From the Sector

• This new version of Modaris speeds up the time to market for collections

Paris – Lectra launches Modaris® V8R2, the latest version of its patternmaking, grading and prototyping 2D/3D solution. This new version of Modaris, the most widely used modeling solution by leading brands in fashion and apparel, offers greater speed, efficiency and precision in product development. With its powerful 3D simulation and collaboration tools, patternmakers are developing patterns faster and speeding up their decision-making procedures. By reducing or eliminating physical prototyping, product development is less expensive and the time to market is as close as possible to trend detection.

To preserve and strengthen its position as a market leader of product development software, Lectra, with this upgrade of Modaris, is giving particular focus to 3D virtual prototyping. Patternmakers can now share with their partners, 360-degree videos, accessible on any device. Designers in response are able to visualize, comment, and approve the style and fit using the new 3D Style module.

New advances have made it possible to reduce the number of physical prototypes by up to 50%. Modaris V8R2 improves the quality of the solution’s 3D simulations and expands its library with new assets (fabrics, 3D top-stitching effects, realistic scenes, lighting studios, Pantone® and Natural Color System®©,…). The solution is now compatible with Vizoo, a high-quality scanner that brings forth a heightened realism to the appearance of fabric swatches, and with other 3D solutions such as Maya, 3DS Max, Iray to make the digital renderings of the prototypes more true-to-life and accurate.

One of the innovative developments of Modaris V8R2 is a special dart feature to help patternmakers add dimension to their garments with ease. Thanks to this new feature, modifying a dart requires half the usual time, resulting in a 50-90% increase in overall patternmaking speed.

Another highlight of this solution, and important nod to the globalized workforce of the fashion industry, is its ability to manage different units of measurement. With Modaris V8R2, Lectra has made it possible for patternmakers and external suppliers the guarantee of size compliance, regardless of the measurement systems used in the countries where production occurs.

Modaris V8R2 is already gaining traction among its pilot customers. Italian womenswear company GGZ was the first to endorse Modaris V8R2. “GGZ is a fast-fashion company and time and quality are of the essence for us. Modaris’s new dart feature helps us save up to 50% of pattern modification time. Additionally, 3D prototyping helps us ensure that pattern volumes and proportions correspond to our designers’ expectations early on, dramatically reducing our lead times,” attests Majla Gottardo, Patternmaker, GGZ.

“We are entering the information age, and we are catering to patternmakers who are dealing with consumers with different tastes, of all body shapes and sizes. Our patternmakers have hundreds of collections to deliver and no time to spare for errors. What we are aiming to do is making their everyday work environment easier for them, by providing the tools to streamline the development process and reduce the number of reworks to achieve the right fit the first-time,” states Céline Choussy, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Lectra. “All this is possible with Modaris V8R2.”

STAMFORD, Conn. – At this year's Paris Airshow [Le Bourget, June 17-23] Hexcel will promote a range of carbon fibers and composite materials used to manufacture high-performance weight-saving structures in civil aircraft, engines, helicopters, and space applications.

Visitors to the Hexcel stand will see an Integrated Wing Panel demonstrator and an I-beam, both made with HiTape® carbon fiber reinforcements. HiTape® dry carbon reinforcements were developed for the automated lay-up of preforms and to complement a new generation of HiFlow™ resin systems, producing high-quality aerospace structures using the resin infusion process. The reinforcements incorporate a toughening veil to enhance mechanical properties and meet the structural requirements for aerospace parts. The I-Beam was manufactured using C-RTM (Compression Resin Transfer Molding) and was injected with Hexcel’s RTM6 resin in a process taking less than five minutes.

Hexcel honeycomb saves weight and enhances stiffness in composite structures, and the company provides a range of engineered core solutions that enable highly contoured parts with precision profiling to be produced to exact customer specifications. A sample part made from aluminum FlexCore® that is CNC machined on both sides and formed and stabilized with both peel ply and flyaway layers of stabilization will be on display.

