Drumwinders

On the Drumwinder we can mimic the processes as they take place in the actual UD and Crossply production lines. The laminates produced have a length and width of 1500×1500 mm and can be used for testing the performances of the final UD and Crossply material. Since the production takes place as a tape laying process with adjustable tape width, the Drumwinder control software enables the production of very light as well as very heavy laminates.
The process principle is simple: a number of fibers is impregnated and formed to a tape. This tape is wound on a drum where it can be bonded to a carrier material or placed on a silicone coated paper layer. The tape is moved sideways along the drum at a certain speed. By adjusting the speed of the tape relative to the speed of the drum, the overlap or butting of the tape can be determined. The first layer is removed from the drum, turned 90 degrees and placed on the drum again. Now the second layer can be placed in the same manner as the first layer. Lamination of the respective layers is executed and the final laminate is formed.