A high-speed moulding technology that allows an instantaneous heating of the mold surface only is being evaluated for use with composite materials and reducing moulding costs.

Azdel, a 50/50 joint venture of GE Advanced Materials and PPG Industries, based in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA. has announced that it is currently evaluating the potential advantages of the Cage System, an innovative, high-speed composite moulding technology developed by the RocTool Company of France, for use with its own Azdel composite materials. According to Ken Forden, president Azdel: 'We are working in conjunction with RocTool to investigate the use of the Cage System for the production of composites with a class A surface finish.' The Cage System allows an instantaneous heating of the mould surface only, the rest of the mould remains cold.

The technique to achieve this involves passing an electrical current over the surface of the mold by means of inductors that are placed around it to form a cage.

The mold cavity surface is heated within seconds, and it is possible to use high temperatures - up to about 400 deg C - and to precisely manage temperature thresholds, even using spot heating.

This high level of localised control helps enable a considerable reduction in production cycle times and potentially therefore a reduction in the cost of manufacturing composite parts making it an excellent candidate for medium-run and mass production applications.

Furthermore, the Cage System process offers a truly generic solution that can be adapted to all types of composites, as the heating power is applied at the mould surface only.

With the heating by Joule effect principally taking place within the material itself, the mould can be rapidly cooled using a simple system of circulating water.

Moreover, the technology is compatible with standard compression-molding machines and requires only the addition of an induction generator and cooling unit.

However, a process-specific mould, with integrated induction heating and water-cooling system is necessary.

The potential advantages of molding composites using the Cage System are: * Reduced cycle time.

* Higher production rates.

* Potential for class A surface finish composite sheet.

* Possibility for heating threshold control and in-mold cooling of the material.

* Lower energy consumption.

Advantages that might open the way for composites to enter many applications from which they have previously been excluded on the basis of too high cost or too low aesthetic value in the finished part.

Azdel composites are produced and distributed by Azdel.

Azdel composite customers are provided with support in design, testing, moulding and prototyping to achieve excellent performance and weight reduction in automotive applications.

GE's Automotive Application Development Center in Southfield, Mich.

USA, and the European Design Center in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands, can help to provide the world's leading automotive manufacturers and tier suppliers with extensive technical support.

Expert staffs can assist with concept generation, complete pre-production consultancy, application and performance prediction, processing simulation, feasibility and cost studies, advanced processing capabilities, system solutions, and innovative automotive expertise.

Moreover, in the United States, GE Advanced Materials in collaboration with Fitch, leaders in industrial design, and GE Polymer Design Associates in Europe, can assist customers with a range of design and engineering services, or with helping to find an optimal solution to a specific task.

This support covers a wide range of automotive disciplines - styling, engineering design, CAD, finite element analysis, model and prototyping, tooling, testing and project management.

* About Azdel - Azdel is a joint venture of GE Advanced Materials and PPG Industries.

The Azdel business was established in 1972 by PPG, and the 50/50 joint venture was set up with GE in 1986.

Azdel is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of high-performance composite materials serving a wide variety of markets and industries including automotive, transportation interiors, large truck, materials handling, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), and building and construction.