Another honeycomb innovation is Hexcel’s Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb that significantly improves acoustic absorption in aircraft engine nacelles. The acoustic treatment may be positioned at a consistent depth and resistance within the core or can be placed in a pattern of varying depths and/or resistances (Multi-Degrees of Freedom and 3 Degrees Of Freedom), offering an acoustic liner that is precisely tuned to the engine operating conditions. These technologies have been tested at NASA on a full engine test rig and meet all 16 design conditions without trade-offs.
Another Hexcel technology to benefit aircraft engines is HexShield™ honeycomb which provides high-temperature resistance in nacelles. By inserting a thermally resistant material into honeycomb cells, Hexcel provides a core product with unique heat-shielding capabilities that allows for the potential reuse of material after a fire.

With 50 years of experience behind its comprehensive range of high-strength, high-strain PAN-based carbon fibers, Hexcel continues to innovate and is introducing two new fibers to its portfolio. HexTow® HM50 combines high modulus and high tensile strength, making it ideal for commercial and defense aircraft and engines. HexTow® 85 was developed specifically to replace rayon-based carbon fiber for ablative applications.

Another area of expertise that uses HexTow® carbon fiber is additive manufacturing, where Hexcel uses PEKK ultrahigh performance polymers and HexAM™ technology to manufacture carbon reinforced 3D printed parts. This innovative process provides a weight-saving solution for intricate parts in highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. HexPEKK™ structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions, replacing traditional cast or machined metallic parts with a new technology.

Later this year Hexcel will open a joint research and development laboratory in Les Avenières (Isère), France with Arkema to develop carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic prepreg tapes for aerospace, space and defense applications. A spool of thermoplastic prepreg tape will be on display on Hexcel’s stand to showcase this cost-effective technology that enables lightweight parts to be produced in faster production cycles for future generations of aircraft.

Hexcel’s stand is located next to Hexcel’s official distributor for aerospace products, Groupe Gazechim Composites. In 2018, Hexcel and Gazechim formed a joint venture, HexCut Services, to provide aerospace and defense customers with customized kitting services that include Hexcel’s innovative carbon fiber prepreg, fabrics and adhesives. Pre-cut kits save customers time and investment, reduce inventory and minimize material losses through scrap reduction.

At ITMA 2019 in Barcelona from June 20-26th, Goller will introduce the new Knit Merc for achieving the highest quality mercerization of knitted fabrics at the lowest tension and with under 3% variation in dimensional stability with high grade fabrics, for perfect dyeing results every time.

Mercerization is an essential textile finishing step for all cotton and cellulosic fibre-based fabrics in order to improve dye uptake and tear strength while reducing fabric shrinkage and imparting a silk-like lustre to the materials.

The Knit Merc is the result of intensive R&D developments at Goller and follows the successful introduction to the market of the company’s Sintensa Cyclone drum washing compartments for achieving the highest washing efficiency at the lowest tension.

The Knit Merc being exhibited at ITMA 2019 can accommodate 8.4 metres of fabric in its impregnation compartment and a further four metres in its first chain section to achieve a production speed of 25m/min at 30 seconds dipping time.

It is designed for dry-on-wet mercerizing, either cold or hot, and is equipped with an inlet combination of scroll and slat rollers for fabric guidance, a Tandematic uncurler in front of a rubberized de-airing roller and a grooved 320mm bottom roller with 320mm and 600mm perforated upper drums.

It benefits from automatic tension regulation and the low liquor content is ensured by the integrated lye tank and automatic circulation and filtration units.

An 8-ton high efficiency squeezer is stationed at the exit before the chain section and a 5-ton squeezer at the exit of the chain field.

Further fabric control and stability is provided by a cast iron pin chain with automatic optical and mechanical sensors, the Tandematic uncurler, an overfeed device and a driven belt arrangement for fabric support.

From the machine to the assistant
"With our groundbreaking new M-TYPE DELTA sewing system, we redefine industrial sewing and enable solutions that were previously unthinkable," says Dietrich Eickhoff, CEO of the Dürkopp Adler Group, at the world premiere at the Texprocess 2019 in Frankfurt: "The sewing machine becomes an assistant, partner, helper and communicator. This is a significant difference to all previous machine concepts and offers an incredible number of new possibilities! "

The new M-TYPE DELTA sewing system is a fully digitized industrial sewing machine for materials such as leather, upholstery and technical textiles. Thomas Brinkhoff, Director of Marketing Dürkopp Adler Group, explains: "We produce the perfect seam with this machine, whatever the situation, without the need for conversion." This is ensured by the new smart sewing kinematics, which immediately achieve the best sewing results without having to mechanically change the machine.

