INSIDE MANUFACTURING
Aerospace-grade
COMPRESSION
MOLDING
Continuous Compression Molding
process produces structures
30 percent lighter than aluminum
at costs that have both Airbus
and Boeing sold.
I
n the drive to lightweight commer-
cial aircraft, a recently opened fron-
tier is the production of interior air-
craft brackets, many in the form of
lengthy formed profiles. These criti-
cal but often unseen aircraft assembly
components —  C-channels, H-beams,
U-sections, L- and T-stringers and hol-
low trapezoidal/hat stringers —  have
long been produced in aluminum.
Compression molding, a process more
commonly associated with automotive
and industrial composites, is changing
that. Continuous Compression Molding
(CCM), an automated, semicontinuous
manufacturing process, has the capac-
ity to take reinforced thermoformable
input (for input types, see “Learn More,”
p. 40) and produce highly shaped pro-
files or flat panels of effectively unlim-
ited length. Operable by one person,
the computer-controlled process yields
product at speeds approaching those
quoted for pultrusion — as high as 40m/
hr (131 ft/hr) for shaped profiles and up
to 91m/hr (300 ft/hr) for flat panels.
Unlike thermoplastic pultrusion, in
which thermoplastic resin is injected
into dry fibers at the die, CCM uses input
34 | high-performance composites
By Ginger Gardiner
materials akin to aerospace-grade epoxy
prepregs —  highly aligned, continuous
fiber reinforcements preimpregnated
with high-end thermoplastics, including
polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyether-
ketoneketone (PEKK), polyetherimide
(PEI) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).
For nonaerospace applications, polypro-
pylene (PP) and other engineered plas-
tics are the common matrices. The re-
sulting thermoplastic structures exhibit
aerospace-quality consolidation. The
void content is routinely less than 1 per-
cent (verified by laminate micrographs),
compared to the typical requirement
of less than 2 percent for autoclaved
composites. Commercial products, to
date, have used carbon or glass fiber (al-
though they can be made with aramid or
other fibers) and include highly loaded
structural elements, such as the carbon
fiber/polyetherimide (C/PEI) fixation rail
assembly used to attach Airbus A330/
A340 interior sidewall panels. According
to CCM manufacturer Xperion Aerospace
GmbH (Herford, Germany), more than
30,000 such rails have been produced,
replacing aluminum with an almost 50
percent weight reduction and lowering
production cost by 21 percent, after two
years, with a part rejection rate of less
than 0.1 percent.
A history of knowledge and
experience
CCM isn’t new. Ulrich Spelz, a thermoplas-
tic composite (TPC) pioneer in the early
1990s at aircraft manufacturer Dornier
(Wessling, Germany), developed and pat-
ented CCM. In 1999, he founded Advanced
Composites and Machines GmbH (ACM,
Markdorf, Germany) to advance the pro-
cess, test new TPCs, prototype tooling for
customers and bring parts to serial pro-
duction. An early success was the spring
for Bico AG’s (Schänis, Switzerland) in-
novative slatted bed design, nominated
for a JEC award in 2002 (see photo, p.
39). ACM worked with Dyne Design En-
gineering (Niederlenz, Switzerland) and
manufacturer Nägeli Swiss AG (Güttingen,
Switzerland) to adapt the spring design
for Spelz’s process. The resulting CCM
machinery took in five plies of Gurit (Isle
of Wight, U.K.) Plytron 60-percent glass-
reinforced PP unidirectional (UD) prepreg
tape and then heated and compressed
the material. The resulting consolidated
 Source: Xperion/CDI

Continuous Compression Molding lines

A CCM shaped-profile line (left) and a CCM flat-panel line (right). Both lines are automated,
and operable by a single technician. Each is equipped with computer-controlled feed,
press-forming, cutting and stacking functions as well as inline quality assurance.

