IDEC and Wehl &Partner Reinvent
Composite
Molding With
FDM Additive
Manufacturing
IDEC is a leading Spanish provider of composite
solutions for the aerospace industry, servicing its
customers’ design and manufacturing needs. With
the help of advanced manufacturing service
bureau, Wehl & Partner, the company embarked ona project to increase its competitiveness by reducing
the time, cost and material waste of traditional
composite molding.

Not only did the use ofadditive manufacturingslash the production leadtime on the preform tool,
but we also expedited thewhole traditional composite
molding process.”
Diego Calderón

Structural Analysis Manager, IDEC

Case Study

The project focused on exploring the capabilities ofresin transfer molding (RTM) technology for testing
new composite material and the molding process tomanufacture a curved aircraft wing.

The preform tool produced with the Stratasys F900 Production Systemusing ULTEM™ 1010 resin.

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The preform tool offered perfect mechanical properties to resist high temperatures, enabling the team to reduce the carbon fiber heatingstage from one hour to ten minutes.

An Unusual Challenge
Feasibility tests took place throughout theprocess to assess how production could beaccelerated, starting with the manufacture of aconventional preform tool. Designed to facilitate
the composite lay-up process, the preform tool
is typically made of metal, such as aluminum, oran epoxy resin. The composite fiber is laid up on
top of the preform and the tool is heated to takethe shape of the mold.
The challenge in this case was the heating
aspect of the process, which required heating
the composite material instead of the preform
tool using an electric current. Highly conductive
metals like aluminum were inappropriate,
preventing the current from effectively going
through the composite fabric. Standard epoxy
materials available inside the company alsopresented an issue, as they were neither resistantnor stable enough to withstand temperatures
exceeding 140 °C. This project required hightemperatures of between 150 °C and 180 °C toheat the fabrics directly.

Case Study

Overcoming the Limitations of Metals
and Epoxy
The engineering team quickly realized that thisprocess was not achievable with conventional
manufacturing methods and consulted advanced
prototyping service provider, Wehl & Partner,

for advice. The Navarra-based company offers
a wide range of solutions from conventional
machining to additive
manufacturing technologies.
With Wehl & Partner’s help, IDEC foundan alternative solution in FDM® additive
manufacturing, which enabled them to test thesuitability of the RTM process in conjunction
with the aircraft wing project. ULTEM™ 1010
resin was chosen to produce the preform tool.
The material’s excellent chemical and high heatresistance enables it to withstand temperatures
exceeding 150 °C.
“We couldn’t have done this with a conventional
epoxy resin, which would have become unstableor even break beyond temperatures exceeding
140° C,” explained Diego Calderón, Structural
Analysis Manager at IDEC. “Although there areepoxy resins resistant to such high temperatures,
these are very expensive, and they would nothave been financially viable for our project.”
The ability of ULTEM™ 1010 resin to withstandthe required temperatures and pressures
simplified the preform production process.
According to Calderón, the preform is so solidthat the team can use it for at least 25 cycles,
something simply not possible with epoxy orother additive manufacturing technologies andsimilar materials.

3IDEC and Wehl & Partner
Reinvent Composite Molding WithFDM Additive Manufacturing
The material was also an excellent option toreplace metals, thanks to its superior tensile
strength and non-conductive properties, vitalfor the electrical heating application. The resultoffered a smooth surface finish, enabling optimal
adherence with the carbon fiber material and aperfect molding.
Cutting Production Lead Times
Using a Stratasys F900 acquired through local
partner, Pixel Sistemas, Wehl & Partner was able
to manufacture a large-scale preform tool using
the system’s large build tray. The tool wasproduced in just 60 hours – significantly less timethan if the team had selected a more traditional
method of manufacture.
“With CNC machining, it would have taken us atleast four weeks to produce this type of part,”
affirms Javier García, Director of Wehl & Partner.
“Not only did the use of additive manufacturingslash the production lead-time on the preform
tool, but we also expedited the whole composite
molding process.”“With the use of ULTEM™ 1010 resin,
we’ve obtained a preform tool with perfectmechanical properties and have been able todeploy this innovative step in the RTM process.
This has seen us reduce the composite heatingstage from one hour to only ten minutes byflowing the electrical current directly throughcomposite fabrics,” he continued. “Thiswould not have been possible without FDM
additive manufacturing.”

Case Study

The team has also been able to save up to67% of the costs of CNC machining aluminum,a technical innovation which met the initial
objective to reduce manufacturing costs.

The final composite part of a curved aircraft wing, produced with
FDM technology.

The solution provided by Wehl & Partnerhas contributed to IDEC’s competitive RTM
innovation. It also demonstrates the many
possibilities FDM additive manufacturing offers
composite molding applications, while adheringto the rigorous technical requirements of theaerospace industry.

4The robustness of the ULTEM™ 1010 resin simplifies the preform production process and enables the team to use it for at least 25 cycles.

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Case Study

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