The training of the operator is reduced to the absolute minimum, because the machine shows the user with video support what to do and how to do it right. With sophisticated sensor technology, the M-TYPE DELTA ensures that virtually no loss of valuable materials occurs through bad stitches or missing threads.

An integrated usage- or time-controlled maintenance assistant indicates upcoming work. Service work can be documented in the machine and retrieved at any time. This reduces machine downtime to an absolute minimum.

"Anyone who wants to sew individualized products industrially can gain the decisive competitive advantage with this sewing system," emphasizes Dietrich Eickhoff, "because the M-TYPE DELTA is perfectly prepared for use in the necessary machine networks such as our QONDAC system."

Printing textiles and hard substrates with impressive results: this is what Transjet dye sublimation papers from Sappi stand for. The new Transjet Drive is a sublimation paper optimised for industrial printers with a glue-belt system and will be showcased for the first time at FESPA trade fair in Munich. Sappi will also be presenting its inkjet papers for large-format applications, the Fusion Topliner containerboard and various silicone base papers at Stand B6-B30.

A highlight is the Transjet portfolio, with which fashion and home textiles, hard substrates and sportswear can be customised and personalised in strong colours using transfer printing. These papers are also suitable for soft signage, i.e. textile printing in marketing and advertising.

The new Transjet Drive sublimation paper is primarily tailored to industrial printers with a glue-belt system. The exceptionally smooth reverse side is a key feature. This advantage and the remarkable fast ink-drying on the printed side increase runnability and efficiency during the production process. Optimal cost efficiency and consistent reliability are central benefits for this and all other dye sublimation papers from Sappi. At the same time, they ensure consistent ink transfer with minimal ink consumption, are PE-free and contain 100 percent recyclable pulp.

• essenscia Innovation Award is Belgium’s most prestigious prize for industrial innovation
• UltraBond is a cost-effective solution for fully recyclable, latex-free, sustainable carpets
• Significant reductions in ecological footprint and cost for carpet manufacturers

Beaulieu Fibres International, Europe’s largest producer of polyolefin fibres, was nominated for the 2019 essenscia Innovation Award for its recently introduced UltraBond fibre.

The biannual award is the most prestigious prize for industrial innovation in Belgium. Created by essenscia, the Belgian Federation for Chemistry and Life Sciences industries, it aims to promote innovations in the Belgian industry and encourages companies to invest even more in innovative and sustainable products and applications. During the evaluation of the nominated innovation projects, the jury assesses their link with chemistry, life sciences and materials, their contribution to sustainable development, their intellectual property management strategy as well as their added value for the economy.

Formally introduced in early 2019, UltraBond is a patented polyolefin bonding staple fibre that eliminates the need for latex or other chemical binders to bond nonwovens. It enables carpet manufacturers to create 100% PP needlepunch carpets that meet the same performance requirements as traditional constructions, while also reducing end-of-life environmental impact.

UltraBond helps manufacturers make a significant contribution to the circular economy through the production of 100% recyclable carpets. In addition to making recycled PP available for the plastics production chain and reduced waste generation, their total lack of water use and reduced energy use result in significant environmental advantages and financial savings. There is also a reduction in the VOC level of the carpet. This all leads to a significant reduction in a needlepunch carpet’s ecological footprint to the tune of a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions during the full production process.

• Hexcel’s Composite Innovations For Aerospace, Automotive, Energy And Marine Applications At JEC World 2019 Hall 5 - Stand J41

STAMFORD, Conn. – At this year’s JEC World taking place in Paris on March 12-14, Hexcel will promote a wide range of composite innovations for customer applications in aerospace, automotive, energy and marine markets.

Aerospace Innovations

Hexcel’s HiTape® and HiMax™ dry carbon reinforcements were developed to complement a new generation of HiFlow™ resin systems, producing high quality aerospace structures using the resin infusion process. HiTape® was developed for the automated lay-up of preforms and HiMax™ is a range of optimized non-crimp fabrics (NCF). Both products incorporate a toughening veil to enhance mechanical properties, meeting the structural requirements for aerospace parts.

