Launched during JEC World, Paris, Saertex Smart Defect Control System looks into the structure of the non-crimp fabric (NCF) and reveals gaps, undulations, and other potential deviations from the high-end specifications. The process makes it possible to subject carbon fabrics to automated and continuous quality assurance, without the inspection process causing direct damage to the materials.
Alongside gaps between the fibre strands, other defects can also be clearly identified, such as the homogeneity of threads or undulations within internal layers of the multiaxial non-crimp-fabric. It is therefore possible to take immediate corrective action in the manufacturing process and locate the defect.
During the actual production process, the Saertex carbon NCF’s are subjected to quality-control measures that satisfy the critical requirements of the aerospace industry, as well as other industrial applications. The more demanding the application for these materials, the more important it becomes to avoid even smaller defects in the textile structure. The current quality control process involves many manual hours and several complex work steps, resulting in time and resource costs, especially in the downstream customer processes.
This is the reason why the industry has made efforts for many years to develop an automated process to achieve the zero-defect production of composite materials. Saertex, along with its partners, have taken a key step on the road to achieving zero-defect materials.
By using multi-ply multiaxial fabrics, customers are able to simplify the handling and drapability of composite materials in their component moulds, avoiding defects. With carbon fabrics that are inspected using the Smart Defect Control process, component manufacturers also save time on their own inspections and processing of the carbon reinforcement materials – thanks to defective areas removed or marked by Saertex.
