An Autoclave that utilises an FGH control system

Curing of composite materials for aerospace applications is a highly critical, complex process that requires simultaneous control of temperature, pressure and vacuum. FGH Autoclave Manager, developed in conjunction with Aeroform of Poole, Dorset, provides precise control of all of these parameters together with recipe management and batch record keeping using a PC.

Specific features of Autoclave Manager are the ability to manage average temperatures from multiple sensors monitoring complex work pieces and hottest/coldest selection for control to ensure minimum care criteria are always met. The system more often than not utilizes FGH's Thermal Head Ratio Technique, as well as our P450 Profile Generator, the ICU Integrated Control Unit and the Series 3000 or 2000 Profilers and Controllers. 

Autoclave Control System Speeds Production And Reduces Rejects

Aeroform, based in Poole, Dorset, has specialised in the design and manufacture of equipment processing composite materials for more than a decade. Customers include blue chip companies such as BP, Airbus Industrie, RNLI, Dunlop, Sauber-Mercedes and TWR. Extensive previous experience in design and manufacture of carbon fibre aircraft components, artificial limb structures, race car parts, body armour and hovercraft parts has given Aeroform the skills and experience to design moulding and processing equipment from the users point of view. Simple operation whilst maintaining precision control of all processing parameters is the key to flexibility, quality and output volume. For maximum performance, composites materials must be cured at elevated temperature at substantial pressures.

Aeroform autoclaves can provide the necessary operational measures up to 450 degrees Celsius at pressures of up to 32 bar using a highly efficient, award winning, gas fired radiant tube heating system. Sizes range from small standard machines to 100 tonne monsters 5m in diameter and 20m long. Approvals held include manufacture to ISO9001 and MoD AQAP1 plus NAMAS traceable calibration facilities.

When Aeroform came to design the latest generation of autoclaves, they wanted to offer powerful, accurate and easy to use control and record keeping systems that could be tailored to customer's exact needs. After a detailed investigation they chose a modular approach using Proteus S/P3000, ICU, P450, and Proteus 2000 Series controllers from FGH.

Using the new "intelligent" control parameters such as control from continually scanned sensors, pause on deviation of any sensor from average and Thermal Head Ratio Control of atmosphere temperature, the operator's experience has been translated into automatic control decisions that are 100% repeatable.

Using the latest multitasking operating systems such as Microsoft Windows™ 95/98/NT, data collected by the supervisory computer can be linked by DDE and local area networks directly into familiar management reporting applications such as Microsoft™ Excel or Access. Production volumes, energy use, machine down time and many other parameters can be linked straight into management presentations.