CDI Products Lines
Product Categories
Web Conversion · Standard Tubes · Complex Tubes · Hoses
CDI has provided over 2,500 specialized machines to the composite industry for the last 60+ years. We developed the first carbon prepreg machine in 1960, and invented graphite golf shafts and fishing rods in 1972. We are really good at creating personalized solutions for our customers needs. After investing much time and resources into research and development, in early 2019 we had a technology breakthrough. This new technology is now incorporated in the machines we sell, and the below information will give you a great overview of these offerings. Keep in mind that each of the machines mentioned below represent the starting point in our discussions with customers, and form the foundation that a personalized solution is built on. Your satisfaction is our guarantee.
Impregnation
Traditional Prepreg Workcell
CDI’s Traditional Prepreg Work cell is a complete package, which offers Offline Resin Filming Machine, Impregnation Line, and Product Winder. This work cell is a complete Prepreg processing line which starts with the Open Architecture Precision Reverse Roll Filming Machine which allows for the high speed, precision filming of resins onto release papers to support a full range of aerospace Prepregs from light weight films for thin tapes and fabrics to thick films for heavy fabrics and tapes. This machine can support multiple Prepreg lines, a full range of hot melt resin systems as well as a range of resin widths. The Prepreg impregnation line is available in 3 to 5 compactions roll standard configuration which is designed to support most fiber types and can produce both unidirectional tape and fabrics from thin tapes to thick fabrics. CDI’s Prepreg Impregnation line is designed to be accurate and versatile as well as easy to set up, clean up and operate. Machine control system is via an intuitive HMI touchscreen that monitors and controls the Prepreg machine and fixed dual product Rewinder and can be used to save recipes for operators to call up which set all machine parameters and ensure consistency from batch to batch.
Combination Prepreg and Resin Filmer
CDI has designed a full line of “combination” machines that have the full accuracy and capabilities as our large production scale prepreg lines that support dedicated prepreg manufacturing companies, but with a smaller footprint, lower output and lower price point. These machines range from the CD6010 capable of producing 6” prepreg and targeted primarily at materials and resin research, the CD6015 which can produce 12” and 24” prepreg and excels at making unidirectional tapes to the CD6018 which can support 50” and 60” prepregs both tapes and full-width fabrics.
CDI’s Combination Prepreg and Filmer line is very versatile and can support a full range of materials, fiber types, resin systems and markets from recreation to aerospace, while providing a much lower factory footprint and overall capital cost. CDI’s Combination Prepreg and Resin Filmer design is about one half of the square footage and costs of traditional Prepreg lines with off-line Filming.
The Combination Prepreg and Filmer is designed to meet the strict requirements of aerospace specifications and can run in multiple “modes” making it a versatile tool for high quality material production as well as new product, material, and process development. This high degree of accuracy ensures that your materials are consistent and that all process variables are controlled providing material consistency within each run as well as across batches. This consistency provides product properties which are required for achieving uniform, grouped test values and data for research and product development. Machine operation is from a large HMI touch screen which has simple, intuitive controls for all machine parameters making machine operation easy to learn and perform. Once the processing parameters are established they can be stored in a “recipe” which can be called up for each material type being produced which will setup and adjust all machine setting allowing for each production run to be easy to setup, consistent and repeatable.
Standard Towpreg for Hotmelt and Thermoplastic Systems
Full range of volume options from single tow research and development up to full-scale production Towpreg line with rewinder capable of processing up to 12 individual tows to support the large annual volume requirements for Composite Fiber impregnation. The automation platform allows for full control of all processing parameters to support in-line development and access for current and future processing needs while ensuring tight resin content control and fresh resin mixed and dispensed at the point of use with CDIs ̀ precision micro resin metering dispensing system and impregnation die system
Our Towpreg processing system is unique as it utilizes hot-melt resin systems rather than the traditional solvated resin systems resulting in higher quality Towpreg and resulting products. CDI’s Standard Towpreg Line is ideal for direct replacement of filament winding applications and other applications not requiring a technical Shaped Tow profile.
Shaped Towpreg for Hotmelt and Thermoplastic Systems
Full range of volume options from single tow research and development up to full-scale production Towpreg line with rewinder which is capable of processing up to 12 individual tows to support the large annual volume requirements for Composite Fiber impregnation. The automation platform allows for full control of all processing parameters to support in-line development and access for current and future processing needs while ensuring tight resin content control and fresh resin mixed and dispensed at the point of use with CDIs ̀ precision micro resin metering dispensing system and impregnation die system
This line is upgraded with CDI’s patented “ShapedTow” processing system which allows for the fabrication of high tolerance, dimensionally stable pre-impregnated fiber tows which can be used in the place of slit tapes for most tape placement applications. The upgrade also includes a fully enclosed environmentally controlled zone to ensure full control of the “ShapedTow” from impregnation to winding.