Visitors to JEC will see an Integrated Wing Panel demonstrator and an I-beam, both made with HiTape® reinforcements, and an Opticoms rib made with HiMax™ NCF. The Opticoms rib and I Beam were both manufactured using C-RTM (Compression Resin Transfer Molding). They were injected with Hexcel’s RTM6 resin in a process taking less than 5 minutes. The total manufacturing cycle for both parts was just 4.5 hours.

Also among the Aerospace exhibits, Hexcel will display a composite petal for a satellite antenna, manufactured by Thales Alenia Space Italia. The petal is part of a set of 24 deployable structural elements that form the large area reflector assembly used on board Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observation satellites. Thales Alenia Space Italia selected Hexcel’s HexPly® M18 prepreg for this application, acknowledging the superior mechanical and outgassing properties provided.

Another Hexcel prepreg application on show is a “zero” frame, manufactured by Aerofonctions for the engine area of Daher’s TBM 910/930 single-engine turboprop aircraft. Hexcel’s HexPly® M56 prepreg was selected by Daher for the “zero” frame – a product developed for Out of Autoclave applications that provides the same high quality and performance as autoclave-cured prepregs, from a simple vacuum bag cure in an oven.

With 50 years of experience behind its comprehensive range of high-strength, high-strain PAN-based carbon fibers, Hexcel continues to innovate, and is introducing two new fibers to its portfolio. HexTow® HM50 combines high modulus and high tensile strength, making it ideal for commercial and defense aircraft and engines. HexTow® 85 was developed specifically to replace rayon-based carbon fiber for ablative applications.

HexTow® carbon fiber holds the most qualified carbon fiber positions on aerospace programs in the industry and is the best unsized fiber available on the market. It provides excellent bonding interfacial properties with thermoplastic matrices and is the best-performing fiber for 3D printing applications.

Additive manufacturing is another area of expertise for Hexcel, using PEKK ultra-high performance polymers and HexAM™ technology to manufacture carbon-reinforced 3D printed parts. This
innovative process provides a weight-saving solution for intricate parts in highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. HexPEKK™ structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions, replacing traditional cast or machined metallic parts with a new technology.

Hexcel is well known for its range of weight-saving, stiffness-enhancing honeycombs and the company adds value by providing a range of engineered core solutions to customers from facilities in the USA, Belgium and the newly opened Casablanca plant in Morocco. Hexcel’s engineered core capabilities enable highly contoured parts with precision profiling to be produced to exacting customer specifications. An example of such a part will be on display at JEC. Made from Aluminum FlexCore®, the part is CNC machined on both sides, and formed and stabilized with both peel ply and flyaway layers of stabilization. Aircraft engines benefit from a number of Hexcel core technologies including HexShield™ honeycomb that provides high temperature resistance in aircraft engine nacelles. By inserting a thermally resistant material into honeycomb cells, Hexcel provides a core product with unique heat-shielding capabilities that allows for the potential re-use of material after a fire event.

Hexcel’s Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb significantly improves acoustic absorption in aircraft engine nacelles. The acoustic treatment may be positioned at a consistent depth and resistance within the core, or can be placed in a pattern of varying depths and/or resistances (Multi-Degrees of Freedom and 3 Degrees Of Freedom), offering an acoustic liner that is precisely tuned to the engine operating conditions. These technologies have been tested at NASA on a full engine test rig and meet all 16 design conditions without trade-offs.

HexBond™ – the new name in Adhesives

Hexcel’s range of high performance adhesives has expanded considerably following the company’s acquisition of Structil. The company has now decided to unite the range by marketing all of its adhesive products using HexBond™ branding. The comprehensive range of HexBond™ structural film adhesives, foaming adhesive films, paste adhesives, liquid shims, epoxy fillets and Chromium free liquid primers is suitable for a wide range of applications in combination with Hexcel’s prepreg and honeycomb products.

