Continuous filament winding machine

A continuous filament winding machine (CFW machine) is a machine for laying filament windings continuously over a cylindrical steel band. The steel band is carried on a forward moving mandrel which is able to collapse and return to the beginning of the travel. The steel band is released after the mandrel collapses and is continuously fed back to the start of the travel where it is again wound on to the mandrel.

This machine is mainly used to manufacture fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) pipes and couplings, especially glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) pipes. CFW machines are relatively new technology and only a few manufacturers are in the market. They are good for the manufacture of large diameter pipes and there is a minimum diameter below which the technique becomes unrealistic. Machines are available for diameters from 0.45m to 3.6m.

A raw material storage and mixing areas for resins, catalysts, etc. is needed to feed the machine. This will usually involve heating of the chemical mix.

Examples of filament winding machine producers:

• McClean Anderson

References

• Michael G. Bader, Leif A. Carlsson, John W. Gillespie, Delaware composites design encyclopedia: Processing and fabrication technology,pp. 197–198, CRC Press, 1990 ISBN 0877627010.
• Leonard Hollaway, Handbook of polymer composites for engineers, p. 98, Woodhead Publishing, 1994 ISBN 1855731290.

External links

• Industrial Production Line Layout and manuals for CFW Machine [1] , Technobell , UK .
• "GFW Machine details" @ Sanman Coatings