Designing and Dimensioning
Designing and layouting mould geometry - these are the two most important steps in the whole design process of FPC moulded parts. The aim is to achieve moulded parts that are fibreappropriately built and allow for a high degree of integration in order to reduce the overall number of parts required.
Materials selection is always determined by the requirements the target piece shall meet in terms of load capacity and mechanical properties, while also considering the corresponding manufacturing techniques.
Mould optimisation is achieved by applying for example FEM software (Finite Element Method) for appropriately calculating the mould design.
Dimensioning fibre-reinforced plastics not only means to determine the required material thickness, but also to specify the ingredients the material has to be composed of.
Varying the fibre and matrix materials, the fibre orientation and number of layers brings about a multitude of creative options.
Already in the early design stages characteristic material properties like for example its different physical behaviour in accordance with the direction of measurement (anisotropy) have to be taken into account.