Ovens
The NCC operates various ovens, from small lab ovens to large ovens capable of curing the wing of a commercial aircraft. Parts can be bagged under vacuum if required, run under a cure cycle and have thermal data collected from thermocouples on the tool and part.
Benefits:
- Uniform heating for consistent curing
- Cost-effectiveness
- Scalability from trial coupons to large parts.
Autoclaves
The NCC operates three autoclaves. Bagged parts up to 10 x 2.9 metres can be cured and consolidated under vacuum. The autoclave applies high pressure at temperature over a defined cure cycle.
For thermosets, the resin is cured in a controlled setting. Thermoplastic application can go up to 405°C to enable the resin to melt, allowing for bonding and consolidation.
Benefits
- High quality and consistency on complex geometries
- Precise control of cure parameters
- Optimises for void-free and fully consolidated parts
