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Every step of the composites manufacturing process requires energy. Energy to produce the fiber, energy to design and energy to manufacture the final part. There is also a fair amount of energy involved in running day-to-day operations to track productivity. As the world seeks to decarbonize industry and enable more sustainable practices, reducing energy consumption across the entire process chain is crucial to cut carbon emissions, minimize waste and optimize material use. Reducing energy use also often results in reduced production costs.

Compared to biomaterials and recycling, energy efficiency is often a less discussed aspect of ongoing sustainability efforts. Despite this, there are still many trends indicating its implementation, showing that energy use improvements are being identified in automation, more efficient processing equipment (heating optimization, mold innovations and so on), more quantifiable data capabilities to drive better efficiency decision-making, as well as overall production digitization and digitalization. All of these factors play a role in composites manufacturing and will ultimately guide industry toward more environmentally friendly decisions in the future.

Automation for energy savings

One path to efficiency goals is considering energy use in the equipment used to manufacture composite components and structures. The incorporation of automation has become a common way to approach smart energy use goals, not only to optimize production, but to reduce cycle times and corresponding energy costs as well:

• Industrial robots can perform tasks faster, quicker and more efficiently, reducing cycle time and energy consumption.
• Predictive maintenance capabilities ensure that all processes, equipment and inspection systems operate at peak efficiency, optimizing energy use and reducing the risk of potentially energy-intensive failures.
• Machine vision systems — such as cameras, smart sensors and software — actively prevent energy-intensive rework or waste. They can also track and analyze processes to help identify areas where smarter energy use could be implemented.

The concept of automation tends to be wide-ranging. Its implementation in composites so far is most apparent in efforts to improve the energy intensiveness of traditionally well-established composites processes.

’s (Nembro, Italy) compact SMART rotomolding production cell concept, for example, has commonly been used in industry to manufacture structural and soluble thermoplastic cores. In a 2017 article, CW describes the rotomolding process, which involves “injecting or placing a measured charge (shot) of thermoplastic powder in an enclosed, heated mold, which is then rotated simultaneously around two perpendicular axes. The heat and two-axis motion cause the material to melt, flow and coat interior mold walls at a uniform thickness, forming a hollow component. The mold surface is then cooled while rotation continues, causing material to shrink away from the tool (which aids demolding) while retaining the shape.”

Over the last few years, the company has focused on automating the rotomolding process that it introduced back in 2013 “to optimize manpower and optimize machine efficiency and output,” says Luca Carrara, technical office manager SMART for Persico Group from a . Persico highlighted these efficiency improvements through the delivery of a production cell comprising a seven-axis robot flanked by four synchronized SMART rotomolding machines (two to each side). A waiting station at the far end for the completed product and another station for preparation and unloading of the parts are additional pieces that complete the automation circle. Designed to be compact, clean and safe, the SMART technology’s automated cells are capable of performing various tasks such as powder loading, insert loading, release agent spraying, automated molding cycles and product discharge, thus delivering production rates, significant cost savings and reduced labor requirements.

Another key aspect to SMART rotomolding is direct tooling heating (DTH). The system’s aluminum molds are heated by several thermoresistors mechanically mounted in grooves on the surface of the mold itself, removing the need for a separate oven for mold heating. Built-in fans offer automatic cooling.

Altogether, when compared to traditional rotational molding processes, Persico cites up to 30% energy savings due to its direct mold heating system, optimized heating cycles and precise temperature control. The company also notes up to 30% less raw material used, depending on part geometry, thanks to less part deformation.

With a similar focus on automation, (Eppingen, Germany) has introduced a variable-speed pump drive to its TailoredPress for forming composite and metal components. “In keeping with sustainable production, we paid particular attention to energy efficiency when developing the press series,” says Georg Obermaier, head of the Forming Business Unit at Dieffenbacher. Unnecessary energy consumption — up to 70% savings — is achieved through this “power-on-demand” concept, which involves fully automatic control. The operator sets forces, paths and parameters as usual, and the required speed is automatically calculated and set. In this way, the pump always operates in an optimal range and works efficiently. At a standstill, the press consumes virtually no energy.

