Advanced Materials Solutions uses cutting-edge technology and high quality material to meet the exacting needs of its customers. This commitment to quality and detail have resulted in the company establishing a global reputation.
Materials
AMS use only tools and machines of the highest quality for manufacturing and assembly so you can rest assured that your project will be completed with precision and care.
- E-GLASS FIBRE
It has roughly comparable mechanical properties to other fibres but is much cheaper. This fibre is also significantly less brittle when used in composites compared to the raw fibre. Glass fibres are used as a reinforcing fibre for many polymer or resin matrices.
- S-GLASS FIBRE (OR S-2 GLASS)
This is mechanically superior to any of the other glass fibres available and features lower density than E-glass fibres. Produced with a higher level of silica than standard glass fibre products, S-2 Glass offers the ultimate physical properties including high tensile and compressive strength, high temperature resistance, and improved impact resistance.
- ARAMID FIBRE
Better known by proprietary names such as Kevlar and Tejin, these man-made high performance fibres consist of molecules that are characterised by relatively rigid polymer chains. The molecules are linked by strong hydrogen bonds that transfer mechanical stress very efficiently, making it possible to use chains of relatively low molecular weight.
- CARBON FIBRE
Known for its high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical resistance, high temperature tolerance, and low thermal expansion, carbon fibre is popular in aerospace, civil engineering, military, and motorsports applications. Carbon fibres are usually combined with high-end matrices such as epoxies to form a composite.
PROCESSES
AMS use only tools and machines of the highest quality for manufacturing and assembly so you can rest assured that your project is completed to exacting requirements.
- COMPOSITE MANUFACTURING
Composite materials are composed of a mixture of two or more constituents, giving them specific mechanical and thermal properties which can be significantly better than those of homogeneous metals, polymers and ceramics. Composite structures are manufactured using a variety of manufacturing processes. These include vacuum-assisted hand wet lay-up methods, the preferred resin vacuum infusion, and pre-impregnated (Pre-Preg) fibre stacking.
- HAND LAY-UP
With this process, the dry materials are stacked layer by layer into a mould or onto a surface. Each layer of dry fabric is wetted-out with a resin matrix after which the next layer is applied. When the stacking process is completed, the parts or moulds are sealed with a thin polymer sheet and a vacuum is drawn to compress the layers and to draw out the excess resin from the fibres.
- VACUUM INFUSION
This fabrication technique uses vacuum pressure to drive resin into a laminate. Dry materials are laid into the mould and the vacuum pressure is applied before resin is introduced. Once a complete vacuum is achieved, resin is drawn into the laminate via feed tubing. The vacuum infusion process offers a better fibre-to-resin ratio than hand lay-up.
- PRE-PREG
This manufacturing process uses a reinforcing fabric which has been pre-impregnated with a resin system. The resin system is pre-catalysed and therefore no additional chemicals need to be added for the curing process to start. As a result, the pre-preg is ready to lay into the mould without the addition of any more resin.
In order for the laminate to cure, it is necessary to use a combination of pressure and heat. This pressure can be achieved by sealing the parts with a polymer sheet and drawing a vacuum in an oven to complete the curing cycle. The parts can also be placed in an autoclave where additional pressure is applied inside the autoclave chamber in combination with the vacuum.
SOFTWARE
The software packages which AMS use include high-end computer aided designed solutions:
- SIEMENS NX
Formerly known as NX Unigraphics, this is an advanced high-end CAD / CAM / CAE software package that is used for design, engineering analysis, and manufacturing.
- NX NASTRAN MACH 3 FEA WITH LAMINATE COMPOSITES
This high-end solution has linear static, modal, contact, dynamic, and thermal analysis capabilities.
- MIDAS FEA
This state-of-the-art software solution defines a new paradigm for advanced non-linear and detailed analysis in civil structure.
