has introduced a robotic preforming cell able to cut, pick, place and fold woven plies into 3D shapes. Moreover, an automated control system of the preform cell controls the good fiber orientation of all the plies before and after positioning on the compaction tool.
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2016 ENTRY FINALISTS
Rapid OOA Process for Reduced Cycle Times
Vistex Composites Vistex Composites’ OOA process, Specialized Elastomeric Tooling™, reduces energy consumption and CapEx/OpEx by at least an order of magnitude, and provides customers with improved throughput and performance at a competitive price. SET™ eliminates bagging while providing equivalent strength, dimensional tolerances and aesthetics when compared to the same autoclave cured products.Vistex utilizes proprietary digital modeling and optimization to drive the design of the patented fabrication process. For ACE,Vistex is showcasing three components from different markets: medical, automotive, and recreation. SET™ is capable of achieving rapid cycle times (minutes) using fast cure resins, and even faster cycles for thermoplastic composites. Smart Adhesive Joint for Composites and Metals
University of Tennessee, Knoxville An innovative product that involves the development of ‘smart joint’ that can determine state of strain and stress in an adhesive joint between carbon / glass composites and/or metals is presented. It utilizes a small diameter continuous fiber optic sensor integrated while preparing the joint during its curing stage or after preparing a joint between two similar/dissimilar materials. This ‘smart joint’ can alert if there is a potential failure and provides spatially resolved strain and stress values. Smart joint can be used for smart design of optimizing joints and preventing failures between materials for aerospace, wind, transportation, and automotive sector.
CrossTrack Material Tracking Lite JETCAM International s.a.r.l
Highrise Building FRP Cladding Kreysler & Associates
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AWARDS FOR COMPOSITES EXCELLENCE
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Industrial-IoT Technologies Leveraged to Create Digital Thread & Digital Twin Plataine Technologies
Innovative Robotic Preform Cell providing 3D Stacking and Control Composite Alliance Corp.
Rapid OOA Process for Reduced Cycle Times Vistex Composites
Smart Adhesive Joint for Composites and Metals University of Tennessee, Knoxville
2016 ENTRY FINALISTS
MANUFACTURING CATEGORY MATERIAL AND PROCESS INNOVATION AWARD This award is presented for a material or process that best contributes to efficient manufacturing and product sustainability. The entries should demonstrate use of innovative materials, production techniques or methods that result in better quality, reduced production costs, increased production rates and volume, or reduced life cycle costs. The entry must demonstrate its application in the manufacturing of a specific, end-use composites product. 3D Printing Mold Technology
MVP This product is not currently being produced but the process is being established to print composites molds for making composite parts. The current demonstration model is a canoe. This shows how a larger part can be infused from a mold 3D printed from a scanned original part. It is not only significant to be able to take a digital image and make a mold from it, but the ability to print molds drastically reduces mold-making lead time. This process also allows digital molds to be edited and printed with near infinite possibilities. 3D Printing of High Temperature Thermoplastic Molds
Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) Boeing and Oak Ridge National Laboratory with industry partners have developed and demonstrated 3D Printed molds using newly developed high temperature thermoplastic materials. This is the first successful demonstration of 100% digitally manufactured large scale tools in an industrial autoclave and demonstrates the potential impact additive manufacturing can make in the tooling industry. Initially this technology will be used for fabricating molds for use in autoclaves for the curing of aerospace grade composite parts for use in aircraft structures. Replacing current manufacturing methods with this technology will result in substantial savings in product production time, cost, weight, and energy consumption. Continuous Fiber Composites Smart Manufacturing
+LAB - Politecnico di Milano The product is a numerical controlled machine for additive manufacturing of continuous fiber composites. It allows the deposition of fiber reinforced materials with thermosetting resins that are curable during the 3D printing process. The system is composed by a series of spools where the fiber is placed, resin tanks that impregnate the fibers, and a printing head that has at least 3 degrees of freedom. The resin is quickly cured after the layer’s deposition by a proper apparatus, allowing the formation of a solid object with the fibers aligned in a specific direction. Development of Cocured Integral Wing Interspar Box using VERITy Process
Advanced Composites Division, NAL The principle of VERITy is that the reinforcement is held in a tool cavity and infused with resin and a differential pressure is maintained using vacuum to impregnate fibers. A ‘pressure application window’ has been developed wherein a small amount of external pressure is applied at a certain temperature for a certain period of time. This is key for achieving the 60% fibre volume fraction with less than 2% void content. Several complimentary technologies like integral tooling, appropriate bleeder technology, flow visualization using smart flow sensors, automated resin infusion and hybridization with the autoclave molding technology have been developed
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AWARDS FOR COMPOSITES EXCELLENCE
Injection Molded Clutch Cover Containing Uniformly Distributed Long Carbon Fiber
Carbon Up Armor This carbon fiber clutch cover is a superior replacement for the stock cover on high-performance motorcycles. It combines the ideal properties of polyurethane and long carbon fiber in a way that hasn’t been possible until now. It is able to survive much larger impact without failure than metal alternatives. Traditional clutch covers are made from cast magnesium, aluminum or even billet aluminum. It is normal for the cover to sustain impact. Failure is extremely common with current materials but the long fiber filled polyurethane is able to withstand incredible impacts while also decreasing weight. Polyurea Use in Composite Manufacturing
VersaFlex Incorporated For the composites industry looking to forego materials containing high volatile organic compounds (even MACT Compliant), materials based on polyurea technology are available. Using both color stable in mold coating and structural reinforcing products can be employed to reduce volatile compounds used in current processes. Also, the fast set characteristics of polyurea chemistry allow for fast mold cycle times. Thermoplastic Resistive Welding Fabric
T Plates Global, LLC. T Plates Global welding fabric joins large-area, complex-contoured thermoplastic substrates by resistive welding. The fabric, composed of continuous, unidirectional carbon fiber embedded in thermoplastic resin is place between two resin-compatible substrates for which a strong bond is required. In operation, electrical current is applied to the conductive fabric which heats both the fabric and substrates to their melt temperature. Applying pressure concurrently to the fabric/substrate assembly with subsequent cooling creates a bonded surface of equal or greater strength than the substrate materials. The fabric replaces adhesives in aerospace, wind energy, transportation, marine and infrastructure applications.
