AeroThermal -Hot Drape Formers (HDF)

Incorporating Hampshire Laminating Machinery (HLM), AeroThermal’s HDFs are used widely in the aerospace industry. This hot drape forming technology allows laminates of over 20mm thickness to be formed to precise dimensions at up to 18m in length at temperatures up to 100oC. The forming process takes a pre-impregnated (with resin), flat laminate of tape-laid carbon fibre and applies heat accurately controlled in a vacuum. It gently bends the laminate over a heated tool to take the preformed shape ready for the next stage of curing in an autoclave. Modern HDFs enable the manipulation of components in more complex geometries, with a much greater degree of control.