Technology

The state of the art

The current processes for manufacturing wheel structures from fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) are often not very flexible or require a high degree of manual work steps. Due to their complex geometry, wheels and wheel-like structures usually consist of a large number of blanks made of flat semi-finished products. As a consequence, the high manufacturing effort and high costs make the use of FRP wheel structures uneconomically in many fields of application.

The Innovation

The CompoSpoke technology is a cost-efficient wet winding process. Fibers are automatically wound onto molded parts and simultaneously formed into wheel structures. The process, for which a patent application has been filed, is currently the only fully variable process for manufacturing monolithic FRP wheel structures from a single continuous fibre. The use of simple fibres leads to a significant reduction of production costs. In addition, the process operates waste-free and thus has a very good environmental balance.

Technology for enthusiasts

Our technology offers several technical advantages compared to other FRP manufacturing methods. In addition, it can take advantage of the technical superiority of composite materials over conventional materials.

 

perfect alignment of the fibers

constant fiber tension

 

ideal load introduction

5030near-net-shape production

Fibre to spoke

 
Ring winding

In the first step a ring of fibre material is wound. For this purpose, moulded parts are positioned on a tool carrier. These are mounted on linear slides, which allow an automated movement. They are aligned in a way that a ring with a defined length is formed during winding. The tool rotates around its center until the desired thickness is reached.

 

 

 
Spoke Shaping

In the next step, the outer moulded parts are moved inwards. The process is performed with exact pathways and speeds. This ensures that the belt length is always the same ensuring a constant fibre tension. By varying the moulded parts, both radial spokes and also variable spoke angles can be produced.


Rim winding

In the last step, if required, an additional outer ring with more fiber material is wound after the forming process . This additional outer ring creates a closed rim. Finally, the workpiece can be tempered and then removed from the mould.