as the 787 Dreamliner. Plans included

a CCM machine capable of producing
both panels and shaped profiles for use
as a research platform in its St. Louis
facility. This prompted ACM to seek an
Source: Xperion/CDI

alliance with a larger manufacturer that

could shoulder the significant invest-
ment. Spelz had crossed paths with Xpe-
rion previously, when the company was
founded in 2000 after purchasing parts of
Dornier. Xperion acquired ACM on Jan. 1,
2007, and Spelz remains Xperion’s chief
technology manager.
Xperion delivered the machine in 2005
and, led by Spelz, continued its work with
Boeing, prototyping a variety of thermo-
Aircraft interior bracketing systems plastic composite aircraft parts using
The CCM process has been used by Xperion Aerospace GmbH ((Herford, Germany) to stamp-
CCM. “Boeing wanted more and larger
form long shaped profiles and holders (see inset) for more than 30,000 of these carbon/PEI components,” Spelz recalls, “so Xperion
fixation rail assemblies, used to attach Airbus A330/A340 interior sidewall panels. began to consider the benefit of having
a corporate presence in the U.S.” This
led to a 50/50 joint venture with Cutting
sheet was automatically cut into 650-mm thick (0.98 inch by 2.75 mm by 0.06 mm). Dynamics Inc. (CDI, Avon, Ohio), a long-
by 200-mm (25.6-inch by 7.9-inch) plates. The process produced 1.4 million parts time supplier of machined metal compo-
These were fed into a two-sided hydraulic per year, through 2007. nents for Sikorsky (Stratford, Conn.) and
stamp-forming press, which heated them In 2004, ACM was approached by a qualified supplier for Boeing and Bell
to the forming temperature and, every 50 Boeing Phantom Works (St. Louis, Mo.) Helicopter (Ft. Worth, Texas). CDI had
seconds, stamped 25 springs, each 25 mm to assist in developing thermoplastic significant thermoplastic composites
wide, roughly 70 mm in length and 1.4 mm composite parts for future aircraft, such experience, having purchased a Fi-

j u ly 2 0 1 0 | 35
 INSIDE MANUFACTURING

Flat Sheet Line: Shaped Profile Line:

Step 1 Step 1
Semifinished TPC Semifinished TPC
input materials input materials are
may be layed up loaed onto acreel.
to form a specified
laminate schedule,
with each ply tack
welded to the one
or, as shown here,
butt-welded edge to
edge.

Step 2 Step 2
TPC inout (or tack- Input material is
welded laminate preformed. Here,
stack) is loaded an “H” beam
onto the feed creel. begins. Plies on
the left and right
enter the stainless
steel vertical flange
preformers. Center
plies enter the
horizontal web
performer.

Step 3 Step 3
Input material After preheating
is compressed and performing,
between two the input material is
stainless steel belts compressed, using
as it is pulled into a shaped die
the machine.

Step 4 Step 4
The TPC laminate A compacted and
is brought into shaped continuous
the press and profile exits the
then compressed, press and is
using flat plates. automatically cut
(Note the hydraulic and stacked.
feed cylinders in
foreground).

Step 5 Step 5
Consolidated A “T” profile and
sheeting exits boxed “C” profile,
the press and is produced via CCM.
automatically cut to
length and stacked
or wound onto a
large spool (spool
can be viewed in
Source: Xperion/CDI

photo on p. XX).

36 | high-performance composites
berforge (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) Re- steel plates, for panels, or steel dies for the press. All data is recorded and can be
lay Station automated tape laying cell, shaped profiles. The continuous con- monitored and analyzed to ensure con-
which it used along with a traditional solidated sheet or shaped profile exits formity to specifications. The data record
stamp-forming press to produce TPC the press area and is automatically cut is sufficient to support FAA-required
parts for aircraft seating. The new entity, and stacked or wound onto a spool. paper trails. The same system can be in-
Xperion/CDI, is headquartered in CDI’s Fully computerized, each line may stalled on the shaped profile machine as
Avon facility and could begin production include automated inline quality as- well. Some CCM systems also incorpo-
of thermoplastic composite ceiling parts sessment. Xperion/CDI’s flat panel line rate inline C-scan equipment.
for the Boeing 787 this year. Parts for Air- already uses a system of four linear en-
bus will continue to be sourced from the coders to continuously measure panel Inherent process flexibility
Xperion Aerospace facility in Germany. position and compute panel thickness CCM was developed using C/PEEK ma-
and laminate consolidation as it exits terials, specifically APC-2 products
CCM process step by step
Both the Xperion Aerospace and the
Xperion/CDI facilities have flat panel and
shaped profile CCM machines. Xperion/
CDI has one of each. The flat panel ma-
chine is capable of a 1600 kN (~360,000
lbf) compression force across a width of
26 inches (660 mm) and a thickness up
to 0.4 inches (10 mm) at a maximum feed
rate of 300 ft/hr (90m/hr) and a maximum
press temperature of 770°F (410°C). The
shaped profile machine can apply a 400
kN (~90,000 lbf) force over a 4-inch by
4-inch (100-mm by 100-mm) area at a
maximum rate of 150 ft/hr (30m/hr), with
the same thickness and temperature ca-
pability as the panel line.
The CCM process on the panel line be-
gins with the feed creel, which is loaded
with as many rolls of semifinished TPC
input material as are required to form
the specified laminate schedule. If the
laminate requires angled plies that are
not readily spooled, then strips of wo-
ven or UD input material may be cut
and butt-welded edge-to-edge or tacked
together to form a multilayer panel of a
specified stacking sequence. This welded
laminate is then loaded onto the feed
creel. According to Xperion/CDI, tack-
or butt-welding is a simple process that
also may be automated. But typically,
the input material for the shaped-profile
line is UD tapes, with no additional prep-
aration required other than loading the
spools onto the creel.
On both lines, a hydraulic feed mech-
anism pulls the input material into the
heating area. It is compressed between
two stainless steel belts on the panel
line. On the profile line, UD input is
shaped by stainless steel “preformers”
prior to entry into the shaped die (for
the latter, see Shaped Profile Line Step
2, p. 36). On each line, the material is
brought up to flow temperature and
then pulled into a compression mold-
ing press, which features either two flat

