Integrating Digital Manufacturing,Processing and Design of Composite Structures

摘要

The need for sustainable transport in the future, emphasised recently with the dramatic increases in energy and fuel costs, is driving the development and use of light weight, composite materials. The predictive methods currently used for material specification, component design and the development of manufacturing processes, need to evolve beyond the current 'metal centric' state of the art, if composites are to realise their potential in delivering sustainable transport solutions. There are however, significant technical challenges associated with this process. The SME supply chain faces a changing market place where their expertise in traditional manufacturing methods and small component design has less relevance. They need to apply new technologies and develop new capabilities to ensure commercial sustainability in the face of twenty first century economic and climatic conditions as well as transport market demands. There is a major technology gap between design, analysis and manufacturing in both the OEMs, and the smaller companies that make up the SME based supply chain. As regulatory requirements align with environmental needs, manufacturers are increasingly responsible for the broader lifecycle aspects of vehicle performance. These include not only manufacture and supply but disposal and re-use or re-cycling. This paper presents a project structure which has been designed to address these issues using at its core, a digital framework for the creation and management of performance parameters related to the lifecycle performance of thermoplastic composite structures.