Improve efficiency,
lower cost and
increase quality
What would it take to boost your applications performance? Lower weight or cost? Increased manufacturing
efficiency and quality? Most likely it is a specific combination of several strategic criteria.
Different customers have different requirements for success in their markets. That is why it is so important to have
a detailed run-through of your needs at the start, and to maintain a close dialogue during the entire kit process.
Taking your specific goals into account, you can significantly improve the manufacturing performance and quality
of composite applications by receiving core material
delivered in pre-cut parts (kits) instead of just plain sheets.
DIAB is a world-leading supplier of sandwich composite
solutions with long experience in developing kits for the
composite industry worldwide. We offer this knowledge
guide to help you achieve the best results with your kits
based on our expertise and experience with a variety of
segments over the years. Kits are far from off-the-shelf,
one-size-fits-all solutions. This guide is a springboard for
detailed discussions that we as experts would like to
have with you to find an optimal solution to fit your needs.
What is a kit?
With DIABs kit concept, each piece is pre-cut and
shaped as necessary and then numbered to fit exactly
into its designated place in the mold. The kit can consist
of everything from sheets only to 3D shapes made with
CNC routing. Kits are designed based on customer
requirements for weight, cost and quality, as well as taking
geometry, manufacturing process and lay-up sequence
into account.
Weight
Quality
Manufacturing
Surface finish
Cost
Optimized
kit
Geometry
Composite process
Kits Guide
Courtesy: Fairline
Medium-volume, smaller
marine and composite
applications
High-performance
applications with complex
geometry; subsea, racing and
aerospace applications
Kits Guide
There are four main factors to consider: surface finish, weight, quality and cost. Most likely, you will have a
combination of requirements for your application so it is important to understand how each one influences
the others to determine how your application is positioned overall for these criteria.
Surface finish
Surface requirements differ and affect the approach we
take for kit design. On a wind blade, the durability is more
crucial than the surface finish. Compare this with a racing
or luxury yacht and you have different alternatives for
how to arrange the sheets in the kit, as well as different
finishing. Using Kit Lok, for example, improves surface finish
as the good fit between kit parts reduces the risk of "race
tracking" or surface printing from resin. Understanding
your requirements ensures focus is placed in the right areas.
Cost
Cost is an essential part of the whole kit process.
Understanding and going through your requirements and
what will impact the kit ensures that the kits costing is
accurately based on what you need.
Weight
In weight-sensitive applications, a lot of focus is placed
on having as much of the application designed with sandwich as possible, including angles. Where weight is not
Geometry
Geometry has a significant impact on the kit related to
material selection and the time it takes to design and
manufacture the actual kit. Discussing your requirements
with DIAB at an early stage in the applications design
phase will help ensure the kit meets the geometry
requirements of the component.
Quality
Quality level is naturally an important success criterion.
Depending on the type of application, operational requirements and expected operational lifetime, it has a significant
impact on kit design.
R
Corner with bevels:
full sandwich, lighter
Kits Guide
Kits Guide
DIAB Know
ledge Series
We know that customer needs vary. That is why we provide solutions rather than products. When working with
kits, our customers have the opportunity to fully utilize DIABs expertise and competence, or to fill in certain parts
of the process with their own key competence. Below, you see all the elements needed to reach an optimal kit
according to your requirements. DIAB can assist you in all these activities or just a few the choice is yours.
Customer-specified kit
Get a com
Select the
petitive edg
optimal
finishing
Kit design:
Finishing selection, nesting
and optimization of kit
Composite
manufacturing process
Structural design
and core selection
Kit manufacturing
Optimized
kit
Nesting/optimizing
Nesting means to strategically place the kit parts on a
square sheet to maximize material yield and reduce waste.
Larger and fewer kit parts optimize cost as they increase
the yield. During nesting, we take the handling of the kit
in the fitting process into consideration. This ensures the
kit is as easy to use as possible, while providing the most
economical solution. We strongly recommend to all customers that DIAB always handle this part of the process
as we have the correct tools and expertise for getting this
exactly right.
Kit manufacturing
Structural design
and core selection
Composite
manufacturing process
DIAB has all the necessary tools and machines to cut the
kit according to your design, yielding high quality, speed
and consistency. This frees you from tying up investments and capital, as DIAB has full use of the equipment
continuously. DIAB has full capabilities and advanced
machinery to deliver any kind of shape.
Sandwich
How they
composites
work and
why you
and core
should use
them
materials
Design stron
lighter and ger,
competit more
ive prod
ucts
Kits Guide
Kits Guide
Initial meeting
Costing
Prototype kit
Final
production kit
Changes
Kit prototype
After the start-up meeting, DIAB will make the kit design
proposal. Based on the design proposal, we will offer a
quote for the kit. If this is satisfactory, DIAB will produce
a prototype kit for delivery. In the design proposal, it is
critical to review that:
Kits Guide
Finishing selection
Tolerances
Proposals for structural design, if needed
Process selection and set up
Lay-up scheme, including preferred starting point
Packing instructions
Number of test kits
Number of kits per delivery
Other requirements
Kits Guide
Optimization
through the right competence
Customer
Competence and experience in sandwich technology, cores, finishing and processes are key in designing kits
according to customer-specific needs. DIAB has extensive hands-on as well as theoretical experience in kits
and sandwich technology. We feel equally at home with the CAD program as we do setting up infusion
processes and fitting kits into the mold.
DIAB
Optimized
kit
ccg-composites.com
Kits Guide
10
11
Kits Guide
DIAB Group
Box 201
SE-312 22 Laholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 (0)430 163 00
Fax: +46 (0)430 163 96
E-mail: info@se.diabgroup.com
diabgroup.com