3D Printing Mold Technology MVP
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2016 ENTRY FINALISTS
3D Printing of High Temperature Thermoplastic Molds Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL)
Continuous Fiber Composites Smart Manufacturing +LAB - “Politecnico di Milano”
Development of Cocured Integral Wing Interspar Box using VERITy Process Advanced Composites Division, NAL
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AWARDS FOR COMPOSITES EXCELLENCE
Injection Molded Clutch Cover Containing Uniformly Distributed Long Carbon Fiber Carbon Up Armor
Polyurea Use in Composite Manufacturing VersaFlex Incorporated
Thermoplastic Resistive Welding Fabric T Plates Global, LLC.
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2016 ENTRY FINALISTS
MARKET GROWTH CATEGORY INFINITE POSSIBILITY AWARD This award is presented to the composites product that demonstrates the potential to significantly increase the use of composites in existing markets or generate the greatest impact to open new and emerging markets for composites. This product exemplifies innovation, creativity, and commercialization leading to market growth. 2017 Honda Ridgeline Weatherable SMC Truck Bed
Ashland Performance Materials Ashland’s Arotran 805 SMC (Sheet Molding Compound) resin is currently launching on the 2017 Honda Ridgeline - specifically in the truck bed, in-bed trunk, and tailgate. The resulting high pressure molded SMC parts are weatherable, have molded-in-color, and can be used in structural automotive and heavy truck applications. Weatherable SMC parts, made from Arotran 805, retain gloss and color despite years of direct exposure to sun, salt, rain and snow. The use of weatherable SMC has enabled Honda to consolidate parts, eliminate painting, and improve the bed’s dent/scratch resistance. Compression Molded Composite Telecommunication Vault Cover
PRC Composites SHIELD is the most innovative Pit Cover System available on the market today. The compression molded composite telecommunication vault cover is manufactured PRC Composites of Ontario, California, for Channell Commercial Corp. of Temecula, California. The SHIELD composite vault cover replaces concrete, polymer concrete and on many application cast iron covers. The PRCC/ Channell SHIELD composite covers are made of Low Pressure Molding Compound (LPMC) reducing capitol cost for equipment as well as reducing start up time. The resulting product is over 60% lighter in weight than the popular polymer concrete covers, reduce back injuries and increasing safety. Fire-resistant Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Facade Cladding System
Kreysler & Associates Kreysler & Associate’s Fireshield 285 is a Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) facade cladding system. It was recently deployed on the facade of the SFMOMA expansion in downtown San Francisco which opened in May 2016. It is the largest application of FRP on the facade of a building in the United States. The major innovation is the development of a system which passes the demanding NFPA 285 multistory burning test required for such use on a building. The project stands as a major precedent and milestone for the 2 billion sq. ft. opaque architectural cladding market. Hybrid Natural Fiber Polymer Composites (H-NFPC) for Engineered Products/ Systems
AGRO-BIOGENICS (CLEAN-TECH) Pvt Ltd Advantage is taken of the fact that India has over 200 million tons of low specific gravity, low-cost natural fibers, having excellent strength-to-weight ratio, further enhanced through hybridization with glass fibers. Natural Fibers include: Coconut tree fibers (more than 10 individual fiber systems available, from specific gravity less than 0.45 to 1.35); areca-nut tree fibers (half dozen fiber systems); banana trees (five systems of fibers); jack-fruit trees (four systems of fibers) - and many more. Once hybridized and combined with epoxy, pre-shaped and compression molded, any shapes could be produced from garment buttons to auto/boat/aircraft/building systems - and more.
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AWARDS FOR COMPOSITES EXCELLENCE
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2017 Honda Ridgeline Weatherable SMC Truck Bed Ashland Performance Materials
Compression Molded Composite Telecommunication Vault Cover PRC Composites
Fire-resistant Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Facade Cladding System Kreysler & Associates
Hybrid Natural Fiber Polymer Composites (H-NFPC) for Engineered Products/Systems AGRO-BIOGENICS (CLEAN-TECH) Pvt Ltd
2016 ENTRY FINALISTS
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Composites One is proud to sponsor the ACE Awards and congratulates this year’s entrants for their innovation.
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The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) is the world’s largest composites industry trade group. We are manufacturers, material and equipment suppliers, distributors, academia and end users, dedicated to growing the composites market. We serve our members and the industry by promoting the competitive advantage and versatility of composite materials. ACMA offers composites industry educational resources through our CAMX show, conferences and Certified Composites Technician (CCT®) program. We develop standards and specifications that drive preference for the use of composites in place of traditional materials. We lead advocacy efforts via legislative and regulatory channels to achieve a more viable composites industry. Together, we are shaping the future of composites.
www.acmanet.org
