Filament Winding Machines

Filament winding is a fabrication technique for manufacturing composite material, usually in the form of cylindrical structures. The process involves winding filaments under varying amounts of tension over a male mould or mandrel. A carriage moves horizontally while the mandrel rotates, laying down fibres in the appropriate pattern.

Carbon and glass fibre are the most common filaments and are coated with synthetic resin as they are wound. The mandrel is placed in an oven to solidify (set) the resin, when it has been completely covered to the desired thickness. The mandrel is removed after the resin has hardened, leaving the hollow final result.

The simplest winding machines have two axes of motion, the mandrel rotation and the carriage travel (usually horizontal).

Two axis machines are best suited to the manufacture of pipes only. For pressure vessels, such as LPG or CNG containers, it is normal to have a four axis winding machine. A four-axis machine additionally has a radial (cross-feed) axis perpendicular to carriage travel and a rotating fibre payout head mounted to the cross-feed axis. The payout head rotation can be used to stop the fibre band twisting and thus, varying in width during winding.

Advanced applications can benefit from machines with more than four axes; six-axis winding machines typically feature three linear and three rotary axes. Computer/CNC control is used on machines with more than two axes of motion, but numeric control is used on most new 2-axis machines these days. To generate the winding patterns and machine tracks, computer controlled filament winding machines require cutting-edge software. This software is typically given by filament winding machine manufacturers or by using independent products such as Cadfil or Cadwind.

Our Filament Winding Machines are built to withstand the rigours of heavy duty use. All of the components have been engineered to be durable. The machines are built from components that are easily replaceable worldwide.

We offer a full line of equipment and material to assist you in setting up your plant. We also provide technical support for the layout and the setup as well as equipment and material training.

The control system is designed with advanced technology. The systems used are Siemens 802Dsl and 828. Other systems like 840D and 840Dsl can be provided on special request with cost implications.

The controls of these machines may be accessed remotely, resulting in minimal breakdown time.