j u ly 2 0 1 0 | 37
 INSIDE MANUFACTURING

Modular & easily modified

All CCM systems use the same patterns
Different male molds of mounting holes on the machine and
are designed to be modular, so that all of
the different male and female tools can
Same female or he combined and are easily changed and
horizontal mold modified.

from Cytec Engineered Materials (Tempe,

Source: Xperion/CDI

Ariz.). Work with less challenging PP, PEI,

PPS and other thermoplastics followed.
“We assumed that if we could process
high-temperature thermoplastics, then
we could solve most of the problems with
low-temperature thermoplastics,” says
Spelz. All of these input materials work
well with CCM, so that material selection
is based on specific customer needs. But
some materials reduce the processing
speed. UD prepregs, such as C/PEEK or
C/PEKK from Cytec or C/PPS from Ten-
Cate (Nijverdal, The Netherlands and
Morgan Hill, Calif.) and fabric prepregs,
such as TenCate’s C/PEI, process sim-
ply, he maintains, but “film-stacked or
powder-coated materials need longer
impregnation of the fibers after reaching
flow temperature during consolidation,
and therefore, the machine speed must
be lower than when using well-impreg-
nated materials.”
CCM tooling has benefited from ex-
tensive development. “A lot of suppliers
working on thermoplastic composites
came from the injection molding indus-
try or from a background of deep-draw-
forming automotive components, where
tooling is quite complex and expensive,”
Spelz notes. “At Xperion, we devel-
oped a new tooling system, based on
quick-change modules.” All CCM tool-
ing is adapted for a standard pattern of
mounting holes on the machine and are
designed to be modular. Several types of
shapes can be created with one tooling
set, and all the different male and female
tools can be combined and are easy to
change out and modify. For example, an
L-shaped female tool can be used with
different male tools to achieve different
thicknesses or outer radii (as long as the
dimension of the component legs are
the same) without designing new seal-
ing pieces or heating devices. Spelz says
modular tooling has saved money and
time, especially during prototyping.
CCM’s flexibility is enhanced by the
fact that the part layup can be altered by
adding layers and/or changing the stack-
ing sequence without stopping the ma-
chine, simply by adding, removing and/

38 | high-performance composites
Mass-produced bed springs
Xperion used CCM to thermo-stamp 25
composite bed springs every 50 seconds
from glass/polypropylene panels for bed
manufacturer Bico AG, with 8 million springs
produced between 2001 and 2007.

or replacing spools onto the feed creel

and introducing them into the feed at
the appropriate location in the stack.
Spelz illustrates this benefit: “For long
rails, thickness can be increased in high-
load areas.” The CCM process may be
modified for constant high-speed pro-
duction of smaller and thinner parts.
“Because CCM allows you to change
each of the variables independently,”
notes Xperion/CDI managing director
Bill Carson, “the process is very amena-
ble to prototyping and reaching a solu-
tion quickly.” Carson also notes that the
shaped profile machine’s ability to ap-
ply both vertical and horizontal force to
produce shaped profiles (see illustration
on p.38) results in very high-quality com-
posites with no wrinkling, even on com-
plicated geometries. “This is not easily
achieved with traditional vacuum bag-
ging,” he notes. Carson also sees flexibil-
ity in the recyclability of TPCs.

