Comprehensive Expertise in Developing Composite Components
Fiber-reinforced materials offer remarkable potential in terms of lightweight design, functional integration, and styling. In this way, they are able to meet the widest range of challenges in terms of sustainable, modern mobility.
With our development expertise in all areas of the vehicle as well as in aviation and mechanical engineering, ARRK Engineering will support you throughout the entire product development process for your composite components. The focus is always on taking an holistic view of your target. To do this, we bring together our experts from all development disciplines in our Composite area to the benefit of your product.
Interdisciplinary Development
Our expertise covers consultation, concept development and product development – right up to the manufacture of tools and components. In order to build up and maintain its knowledge base and intensively develop this pioneering key technology, ARRK Engineering became a member of Carbon Composites e.V. back in 2012 and, a little later, joined the Leading-Edge Cluster initiative MAI Carbon. As such, ARRK Engineering is now part of a network of expertise covering science, small, medium and large businesses.
Whether it’s at the inception of your idea or later on, ARRK Engineering will support you throughout the entire product development process and will translate your requirements into a finished component. In doing so, you can also benefit from synergies resulting from the ARRK Corporation belonging to the Mitsui Chemicals Group. ARRK draws on the materials expertise of Mitsui Chemicals by using its wide range of product and material technologies in engineering, prototyping and production. Find out more about our range of services relating to the development and manufacture of fiber-reinforced thermosetting and thermoplastic components:
Virtual Development of Ideas, Concepts and Products
When it comes to the development of composite components, we work together with a close network of contributors from design, simulation and the materials lab – right from the first brainstorming session. This ensures fiber material appropriate, production ready process and load path-compliant design, as well as the safe design of fiber-reinforced components and modules both in concept and series development. Only with this holistic approach can the full potential of functional integration be utilized.
How we link the disciplines in virtual development:
Consulting & Draft
- Requirements analysis
- Conception, concept analysis and evaluation
- Definition of production technologies and materials
- Development expertise in all areas of the vehicle (bodywork, powertrain, chassis, interior, etc.)as well as in aerospace and mechanical engineering
Configuration & Design
- Fiber-appropriate design of highly integrative components
- Production-ready design for diverse manufacturing processes and multi-material design
- Selection and design of material-appropriate joining processes
mit CATIA V5, Siemens NX
Simulation & Analysis
- Material characterization in CAE
- Method development and design strategy
- Simulation (crash & crushing, strength, fatigue, NVH, acoustics, multi-body, CFD)
- Lay-up, layer optimization and draping simulation
- Evaluation of results and component optimization
mit ANSA, HyperMesh, MSC Patran/Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys, Pamcrash, LS-Dyna, Radioss/Optistruct, Theseus-FE
Manufacturing Prototypes, Tools, and Components
Once the virtual development of your product is complete, we continue to support you by taking care of the series production or even by having your components manufactured directly by our affiliates. This includes both the manufacture of prototypes and the entire production process – starting with process simulations and covering the development and manufacture of tools, right up to low volume production in various process technologies.
Tools and production systems
- Mold filling simulation
- Tool development
- Production of prototype and series tools
- Optimization of handling and production systems
Production
- Production and process documents (layer cuttings, laser projection data, ply books)
- Fluidic and thermal optimization of manufacturing processes
- Design and functional prototypes (SLS, SLA, polyjet, CNC milling, vacuum casting, block modeling, etc.)
- Low volume production (preforming, prepreg autoclave, resin infusion, injection molding, thermoforming of organo sheets, surface treatment, assembly and others)
Material testing and characterization
We support the development of components or subsystems also from the material perspective: From material selection and static, dynamic as well as thermochemical testing, right through to comprehensive identification of characteristics and specification of CAE material cards used by us or our customers in structural CAE design. In addition, we help automotive manufacturers and their suppliers to comply with statutory directives in the field of material usage and material bans.
Material testing
We are able to determine a variety of characteristic values for composites, plastics and adhesives as well as metals. Our machinery includes different types of inspection and test equipment such as:
- High-speed testing machine Zwick HTM 16020
- Testing machine UPM Z250
- Thermochemical analysis from Netzsch
Material characterization in CAE
Through close collaboration between our material laboratory and the simulation department, we can offer our customers a comprehensive solution and adapt both the material model and the test program to the needs of our customers. With this procedure, we achieve forecast-capable material cards, which can for example be used to predict crash behavior via simulation.
Mechanical testing
- Material moduli
- Compressive strength
- Tensile strength
- Max. shear deformation
- Impact value
Thermo-chemical testing
- Fiber volume content
- Filler content
- Degree of cure
- Thermal expansion
- Glass transition temperature
- Viscosity
- Gel point
Research Projects
The ARRK companies are striving to expand their expertise in composites and also to draw on the synergies resulting from the affiliates to the benefit of their customers. For this reason, we have already initiated several internal research projects and also take part in regular projects within the context of our membership of Carbon Composites e.V. and the Leading-Edge Cluster initiative MAI Carbon.
Source: BMW Group
MAI Skelett / MAI Multi-Skelett
- Innovative manufacturing process suitable for series production for the manufacture of CFRP components using skeleton design, based on the roof bow of a BMW i3
- UD profiles form the skeleton of the thermoplastic component
- Research project within the MAI Carbon Leading-Edge Cluster initiative, simulation themes at ARRK
- MAI Multi-Skelett follow-on project investigates junctions within the skeleton
Composite gearbox housing
- Development, production, and testing of a fiber-reinforced (continuous and short fibers) thermoplastic gearbox housing
- Component made from organio sheet with thermoplastic UD reinforcements and functional as well as reinforcement elements added by over moulding
- Internal ARRK project in partnership with affiliates
- Current development of optimized versions to further increase cost-effectiveness and performance
CFRP-TP suspension arm
- concept in thermoplastic CFRP
- Development and manufacture of the component using organio sheet with metallic inserts
- Manufacturing suitable for large-scale production with thermoforming of organo sheet
- Internal ARRK project in partnership with affiliates
Robot systems carrier
- Lightweight systems carrier for reducing moving masses in industrial robots
- Development, prototype manufacture and testing of the thermosetting component
- Individual part production by hand lay-up
- Internal ARRK project in partnership with affiliates