Reducing, recycling heat waste

Composites manufacturing is an energy-intensive industry, where a significant amount of energy can be lost via heat waste. These inefficiencies often lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions and elevated energy costs.

Heat treatment, for example, is often a that determines the quality and performance of a final composite part and is achieved through various means, including curing (autoclave, oven or microwave), annealing and tempering.

Equipment-wise, the composites industry is well-versed in autoclaves (though there has been an ongoing shift away from these processes in favor of out-of-autoclave (OOA) methods like ovens). Additional heat treatment technologies have also come to the forefront as the industry seeks to reduce curing times and energy consumption and achieve more consistent material quality, such as microwave curing, induction heating and laser heat treatment.

In 2022, (Blaufelden, Germany) set its efforts on presenting economic and energy-saving solutions — like alternative energy sources, hybrid heating executions and heat recovery systems — to its heat treatment, thermal bonding, drying, impregnation and lamination equipment for nonwoven and textile applications, . Hot air, contact and radiant heat are all methods incorporated into various equipment offerings to dry, melt or thermoset various materials:

• Many of the company’s “air-through” designs efficiently circulate air through the material, enabling precise temperature control and minimizing unneeded heat loss
• Heat recovery system options under the ERTEC (EnergyRecoveryTEChnology) range capture and reuse waste heat generated during manufacture
• Hybrid heating systems (such as combining fossil fuels with renewable energy sources) offer an additional sustainability option for those customers wanting to reduce the carbon footprint of their end products.

OneJoon (Suwon, South Korea) produces a variety of thermal processing lines, including oxidation ovens, which are the largest energy consumers during carbon fiber production. At JEC 2023, OneJoon highlighted its new end-to-end airflow oxidation ovens which reduce energy use and improve efficiency versus traditional center-to-end airflow ovens. The latter use a central plenum to distribute heated air from the center of the oxidation oven stacks to each end. Typical 3-meter-wide carbon fiber oxidation lines use three stacks of two ovens, where each central-to-end oven requires two fans and two gas burners/electric heater banks. End-to-end ovens cut this equipment in half, requiring only one fan and one burner/electric heater bank. The central plenum is also eliminated, which streamlines and improves air distribution. This aids in oxidizing the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor fiber uniformly, which is key to overall process efficiency and minimizing fire risk.

Alternative heating methods

The use of LED ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light technologies are also being considered for drying and curing purposes, as they deliver results faster, which can cut down on cycle time and energy consumption. (Shorewood, Ill., U.S.), part of the IST Metz Group, for instance, offers various light curing platforms for polymer matrices in composites production, well suited for wet layup techniques, vacuum infusion with UV-transparent membranes, filament winding, prepreg processes and continuous flat processes. According to the company, its range of LED UV modules offer precise zone control and less waste, .

Meanwhile, Arkema (Colombes, France) has demonstrated UV-cure of its Elium thermoplastic resin to replace epoxy in Type 4 pressure vessels for storage of CNG and hydrogen. It worked with the Nouvelle Aquitane technological center for Composites and Advanced Materials and Canoe (Pessac, France) to demonstrate wet winding with Elium and a photopolymerization initiator. After filament winding, post-cure can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours at 80-100°C, a significant reduction from the 8-plus hours typically used for Type 4 epoxy tanks. These tanks are reported to withstand >1,500 bar pressure with the same permeability resistance as epoxy resin. Arkema is also developing a post-cure-free technology.

Microwave-based heating is another innovation touting energy savings. Unlike conventional surface-heating systems (like autoclaves) where a composite part is heated from the outside in, microwave technology relies on volumetric heating via electromagnetic heat transfer to achieve more even heating, as well as better process temperature control, less overall energy use and shorter cure cycles.

Microwave heating is particularly popular for improving the energy consumption of raw composite materials production, especially carbon fiber, which is considered to be the of composites manufacturing. (MWCC, Osaka, Japan), founded in 2007, has made it its mission to demonstrate and commercialize a microwave technology that reduces energy use by up to 70%, heating time by up to 90% and equipment footprint by up to 80% compared to current fossil fuel-based industrial systems. Called Carbon-MX, materials are heated directly via microwave absorption (in which molecules create kinetic motion in molecules to generate heat) without heating the entire furnace or fluid bath, which saves time and energy. While the company notes that it does require new carbon fiber manufacturing equipment, its energy use is only roughly 50% compared to conventional carbon fiber production lines with a much smaller physical footprint.

