Autoclave fabrication of composite laminates  

Autoclave fabrication of composite laminates

NPL has a pressure autoclave manufacturing facility for the production of fibre reinforced pre-impregnated flat test panels and small-scale components to customer specifications.

• Pecquet Tesson Autoclave operating up to 10 bar and 200 °C
  
  
• Standard panel sizes 600 x 300 mm or 300 x 300 mm, custom panels made to order
  
  
• The autoclave has recently been modified to enable the use of embedded fibre optics, dielectric sensors and thermocouples for component strain measurement and cure monitoring
  
  
• Manufacture of reference laminated panels with simulated defects and inclusions for ultrasonic C-Scan and pulse thermography inspection.

Laminates can be fabricated according to NPL in-house procedures, customer specifications or to standards such as ISO 1268 Part 4.

Specimen Manufacture

A range of composite test specimens can be machined using cutting (diamond grit coated circular saws), milling, routing and hole drilling operations. Specimens can also be end-tabbed where required.

Contact

For more information, please contact Mike Gower or Richard Shaw