ADdItive MAnufacture for next generation Composite applications (ADIMAC)

在车辆中使用轻量化解决方案是英国/欧盟2050年净零排放的关键。提高英国生产具有先进性能和较低制造成本的轻质结构的能力，满足全球市场的需求，为就业和繁荣提供了巨大的机会。目前，聚合物基体中的纤维复合材料是运输应用中最先进的解决方案，因为它们具有高强度和低比重的高刚度。然而，它们的制造目前仅限于标准的不灵活的解决方案-主要是直纤维层和初级生产后组装的相对较薄的结构-并且价格昂贵。这些都阻碍了复合材料应用的扩展，并限制了整体经济和可持续发展的机会。ADIMAC通过开发新工艺，提出了复合材料制造的范式转变。新工艺基于最近在英国建立的两种技术的整合：（i）快速牵引剪切（RTS）-这是世界上第一个可以生产具有弯曲纤维路径的复合材料的自动化制造工艺;（ii）逐层固化（LbL）-一种可以快速、廉价地生产厚复合材料部件的解决方案。这些与顺序加工、加热和模具解决方案的发展相结合，将导致添加剂快速两层剪切逐层（ADD-RTS/LbL）工艺，能够以低成本生产具有任意弯曲方向的纤维、不受约束的几何特性和优化的机械性能的复合材料部件。ADIMAC由RTS的创始人iCOMAT领导，包括克兰菲尔德大学，谁开发了LbL固化，Hereaus Noblelight，谁是世界领先的辐射加热解决方案的制造业，和Prodrive谁是英国最大的制造商之一，复合材料使用预浸渍材料的汽车，赛车和航空航天部门。该联盟由三个航空航天最终用户（罗尔斯·罗伊斯、斯皮里特航空系统公司、GKN航空航天公司）提供支持，发挥着关键作用。

Utilisation of lightweight solutions in vehicles is key to UK's/EU's 2050 Net Zero. Enhancing the UK's capability to produce lightweight structures with advanced performance and lower manufacturing cost, addressing the needs of the global market, presents an enormous opportunity for jobs and prosperity. Currently, fibrous composites incorporated in a polymeric matrix are the most advanced solution for transport applications due to their exceptional combination of high strength and rigidity with a low specific weight. However, their manufacture is currently limited to standard inflexible solutions - mostly straight fibre layers and relatively thin structures assembled after primary production - and is expensive. These hinder the expansion of composite materials applications and limit the overall economic and sustainability opportunity.ADIMAC puts forward a paradigm shift in composites manufacture through the development of a new process. The new process is based on the integration of two technologies established recently in the UK: (i) Rapid-Tow-Shearing (RTS) -- which is the world's first automated manufacturing process that can produce composites with curved fibre paths and; (ii) Layer-by-Layer (LbL) curing - a solution that allows fast and inexpensive production of thick composite components. The combination of these with developments around sequential processing and heating and tooling solutions will result in the Additive-Rapid-Tow-Shearing-Layer-by-Layer (ADD-RTS/LbL) process that will be capable to produce composite components with fibres following arbitrary curved orientations, unconstrained geometrical characteristics and optimised mechanical behaviour at low cost.ADIMAC is led by iCOMAT, who are the originator of RTS, and includes Cranfield University, who have developed LbL curing, Hereaus Noblelight, who are world leaders in radiation heating solutions for manufacturing, and Prodrive who are one of the UKs largest manufacturer of composites using pre-impregnated materials for the automotive, motorsport and aerospace sectors. The consortium is supported by three aerospace end-users (Rolls-Royce, Spirit-AeroSystems, GKN-Aerospace) on an advisory-role.