As of January 2024, MWCC with Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) completed construction of a demonstration facility using the Carbon-MX technology. The companies continue to look at establishing mass production technology and intended to begin supplying carbon fiber samples from the facility within fiscal 2024.

Induction heating is another alternative heating method which uses electromagnetic induction to generate eddy currents in conductive materials. It can be up to 95% efficient at converting electrical energy into heat, and has many benefits over other heating methods, including more even and faster heating. Corebon (Malmo, Sweden) provides industrial induction systems for manufacturing composites, explains Kenneth Frogner, head of R&I at Corebon. “Our solutions are based on proprietary induction technology that uses highly efficient noncontact heating. We can typically reduce energy use by 50-80% compared to traditional composites processes. By providing very uniform heating and cooling, Corebon can help reduce the mass of the molds to a minimum.”  This also enables faster molding. For example, when used with the Koridion Active Core Molding process described below, cycle time for a demonstrator Class A automotive hood was reduced from 15 to 8 minutes.

Roctool (Le Bourget du Lac, France) also employs the use of induction heating through its Eco-Molding heat and cool system for plastic injection molding and compression molding of composites. In addition to reducing cycle times and cutting energy costs by up to 50%, Eco-Molding also enables the use of bio-sourced, reclaimed, natural and recyclable resins and fibers to offer customers additional CO₂ reduction options. In September 2024, the company added to its energy-saving offerings with the R-IDS Induction Dynamic Saver heated platen. The delivers high temperatures, short processing cycles (heating time is cut in half compared to oil heating and electric cartridges) and optimized energy consumption. The technology is geared toward thermocompression, thermoforming and vacuum molding processes.

Cutting composite scrap, simplifying complex processing equipment

Another option to increasing energy efficiency is to innovate new approaches and/or upgrade traditional equipment, such as presses, to simplify the part molding process, which can also in some cases lead to less composite waste.

For example, Alia Mentis (Montebelluna, Italy) incorporated Corebon’s induction-heated molds to mature its expandable core-forming process, which achieves one-shot CFRP structures. “We place prepreg and preshaped Koridion core inside a compression mold, and curing activates the Koridion material expansion, which applies equalized pressure all along the cavity,” explains Giuseppe Paronetto, CEO of Alia Mentis. “This moves fibers into the correct place against the mold and also forms internal stiffeners in a single step.” The combined process innovation from both partners enabled Alia Mentis to produce Class A finish CFRP automotive parts with 40% less material and 90% less energy.

Reconfigurable mold tooling has become another ongoing trend that is moving away from more shape-dependent mold designs, and their study and use over the years have projected an increase in part manufacturing efficiencies, as well as cost, material and energy savings.

Bespline (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada) is a relatively new player in this space, using Adapa (Aalborg, Denmark) molds’ freeform architecture to achieve and deliver durable and complex curved panels for its customers in a range of materials and finishes that meet various property requirements. Through its supply of Shaped Foam Kits to the marine industry, for example, bespline works with a customer’s 3D drawings/CAD files to develop customized designs. Not only do these in-house mapping and nesting services ensure minimal material waste, but resulting designs are said to use up to 25% less resin, while enabling more efficient installation capabilities. This is not to mention the savings that are likely involved by eliminating the customer’s need for a mold to make these curved, complex panels in the first place.

“We’re not reinventing anything. We are just industrializing the process, making it easy for boatbuilders to access this technology,” says Yoann Bonnefon, CEO of bespline and Addcomp. “We are also reducing waste because molds don’t have to be built for this thermoforming or disposed of afterward. We are using the digital file from the builders to guide the adaptable molding system. And we reuse this over and over to make all of our Shaped Foam Kits and composite panels, so we have a very low carbon footprint. This process also doesn’t use much energy. The actuation happens in minutes and we’re currently using infrared heating when needed.”

