Setting Up a Composites Shop
I am often asked what is needed to set up a manufacturing facility for composites. Although the exact requirements vary a lot, depending on the products to be made, the layup processes to be employed, and the production rates, there are some elements common to all facilities.
A good way to plan your facility is to think through the entire manufacturing process, from statement of design to delivery of the product.
Drawings
Whether building your own designs or a customer's, you will probably work off of drawings. This requires:
- CAD System, for generating original drawings, or shop drawings from customer blueprints.
- Viewing software, because you may not have the same CAD system as your customer.
- Plotter, for printing out drawings.
- Copier, if you don't have electronic drawings, so you don't have to mark up the originals.
- Storage cabinets, for hard copies of drawings, up to E size.
Ordering
You'll be ordering a lot of materials and supplies, which means you need a method for tracking the orders.
- Database, for tracking orders placed, received, and paid; and for keeping a contact list of sales reps.
- File cabinets, for storing the related paperwork.
- Shelves, for storing vendor catalogs and literature (though this is becoming less important as more vendors place product information on the Internet).
Receiving
When the materials arrive, you will probably have a bit of work before they go into storage.
- Loading dock and receiving area. Are your shipments big enough to require a separate receiving facility?
- Receiving office. This may not be a separate physical office, but you need to log received goods into the database and transfer paperwork (packing lists, etc.) to the files.
- Handling equipment. Do you need forklifts, or are hand dollies sufficient?
- MSDS logs, usually three ring binders.
- QA lab. Do you plan to do any inspections on incoming materials? The specific equipment in your lab will depend on the types of materials you order and the tests you want to perform.
Storage
Once the materials are in, where will you store them?
- Cages and warehouse facilities, for large pieces of tooling.
- Chemical cabinets, for resins, solvents, release agents, etc.
- Shelving and bins, for stock items such as mixing cups, fasteners, tools, etc.
- Racks, for roll items such as fabrics, release films, bagging, etc. Remember, most of these should be stored horizontally, with no weight on the actual material.
- Freezers, for prepregs and film adhesives. You may want alarms with automatic pagers or phone dialers, for those times when the freezers fail.
There are some additional considerations when planning storage facilities:
- Many materials must be stored in a clean or climate-controlled room.
- Government regulations may dictate storage and disposla requirements for chemicals.
- Will you be receiving customer-supplied materials or equipment? These must be segregated from your own materials, and from other customers' materials.
Preparation
Some prep work is required before the start of any layup. This work is, of course, highly dependent on the manufacturing method, but here are some things to consider:
- Tool preparation: Tools must be cleaned and mold released prior to layup. Ideally, the initial prep is done outside the layup area, to avoid contamination of materials and facilities.
- Cutting: Materials, whether they are prepregs, fabrics, or consumables, must be cut to size. You need both cutting tools and tables. For large-scale productions, you may have automated cutting equipment. Frozen prepregs must also be brought to room temperature before the bags are opened. Cut materials are usually kitted and stored in a container to keep them clean.
- Mixing: Resins must be mixed in proper proportions, requiring metering or weighing equipment. Depending on the size of your operation, you may use disposable cups and stirring sticks, or you may use automated mixing equipment.
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