The Intelligent Hollow Composite Tooling (INHO_TOOL) project aimed at producing a hollow mold system of composite materials with intelligent technology has already started the first tests and is giving the expected results.

The project was approved in the last call for grants to Agrupacions Empresarials Innovadores (AEI), promoted by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism as part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. It has a budget of 200,734 euros and has the participation of Faxe Especialidades Químicas, REFISA, the Centro Tecnológico Miranda de Ebro (CTME) and the MAV Cluster.

The industrial research project aims to study, design and develop the technology necessary to optimize the manufacturing process of composites through hollow heated molds with liquid recirculation through the interior of the mold. This technology will allow, through sensors, to establish configurable temperature cycles to optimize the manufacturing process by molding.

The company REFISA, a partner of the MAV Cluster, has carried out the validation tests with very satisfactory results that advance the development of a heating mold manufacturing system in a simple and efficient way. Thus it is possible to eliminate the uncertainty of the temperature during the manufacture of composite materials and configure the desired temperature at any time of the process.

The first tests made it possible to establish and maintain, in a few minutes, the desired working temperature, as well as to configure curing and post-curing ramps up to 60ºC without the need to move the moulds.

The project has focused on acquiring the necessary knowledge to be able to incorporate and integrate sensors embedded in the molding of composite materials, design and develop fluid mechanics that allows simulating the behavior of the liquid inside the mold and investigate resistant materials at high temperatures to manufacture heatable molds.

The results obtained have made it possible to obtain an innovative system for the manufacture of intelligent composite molds that offers total control over the temperature of the mold with the aim of obtaining high quality parts and with a drastic reduction in manufacturing times.

The ultimate goal is to drive the energy transition towards a sustainable industry through new manufacturing technologies that will change the production model of composite materials with a very significant reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases.