Cevotec Samba Pro PV commissioned at NCC in Japan
Synergies between Cevotec, Fuji Industries, the NCC Japan, Fraunhofer IGCV and the ICC contributes to advancing knowledge exchange, FPP H2 tank development in Japanese manufacturing.
Left to right: Seiji Suzuki (Fuji Industries Co. Ltd), Professor Akinori Yoshimura (NCC Japan) and Dr. Florian Lenz (Cevotec). Source (All Images) | Cevotec
The National Composites Center Japan (NCC Japan, Nagoya) celebrates the commissioning of its first Cevotec (Munich, Germany) Samba Pro PV system. The availability of its composites layup system will aid in the NCC Japan’s ability to develop light, sustainable composite tanks with increased storage volume, key requirements to decreasing the cost of H2 use in mobile applications such as commercial road transport, railway, construction, marine and aviation.
The Samba Pro PV, based on fiber patch placement (FPP) technology, is dedicated to the production of dome reinforcements for hydrogen pressure vessels, enabling savings while reducing the weight, cost and environmental footprint of composite tanks. The system includes a second operating mode tailored for free-form components such as advanced aerospace composites.
“By integrating this composite layup equipment, Japanese manufacturers can leverage the benefits of FPP technology for efficient and automated composite production, strengthening their competitiveness in the global market,” says Junji Yamada, president of Fuji Industries Co. Ltd. (Kobe, Japan).
Fuji Industries plays a pivotal role in this initiative, sponsoring and delivering the technology to the NCC Japan (read 2023’s “Fuji Industries purchase brings FPP-based Samba Pro PV to Japan”). The company exclusively represents Cevotec in Japan and facilitates commercial projects, including prototype development and demonstrator production, tailored to the specific needs of Japanese manufacturers. The deployment of the system is a result of the longstanding collaboration of Cevotec with Fuji Industries.
In parallel to the activities at the NCC Japan, the Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite, and Processing Technology (IGCV, Augsburg, Germany) recently strengthened its presence in Japan by establishing the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Fibers, Processing and Recycling Solutions at Innovative Composite Center (FIP-MIRAI@ICC), in Kanazawa. This platform facilitates local cooperation and supports both Japanese and German companies, including startups, in advancing composite technologies. Joint projects using Samba systems further support knowledge transfer in FPP technology that benefits the broader industrial community. Cevotec also collaborates closely with Fraunhofer IGCV, which houses a Samba Pro Prepreg system in Augsburg.
“By bringing together expertise from Germany and Japan, this collaboration fosters knowledge exchange and accelerates innovation in FPP technology. All partners are eager and excited about the opportunities for cooperation within this expert network,” says Dr. Florian Lenz, technical director of Cevotec.
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