Automotive Innovations

Hexcel’s carbon prepreg patch technology provides an innovative way of locally stiffening and reinforcing metal parts, providing noise and vibration management functionality. HexPly® prepreg patches consist of unidirectional carbon fiber impregnated with a fast curing epoxy matrix that has self-adhesive properties, enabling it to bond to metal in a highly efficient one-step process. These key technology properties are demonstrated in an 18.5kg aluminum subframe (that is 50% lighter than steel equivalents), which was reinforced with 500 grams of HexPly® prepreg and tested by Saint Jean Industries. The part demonstrates a significant reduction in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). Other benefits include lower production costs, energy savings, increased driver comfort, production flexibility and part count reduction. With this technology Hexcel is a finalist in the JEC Innovation Awards 2019 in the Automotive Applications category.

HexPly® prepreg patch technology was also applied to a hybrid side sill demonstrator developed with Volkswagen and Dresden University to address future crash test requirements, specifically for electric cars. Combining fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) with metal, the hybrid construction allows for optimum performance including weight savings, enhanced safety, increased energy absorption, battery protection in a crash situation and production flexibility.

Hexcel will also display a lightweight CFRP transmission crossmember produced from Hexcel’s high performance HexMC®-i 2000 molding compound. The transmission crossmember was developed in partnership with the Institute of Polymer Product Engineering (at Linz University), Engel and Alpex. As the part connects the chassis together and supports transmission it has to be stiff and strong, resisting fatigue and corrosion. Hexcel’s HexMC®-i 2000 was selected as the best-performing molding compound on the market, curing in as little as two minutes to produce lightweight, strong and stiff parts.
To produce the transmission crossmember HexMC®-i 2000 preforms are laid up in Alpex molds and compression-molded in a v-duo press that was tailored for the application by Engel. Ribs, aluminum inserts and other functions can be molded into the part using the single-stage process, reducing component-count. Any offcuts from the preforms can be interleaved between the plies of material to provide additional reinforcement in key areas - meaning that the process generates no waste.

Other Automotive promotions on Hexcel’s stand at JEC World include a composite leaf spring manufactured by ZF using HexPly® M901 prepreg. In contrast to steel leaf springs, composite versions offer many advantages including weight savings of up to 70%, high corrosion resistance, optimized system integration and superior performance. HexPly® M901 prepreg reduces the cure cycle to below 15 minutes and provides 15% higher mechanical performance, with enhanced fatigue properties. It also operates at high temperatures, providing a Tg of up to 200°C following a post cure.

Marine Innovations

Hexcel has a comprehensive range of products aimed at racing yacht and luxury boat builders that include America’s Cup, IMOCA class and DNV GL-approved prepregs, woven reinforcements and multiaxial fabrics for hull and deck structures, masts and appendages.

At JEC World Hexcel will display an IMOCA yacht mast manufactured by Lorima using HexPly® high modulus and high strength carbon fiber prepreg from Hexcel Vert-Le-Petit. Lorima is the exclusive official supplier of masts for IMOCA 60 class racing boats.

Hexcel’s HexTow® IM8 carbon fiber has been selected as the highest performing industrial carbon fiber on the market and will be used by spar and rigging manufacturer Future Fibres to manufacture their AEROrazr solid carbon rigging for all the teams in the 36th America’s Cup.

Hexcel’s HiMax™ DPA (Dot Pattern Adhesive) reinforcements are non-crimp fabrics supplied pre-tacked, allowing multiple fabrics to be laid-up more easily in preparation for resin infusion. Providing an optimal, consistent level of adhesion, they allow a faster and more consistent resin flow, as well as eliminating the use of spray adhesive for a healthier working environment and lower risk of contamination. Simply unrolled and applied to the mold or core layer before the introduction of resin, HiMax™ DPA fabrics are widely used in boat building, where lay-up times can be reduced by up to 50%.

Wind Energy Innovations

Hexcel has developed a range of HexPly® surface finishing prepregs and semi-pregs for wind turbine blades and marine applications. Providing a tough, durable and ready-to-paint surface without using in-mold coats, these products shorten the manufacturing cycle and reduce material costs. HexPly® XF2(P) prepreg is optimized for wind blades and has a ready-to-paint surface, straight from the mold, saving at least 2 hours of takt time.

Polyspeed® pultruded carbon laminates were developed for load-carrying elements in a blade structure and are manufactured with a polyurethane matrix that provides outstanding mechanical performance in terms of stiffness and durability. The blade manufacturing process is optimized, with increased throughput. The pultruded laminates are supplied in coils as continuous cross section profiles.
HiMax™ non-crimp fabrics using E-glass, high modulus glass and carbon fibers are also available in a wide range of unidirectional, biaxial and triaxial constructions. HiMax™ fabrics have applications throughout the turbine, from the stitched carbon fiber UDs used in the main structural elements, to glass fabrics and hybrids for blade shells and nacelles. There are also specialist applications such as lightweight fabrics for heated leading edge de-icing zones.

Michelman, a global developer and manufacturer of environmentally friendly advanced materials, including sizing for glass and carbon fiber, has invested in the FIMATEST adhesion measurement system to ensure their sizing solutions continue to contribute to enhanced performance of composite parts.

“As we continue our vision to be the interface expert, it is critical to have analytical equipment that can efficiently fine-tune our sizing to optimize adhesion properties. This is one of the key performance attributes we provide our customers, and the fact that the Textechno FIMATEST system works according to the fiber pull-out principle makes it extremely valuable”, explains Steve Bassetti, Michelman’s Global Marketing Director for Industrial Manufacturing. “We have utilized this equipment in our development lab for almost two years, and it is suited for any fiber-matrix combination we have developed. It has been helpful that Textechno developed these instruments because they are, and will continue to be, a great benefit to the entire Composites industry. We look forward to supporting Textechno in establishing more standardization for the Industry regarding fiber-matrix-adhesion and processing properties.“

Dr. Ulrich Mörschel, CEO of Textechno, added: “We are proud that Michelman, the industry’s leading interface expert, invested in our testing system.” Bassetti further elaborated on the system’s benefits: “For Michelman’s customers, this equipment has allowed for great collaboration, increased screening of sizing concepts, and a more robust and efficient product development process.”

Starting from ROICA Eco-Smart™ family by Asahi Kasei the range of responsibly made premium stretch yarns for everyday life and continuing with Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei, a noteworthy material made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linter bio-utility waste, converted through a traceable and transparent closed loop process. Since 1931, Bemberg™ is the material definition for responsible luxury, a one-of-a-kind, matchless and original options characterized by cool exquisite comfort, whose smart heritage is born in a circular economy.

A great example of circular economy / circularity is represented by ECOTEC® by Marchi&Fildi, a new exclusive range of smart textile design solutions produced through an exclusive, fully traceable and certified production process. The ability to transforms pre-consumer cuts into an excellence material with a yarn that contains up to 80% of transformed material, a result unequalled in the textile world is the perfect confirmation of the concrete commitment to responsible innovation by Marchi&Fildi.
 
A. Stelloni Collection by Mapel, a renowned textile company with a vast experience in the production of fabrics of the highest quality, will showcase an exclusive range in Re.VerSo™ wool, cashmere and Baby Camel, created out of the deep experience of the Re.VerSo™ supply chain and its sure knowledge of fabric production.

At JEC World 2019, Sika Advanced Resins will unveil Ullit’s new composite tank for trucks that run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

Together with its tailor-made epoxy system designed by Sika Advanced Resins, who are a leader in the development and production of high-performance resins, the tank helps to reduce pollution in urban traffic.

An epoxy laminating system that adapts to different designs
The tank, which contains up to 320 liters is the same size as a conventional diesel fuel tank. "We have been innovating together for more than 10 years! Sika Advanced Resins has developed a specific resin for our new range of high-pressure tanks. This high-performance resin can be adapted to all design constraints, particularly for our very high-pressure hydrogen tanks, up to 700 bar," explains Ullit founder and CEO Claude Hembert.

Sika Advanced Resins has used its expertise to develop a tailor-made resin to withstand the cyclic pressurization loads on the filament-wound tanks. In combination with carbon fiber the resin provides mechanical resistance for different tank shapes including those for vehicles running on natural gas. "The tank is placed in the same place as a diesel fuel tank and avoids the need for transformations in trucks. In addition Ullit-Sika composites reduce the weight of the tank by a factor of four, a huge benefit when we estimate that one tonne saved on a truck saves four liters of fuel per 100 kilometers in urban traffic," explains Patrick Noirclerc, Local Expert Composites at Sika Advanced Resins.