Yesterday, I attended the 10th Annual Wasatch Front Materials Expo (that’s WFME for you acronym lovers). This was my first visit to the SAMPE Utah chapter’s show, which is a four-hour blitz of an event.
I enjoy the more intimate aspects of these smaller shows. The exhibitors have small, simple table top displays. Although it’s only a few hours long, it seems like you have more time for one-on-one conversation with attendees. As always, it’s interesting to rub shoulders with the various exhibitors and attendees, swap war stories and share tips and tricks. (More on that in another post.)
Bottom line: When speaking with numerous composites manufacturers, no matter the size of the show, there are several common pain points for them when it comes to autoclave composite curing issues. The discussions almost always turn to the problems caused by inaccurate thermocouples, traceability issues, NADCAP audits, increased scrap, etc. It’s true. The list of challenges associated with aerospace composites manufacturing seems endless.
Ultimately, all of these issues result in lost time, which is something you can NEVER get back. While this is certainly no epiphany, everyone must admit, we only get 24/7/365 and there’s NOTHING we can do to make more of it.
Adding to the time paradox is the ongoing pressure to increase both through-put and quality with zero scrap. No doubt many of you burn up some of your valuable time worrying about it.
To face these challenges head-on, you really need to partner with a manufacturer of proven, high-reliability thermocouple wire and cable solutions.
For the TE Wire team, we’ve gained invaluable input by taking the time to learn about the tough challenges aerospace composites manufacturers are dealing with and assisting them with finding solutions. Using this important feedback straight from the field, we developed the AccuClave® thermocouple system that are proven to deliver high-accuracy temperature measurement and ensure that the aerospace composites materials are properly cured during processing.
During the expo, I had the opportunity to share our AccuClave autoclave thermocouple system with several composites manufacturers.
What can implementing the AccuClave system in your autoclave operation mean for you? The AccuClave thermocouple pre-made assemblies can lead to 100 percent tested materials, zero percent failures and a proven ROI.
Most importantly, you’ll be able to reduce (if not completely eliminate) the loss of time – your most valuable asset.
While you might not have been able to meet with me face-to-face at WFME, I’d be glad to discuss with you how you can put the AccuClave system to work on your toughest composites manufacturing applications. In the meantime, I invite you to download our new AccuClave line card.
See also: How to Reduce Aerospace Autoclave Setup Time by 90%
Dr. TC's Cure for Autoclave Thermocouple Reversed Polarity
