Advanced composites manufacturer Quickstep has signed a contract to deliver its Quickstep Process to Russia’s ORPE Technologiya.
The contract, worth EUR $4.2 million (about $6 million), will be used by ORPE to make large carbon composite components for shielding on satellites.
“We are delighted with this first commercial sale of the Quickstep Process, which validates our business model and the quality of our research and development,” said Quickstep’s managing director Philippe Odouard in a statement issued on Thursday morning.
“Carbon‐fibre composites weigh much less than metal, which provides a big advantage in terms of fuel efficiency.
The Quickstep Process uses fluid-based technology to cure composites.
“It works by trapping the laminate between a free floating rigid (or semi-rigid) mould that floats in a Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF),” reads the company’s description [see diagram below].
“The mould and laminate are separated from the circulating HTF by a flexible membrane or bladder.”
Benefits over traditional out-of-autoclave processing include significantly reduced cycle times, no oven size restriction and cost and energy reductions.
[Images: www.quickstep.com.au]