Advanced Carbon Fiber Composite Manufacturing
Quatro has two autoclaves with state-of-the-art computer control over all process variables including heat up rate, dwell time, variable pressurization and controlled cooling. The first autoclave is 5 ft in diameter by 12 ft in length and is certified under BAC 5578. It can be pressurized to 125 psi and taken up to 450° F and is available for customized cure profiles. Our newest autoclave was installed in May 2010 and is 7 ft in diameter by 16 ft in length.
Quatro has 15 presses that range from 1 cubic foot to 125 cubic foot capacity. We can heat our tools up to 350° F and apply precise temperature control during manufacturing using Labview. We can also provide pressure and temperature cure profiles at our customers demand.
Quatro engineers develop composite patterns using CAD tools and cut them using our EASTMAN™ cutters. The machines have the capacity to accurately cut various stacks of material at very high speeds. Rosenthal sheeters are also used to efficiently sheet the pre-preg material.
Quatro has the state of the art Virtek LPS-7H Laser projection system used to guide composite layup operations in their Orange City, IA facility. The new Virtek LPS-7H contains advanced projection and tracking technology that will project up to two times faster than previous Laser models. Advanced laser and optical components offer high quality projection patterns and a higher laser refresh rate that minimizes laser flickering. A centralized cooling channel provides thermal stability enabling the projector to operate in the most challenging environments.
Our shops have three axis, four axis, five axis CNC machines, water jet cutters and lathes. We can design and machine aluminum, titanium, invar or any other material type tools, carbon parts and fixtures. Our machine bed volumes go from 40" by 40" by 30" up to 120" by 40" by 30".
Quatro can post bond composite structures using high temperature adhesives in precisely controlled furnaces. We can trim parts manually using custom designed trim fixtures or use our CNC machines to trim composite parts or assemblies with outstanding accuracies. We design custom bonding fixtures to precisely bond composite structures together and can perform X-ray scans to verify quality of the bonded joints. Additionally, we can perform x-ray scans to determine attenuation of composite parts for medical applications.
In August 2008, Quatro installed a 9' x 26' x 9' Col-Met semi-downdraft paint booth that includes a heat and cure cycle. We are excited to have painting capabilities in-house to meet your finish requirements in a fast, reliable manner while maintaining our high quality standards.
Our team can design custom gauging fixtures, use romers, CNC machines, micrometers, precision calipers and other QC equipment to verify dimensions to within .0001". We have a full range of inspection and testing devices following ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100:2004 standards. Please see our Quality Assurance page for more information.
Our 40,000 sq ft facility in Iowa, which can be quickly expanded to accommodate larger projects, can handle large manufacturing volumes in tightly controlled temperature environments following strict certified manufacturing methods and with outstanding quality verification procedures. We can also manage and perform quality control on composite manufacturing abroad. For highly competitive high volume products, we work with our Chinese composite manufacturing partners to meet the manufacturing volumes and prices without sacrificing Quatro’s quality.
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