Similarly, (Sheffield, U.K.) has launched its PolyMorphic Moulding technology. Using 28,000 digitally controlled pins, the company says it can create a 3D CAD shape from a given 3D model in less than 20 minutes. This custom toolmaking achieves zero waste (PolyMorphic can be reset and reconfigured as needed) and enables parts production 14 times faster than 3D printing.

“PolyMorphic Moulding supports a wide array of materials and processes, including molding and casting, vacuum forming and composite layup,” says Thomas Bloomfield, Fyous co-founder. “This versatility makes its possible applications almost limitless.”

In another effort to deliver more sustainable composite molding capabilities, U.K. companies Alan Harper Composites (Saltash), Ilium (Hidd, Bahrain) and Tower Composites (Tamworth) have launched the Closed Mold Alliance where they collectively contribute expertise and solutions to reduce waste, improve efficiency and enhance the quality of composite parts. Some of its development goals include molding waste reduction (through the use of reuseable silicone membranes), a 10-30% lower material contribution via improved material consolidation and reduced resin use and other innovations that will lead to more sustainable manufacturing practices by reducing waste and improving production efficiency.

Measuring consumption, identifying energy savings potential

Technologies are also being implemented to improve the industry’s understanding of its energy consumption throughout the composites manufacturing process by providing solutions that measure and quantify these findings.

The Composite Technology Center, (Stade, Germany) has approached this via the development of a modular, portable system — the portable energy recording unit (PERU) — that enables better measurement and analysis of energy use across machines and production lines. It supports simultaneous recording from a machine or system as well as its components, such as individual motors or heating elements to help identify potential energy savings and optimized operations.

At PERU’s heart is a programmable logic controller (PLC), which enables connection to a wide range of sensors and inputs. Notably, it can measure electrical use of up to five machines or machine components simultaneously, can run for 5 days on its batteries and can integrate a wide range of other sensors along with its volume flow measuring device that assesses the flow of air, water or heat. PERU has been able to identify 20-20% energy savings for multiple customers.

“We can go into any facility,” says Jan Manuel Ohm, project leader at CTC, “and we can measure any equipment and make the analysis for saving energy and then compare with possible optimizations, other process chains or the same production at other facilities.”

The sensXPERT Digital Mold developed by Netzsch (Selb, Germany) is another tool that extends into simulation and modeling of composite processes to improve quality and reduce scrap, cycle time and energy use, though it takes this one step further by enabling customers to actively adapt and control composites processes in real time according to this quantified data.

Collected machine and process data is combined with data from dielectric analysis (DEA) sensor(s) in the mold that monitor viscosity and cure behavior in polymers and composites. SensXPERT then applies data analytics via an edge device to let manufacturers see what’s going on inside the part — and control cycle times for each part. “We not only receive machine data, but we can also send information back to the machine to initiate process actions or if a customer wants to see one of our signals directly on an HMI at the machine,” notes Alex Chaloupka, managing director of Netzsch Process Intelligence.

Netzsch says that incorporation of the Digital Mold into composites manufacturing setups can yield up to 50% scrap reduction, as well as up to 30% cycle time reduction and 23% in energy savings.

A University of Michigan study seeking to better understand and predict material efficiency and energy consumption in the composites fabrication process, highlights how energy-efficiency motivations have extended into university R&D. Surveying of various composites experts will directly contribute to development of a Bayesian inference model that will guide discussions around most crucial practices that can be made to cut down material and energy environmental impact.

Digitization vs. digitalization

What is the difference between digitization and digitalization? Digitization is the literal conversion of existing data into a digital format — think of scanning an image or converting a paper report to a PDF format. In short, digitization only automates processes and improves accessibility to specific things. Digitalization, on the other hand, looks to transform the business, using digital data to collect information, establish trends (improve workflow, data collection processes) and make better business decisions. Together, both terms can be generally meshed under the more familiar term “Industry 4.0.”

Digitization and digitalization relate to a composites company’s day-to-day operational tasks rather than the actual design and fabrication process that we’ve discussed so far. However, targeting better efficiency practices at this point in a company’s logistics chain can have its own positive trickle-down effect of additional efficiencies and sustainability initiatives in the actual production process. Some of these practices can include:

• Automating repetitive tasks
• Enabling faster information access and retrieval
• Improving data accuracy
• Easier collaboration capabilities across groups and locations
• Additional data analysis and insight to improve decision-making
• More streamlined workflows, reducing bottlenecks.

Tier 1 aerospace supplier  (Renton, Wash., U.S.) is a prime example of how companies serving the composites community have used Industry 4.0 practices to increase productivity, eliminate bottlenecks and reduce labor costs, which has resulted in additional efficiencies elsewhere in the company’s processes, via a collaboration with startup (Bellevue, Wash., U.S.).

“Originally, [Rogers and Tadinada] started out with the idea that there’s more and more automation being used by manufacturers, but a lot of tracking and running day-to-day operations are still done on paper. There’s value to be created by automating routine, everyday mundane tasks, freeing up employees for more engaging work that adds real value,” explains Garrett Gross, Xemelgo product manager. “Every one of our solutions has been co-created with a customer, in response to solving customer problems.”

Over the last year-and-a-half, Sekisui Aerospace has amped up its digitization and digitalization activities significantly. The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and software from Xemelgo for locating raw materials, tools, parts and shipments, for example, have translated into time and cost saves, subsequent labor savings, paper waste reduction and even an empowered workforce. More specifically, Sekisui has seen improvement in the following areas:

• Between 600-800 single-use plaster molds went missing each month. RFID tagging cut this down to less than 10 per month
• Implementation of a dynamic map tool that provides a color-coded “birds eye view” of all orders in the facility at any given time has resulted in a 3% production increase at the company’s Sumner facility, and alleviated issues with workforce development

According to Xemelgo’s Gross, “We’re not done innovating. Our team continues to build these tools out, by spending time on the factory floor with our customers. Sekisui is a great example of how our technology works in the composites industry.”

Like Xemelgo, Plataine (Waltham, Mass., U.S.) is also helping the composites industry make this shift to Industry 4.0 to enable smarter decisions that enhance production efficiency and sustainability. “Advanced manufacturing is currently going through a major transformation,” Plataine says in a recent article on the topic. “Although still in its early stages, this digital turn promises substantial improvements in workflow, waste reduction and energy use.”

Plataine is focusing on this digital transformation in a few key areas: planning and scheduling, supply chain collaboration (such as the Cloud), inventory management, AI-assisted equipment and tool management services and the use of AI algorithms for energy consumption optimization. The company has already delivered on many of these examples according to various customer announcements.

The company’s AI-powered Time-Sensitive Material Manager (TSMM), for example, has helped composites manufacturer Valeth (Tamil Nadu, India) automate its traditionally manual processes and enhance operational visibility to reduce efficiency, material waste and shopfloor activity control challenges. TSMM includes a 3D Live Map system that, similarly to Xemelgo’s technology, enables real-time production status, materials, part and tool locations and status. Complete traceability and quality control will aid Valeth as its demand ramps up.

The Autoclave Schedule is another technology by Plataine using AI to optimizes autoclave operations, considering real-time production factors such as autoclave volume and capacity, part recipes, vacuum-port and daisy-chaining restrictions and considerations, digital management of physical assets, tool variations, human capacity, shifts and availability, and the overall production situation up- and downstream from the autoclaves to automatically generate optimized and practical plans. The optimization tool ultimately increases autoclave throughput and saves operational costs and energy, Plataine reports.

Plataine has also collaborated with ST Engineering MRAS (MRAS, Baltimore, Md., U.S.), implementing its Digital Passport technology to digitize the aerostructures producer’s material shipment process, resulting in enhanced operational efficiency, improved quality and reduced error-driven scrap rates. “With this step in our journey towards a complete Digital Passport, we’re looking forward to obtaining greater clarity of our material parts’ genealogy,” Mitchell Smith, VP of operations, ST Engineering MRAS, says.

An energy-saving revolution

According to a February 2024 manufacturing generally accounts for 25% of the U.S.’ total energy consumption and carbon emissions, and 30% of its greenhouse gas emissions. As industry transitions to cleaner energy and smarter energy practices, composites manufacturers have clearly indicated their desire and drive to make these initiatives a reality across all aspects of the manufacturing process from the initial raw material to the end product. Keep up with CW for more reporting on these trends in sustainability as well as the increase in recycling and biomaterials, including our Sustainability Knowledge Center.