AIC Group announced today (12th October) that it has won a contract to manufacture a Hot Drape Former for a major European aerospace company. The dimensions of the made to measure Hot Drape Former will be 2m x 7m and it will be used to make a wing spar.

AIC's hot drape forming technology allows laminates of over 20mm thickness to be formed to precise dimensions at up to 18m in length. Each former is specifically designed for a dedicated purpose with AIC delivering a superior bespoke engineered solution.

AIC's PLC based Hot Drape Former Control System monitors every aspect of forming many times per second and automatically makes minute profile adjustments to achieve carbon forming accuracy never before thought possible. Accurate positioning of the lamp bank level of control far exceeds all other devices on the market, which means they can control each individual lamp whereas other Hot Drape Formers can only control them in sections.

Jamie Hardiment, AIC's head of business development, said “Hot Drape Formers are essential for manufacturers in the aerospace industry. With expert knowledge of the composite industry and with AIC's continued research and development, our Hot Drape Formers take carbon forming to new levels, enabling our customers to more efficiently produce aerospace wings and other composite parts.”