Combines all the advantages of CFRP in a single product
Our X-GIRDERs are found as support structures as beams or cantilevers in dynamic and mobile applications. Particularly for large, accelerated components (such as Y or Z axes in multi-axis handling systems) the unique material properties of CFRP can be utilized to the fullest.
Carbon composites can be manufactured with a stiffness which is nearly twice as high as steel while only weighing 20% of the steel structure with the same cross-section. This property, the ratio of stiffness to density, known as specific stiffness, is the benchmark in lightweight construction.
The high specific stiffness leads to higher natural frequencies – a blessing for vibration-sensitive applications. Through specific fiber orientation, the frequency can even be adapted to the respective application. In addition, there is an at least five-fold higher damping compared to steel. The damping levels can be increased up to a magnitude of fifty by utilizing further technologies – and all this is possible with a corrosion-free material.
These customizable material properties are produced by AVANCO Composites using automated, CNC-controlled, filament winding machines in order to create affordable Y and Z axes.
In order to take full advantage of the X-GIRDER without compromising the machining accuracy, it may become necessary, under some operating conditions, to take the different thermal expansions of steel and carbon fiber into account. A rigid connection of a steel guide rail to a CFRP beam could lead to warping under fluctuating operating temperatures – similar to a bimetallic effect
AVANCO Composites has designed and patented a solution for this, based on proven engineering principles. With the X-RAIL technology the guide rail is mounted to the carbon beam in an axially floating manner. The attachment is performed with segmented clamping elements, which provide a solid anchor and at the same time allow an axial expansion of the rail. Surprisingly, the stick-slip behavior of the rail improved with higher tightening torques. Concerns about the repeat accuracy have therefore become a thing of the past. X-RAIL enables the creation of wholistic CFRP solutions for machine axes, which differ from previous designs and do not rely on a diametrically opposed installation of the guide rails.
