BORFLEX® at the BOURGET exhibition - SIAE 2023

The Paris Air Show, is the emblematic event of the aeronautics industry, which brings together the major players of the global aerospace industry. The last edition in 2019 welcomed nearly 140,000 professional visitors from 185 countries and 2,453 exhibitors from 49 countries. Among the exhibitors at the 2023 show, you will find BORFLEX® in Hall 2B E32 on the ALTYTUD pavilion. The BORFLEX® group stands out for its essential role in the development of elastomer and composite technologies, specializing in the fiber placement process with its AFP and FIBERROLL® rolls, as well as in the mastery of pultrusion.

This article explores the role of BORFLEX® in the aerospace industry and highlights its expertise from formulation to small and medium production runs.

Contents

• 1 The role of BORFLEX® in aeronautics
• 2 Fiber placement process
• 3 Pultrusion: an expertise mastered by BORFLEX®.
• 4 To remember

1- The role of BORFLEX® in aeronautics

BORFLEX® has positioned itself as a key partner in the aeronautics sector thanks to its expertise in elastomers and composites. The group's experts have developed product ranges that meet the specific requirements of this sector. Among these products, FIBERROLL® by BORFLEX® stands out as " the only complete range in Europe" dedicated to AFP (automated fiber placement). This advanced technology enables automated and precise placement of reinforcement fibers, ensuring homogeneous distribution and optimizing the performance of composite parts.

In addition to fiber placement solutions, BORFLEX® also offers a range of products specifically designed to protect equipment and aircraft under construction. The company is able to design stamping blocks of any size for the production of mechanical parts. In addition, BORFLEX® provides probe protection with rubber and polyurethane solutions for different types and sizes of probes.

The BORFLEX® product line also includes a variety of flat, O-ring and molded seals to ensure the tightness of installations. These products are essential for maintaining the integrity of aeronautical systems and ensuring safe and reliable operations.

Whether it is stamping blocks, polyurethane covers for the protection of components during the installation of seats in the aircraft, fuselage protection parts, scaffolding or catwalks during construction, BORFLEX® offers a wide range of products tailored to the specific needs of the aviation industry. In addition, the company supplies intermediate construction and maintenance parts, profiles, and AFP draping rolls of the FIBERROLL® brand.

Thanks to its expertise and diversified product line, BORFLEX ® meets the technical challenges and high requirements of the aeronautical industry, thus contributing to the advancement of aviation and aerospace.

2- Fiber placement process

Fiber placement is an automated composite manufacturing process that involves heating to very high temperatures and compacting fibers onto an application substrate, such as an aircraft wing. BORFLEX® AFP rolls allow for precise placement of carbon fibers for strong parts. The rollers are produced from specific formulations, developed and tested by BORFLEX® R&D teams.

The fiber placement process is crucial in the manufacture of composite parts. It consists of accurately and optimally orienting the reinforcing fibers in the polymer matrix. This is where the AFP, FIBERROLL® rollers from BORFLEX® come into play. BORFLEX® AFP (Automated Fiber Placement) rollers allow for automated and precise fiber placement, depositing the fibers in pre-programmed paths. This advanced technology ensures even fiber distribution, which maximizes the mechanical performance of the final part.

FIBERROLL® is an innovative system developed by BORFLEX® that offers continuous fiber placement. This technique offers great flexibility and can be used for complex shapes, while maintaining excellent placement quality. A remarkable feature of the BORFLEX® FIBERROLL® range is its ability to withstand extremely high temperatures. Indeed, these rolls are designed for applications at temperatures up to 500°C. This property allows BORFLEX® to meet the specific requirements of the aerospace industry, where parts are subjected to demanding environments.

Thanks to this ability to work in extreme thermal conditions, BORFLEX® FIBERROLL® solutions offer exceptional reliability and durability, while maintaining optimal performance. This technological breakthrough opens new perspectives in the field of aeronautical composites, offering application possibilities in areas where high temperatures are a major challenge.

3- Pultrusion: an expertise mastered by BORFLEX®.

In addition to fiber placement, BORFLEX® also excels in pultrusion, a continuous manufacturing technique for composite profiles. In this process, resin-impregnated reinforcing fibers are pulled through a heated die, allowing the resin to cure and the fibers to consolidate.

BORFLEX® masters the entire chain, from resin formulation to the production of parts in small and medium series. Thanks to its expertise in pultrusion, the company can manufacture custom composite profiles.

In addition to pultrusion, BORFLEX® is also active in the field of composite molding. Several molding techniques are used, including SMC (Sheet Molding Compound) compression molding, RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) low-pressure injection molding and BMC (Bulk Molding Compound) compression molding.

You can find all the advantages of this different process by clicking here : Composites | BORFLEX® specialist in elastomer & composite solutions

Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) is the process of compressing a mixture of reinforcing fibers and resin in a closed mold. This process allows the production of large and complex shaped parts, while ensuring a homogeneous distribution of the fibers.

Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) involves the injection of resin into a preformed mold containing reinforcing fibers. This process offers high precision and allows the production of parts with excellent mechanical resistance.

Finally, BMC (Bulk Molding Compound) consists of compressing a mixture of fibers and resin in a mold. This process allows the production of small to medium sized parts with high strength and dimensional accuracy.

Borflex's expertise in these different molding techniques enables it to meet the specific needs of the aerospace industry by offering high-quality composite parts that meet performance and reliability requirements.

4- To remember

The Paris Air Show is an opportunity for BORFLEX® to demonstrate its leadership and commitment to the aerospace industry through its expertise in elastomers and composites. By offering advanced solutions such as AFP rollers with the complete FIBERROLL® range for fiber placement, as well as its mastery of pultrusion, BORFLEX® is at the forefront of innovation. The company is also positioned in the molded composite sector, using various molding techniques, thus opening up new perspectives for the manufacture of customized parts. BORFLEX® meets the stringent requirements of the aerospace industry. With its ongoing commitment to innovation, BORFLEX® will continue to support the aerospace sector by offering advanced technological solutions for future challenges.

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