Aqueous-Based Dip Impregnation
Fabric Impregnation Line available in 40, 50, and 60-inch widths. The CD8060 Impregnation line is specifically designed to handle multiple woven and non-woven fabrics, fully impregnate with resin, dry through a floatation oven, apply poly backing and re-wind. The modular nature of this machine allows for the addition or removal of modules, such as Fabric Un-winders, Resin Baths, ovens, and Poly Un-winders depending on customer needs.
Web Conversion
Narrow Tape Slitting
CDI’s Narrow Slitting Solution is designed to allow for slitting unidirectional tapes down to a range of widths to 1/8” minimum using shear slitters for clean edge and accurate width. The narrow tape slitter can process a range of material configurations as it is designed to remove either top and/or bottom release materials for the incoming roll and replacing it with a poly film to insure that the cut is clean and does not generate any FOD or cutting dust typical with release papers. The slitter then removes the poly films to allow the slit tape to be a wound onto a closed loop tension-controlled fiber spool with a clean oversized poly film to support use on an AFP machine.
Composite Slitting
Designed to shear slit parent rolls of Prepreg in either 40”, 50” or 60” widths material down to smaller rolls, minimum of 2.00” standard, for use in downstream production applications. This machine will slit rolls of material down to required widths and rewind them onto roll core or reels. Additional to Prepreg slitting this machine can be utilized to slit poly films, bagging materials, light fabrics, and tapes to perfectly match bagging requirements for your various part configurations.
Standard Tubes
CDI’s standard tube manufacturing line is specifically focused on the fabrication of high strength parallel and tapered composite tubes utilizing the roll/wrap method. This line includes a rolling table, 2 axis wrapping machine for ply consolidation, mandrel extractor, and precision centerless wet sander. These machines are designed to support the production of a wide range of parts up to 20 feet in length from full one-piece composite tubes down to multi-piece tubes from a maximum diameter of 6” down to minimum diameters of .125”. From initial prepreg application to final part finishing this offering provides parts makers a full turnkey solution.
Complex Tubes
Automated Tape or Tow Placement (ATP) for precision placement on both small and large diameter straight, tapered and complex geometry parts. CDI’s Multi Axis design incorporates modularity in both axis and length configurations allowing customers to configure their machines starting from 3 axis going up to 6 axis capability and 6ft working envelope up to 100ft. This design is unique as it is not required to be decided up front and can be added on at a future date as demand requires allowing for the machine to “grow with customer demands” without requiring customers to integrate and invest in a whole new machine.
Additional to the modular design this offering incorporates a proprietary tape placement head that has the capability of placing materials from 0° to 90° onto a tool that is parallel, tapered, sinusoidal, or transitional diameters along the tool. The enhanced software package gives the user the ability to program the diameters down the length of the part and maintain even tension regardless of angular or diameter changes. The ability to wrap both prepreg and thin film tapes from the same tension head allows parts to be completed and ready to cure on one machine eliminating a costly secondary operation.
Hoses
The CD9091-SH Multi-Axis Machine platform is designed specifically to support hose manufacturing. The uniquely designed tape placement head allows the user to place materials onto tooling in a range of angles to straight hose manufacturing (straight hoses, reducer hoses, turbocharger hoses, corrugated flex hose, flexible duct hose, and marine silicone hoses).
The proprietary tape placement head has the capability of placing materials from 0° to 90° onto a tool that is parallel, tapered, sinusoidal, or transitional diameters along the tool. The enhanced software package gives the user the ability to program the diameters down the length of the part and maintain even tension regardless of angular or diameter changes. The CD9091-SH Multi-Axis Machine is able to wrap a range of materials on the same tension head allowing for parts to be completed and ready to cure on one machine eliminating costly additional operations. The machine is modular and upgradeable allowing for a wide range of quality hose and ducting geometries.
This machine is built with a standard 3-axis system but can be upgraded up to a 6-axis system. The length on the machine is modular allowing the machine to “grow” with your requirements. The CD9091-SH Multi-Axis Machine utilizes reels of material up to 4″ standard width or 6″ width with optional upgrades to wrap consistent quality parts controlled with an HMI touchscreen with our latest software to support recipe programming per part or product with backup data capture.