Present limits, future promise

Xperion/CDI’s first products will be ceil-
ing components for the 787, including
C-shapes and L-shapes, approximately
2-inches/51-mm wide, that will carry all
loads for the overhead bins. Although
the sidewall rails for Airbus were made
with TenCate C/PEI fabric prepreg, the
787 parts will, most likely use C/PEEK or
C/PEKK unidirectional tapes.
“We have prototyped interior sidewall
panels using CCM panels,” says Spelz,
“but the materials are too expensive for
such a large part vs. the current phenolic
materials, which are very cheap.” Addi-
tionally, the very large machines neces-
sary for sidewalls are less conducive to
CCM processing. “Behind the interior
sidewall panels are many smaller parts
well-suited for thermoplastic compos-
ites and CCM.”
“We take the view that you have to be
honest about what material and process
will function best to produce a given part,”
says Spelz. He readily admits that not ev-
ery part is best produced using thermo-
plastic composites and that hollow parts
and sandwich constructions are better
suited to thermoset processing.

j u ly 2 0 1 0 | 39
INSIDE MANUFACTURING
At the Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe
GmbH (IVW, Kaiserslautern, Germany),
however, there have been recent break-
throughs into sandwich construction
and hollow shapes. In 2009, the non-
profit research body demonstrated the
continuous manufacture of hollow pro-
files via CCM by employing a modified
design that incorporates a floating core
in the center of the tooling. Continuous-
length parts were made with a variety of
layups, showing good consolidation and
40 | high-performance composites
fiber volumes between 55 and 60 per-
cent. The work also explored processing
with polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),
formed during processing from the reac-
tive monomer cyclic butylene terephtha-
late (CBT), supplied by Cyclics Corp.
(Schenectady, N.Y.). Cyclics’ formulation
process breaks PBT down into a cyclic
oligomer form that, when heated to a
specified temperature, drops to a water-
like viscosity, facilitating fiber wetout.
Catalyzed and then cooled, the oligomer
returns to more conventional viscosity
and forms the long-chain, high-molecu-
lar-weight PBT thermoplastic. According
to Cyclics, the material offers the proper-
ties of a thermoplastic but can be pro-
cessed like a thermoset. To visualize the
benefit, says Steve Winckler, a key pat-
ent author for CBT, one must “think melt
viscosity of cream for CBT vs. silly putty
for PBT, properties much closer to epoxy
than polypropylene, at a neat resin cost
of $6/lb to $8/lb — only slightly higher
than PEI ($5/lb to $6/lb) and a fraction of
PEEK and PEKK ($30/lb).” Winckler also
explains that, as a matrix, CBT inher-
ently “wants” to impregnate composite
reinforcements, resulting in much bet-
ter resin-to-fiber distribution, which also
helps to achieve mechanical properties
closer to those of epoxy prepreg vs. tra-
ditional thermoplastics. IVW reports that
use of CBT increased processing speed
by a factor of 10 — dramatically reduc-
ing production costs —  with no loss of
mechanical properties.
Spelz and Carson agree that the next
step is to combine the high mechanical
properties (traditionally achievable only
with thermoset composites) with the
high speed, high quality and low cost of
CCM to produce, first, stringers and stiff-
eners for aircraft ceilings and structural
components, and, eventually, skin-
stringer assemblies, well-aimed at appli-
cations such as flooring. CCM profiles
and CCM flat sheets can be fusion-bond-
ed to produce very long assemblies,
quickly and cost-effectively. Here, Carson
sees a whole new world open to Xperion/
CDI. “Based on CDI’s long history as a
supplier, we know the material and labor
costs of aerospace parts,” he notes. “We
now have a process which is easily adapt-
ed to take advantage of the opportuni-
ties we see, We can replace aluminum
and other metal structures with compos-
ites that are at least 30 percent lighter
but at a cost previously unattainable,
and we can readily recycle.”
Learn More
@
www.compositesworld.com
Read this article online at
http://short.compositesworld.com/s660jPYM.
Input materials sutiable for CCM are listed in
our Web-only sidebar, online at
http://short.compositesworld.com/MDhVqSOQ.