Mechanical engineering doctoral students Casey Hoffman and Jaron Kuppers won top honours in the national competition last month for developing their Specialised Elastomeric Tooling (SET) process.
The patent-pending process offers a new method for curing advanced composites by replacing the need for autoclaves - energy-intensive machines that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds - in composites manufacturing.
The SET process involves curing a composite laminate by pressing the material between heated, rubber-lined moulds. Heating occurs quickly because the composite is in direct contact with the tool.
The pair claim that the SET process results in up to a 1,000-fold energy saving over an autoclave and eliminates the need for expensive consumable materials that are sent to landfill after use. The time required to prepare a composite part for curing in an autoclave is a few hours, while it takes less than 10 minutes to do the same on an SET system.
The award-winning student research was sponsored by Kintz Plastics in Howes Cave, NY, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
UK productivity hindered by digital skills deficit – report
This is a bit of a nebulous subject. There are several sub-disciplines of 'digital skills' which all need different approaches. ...