Cygnet Texkimp Increases Carbon Fiber Production Efficiency Via 500-Kilogram VHD Creel

Fiber handling and composites technology specialist Cygnet Texkimp (Northwich, U.K.) has developed a very heavy duty (VHD) creel solution capable of handling 500-kilogram packages of fiber as part of an industry collaboration to increase efficiency in carbon fiber manufacturing.

The large-scale creel will be used to unwind bobbins of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor fiber into carbon fiber production lines. According to Cygnet, its development signals a major leap in capability for the carbon fiber manufacturing industry which has, for more than a decade, relied on fiber packages weighing up to 350 kilograms. The VHD creel will reduce operational downtime and increase efficiency by cutting the frequency of package changeovers and allowing longer continuous run cycles between package changes.

More than 70 of Cygnet Texkimp’s VHD creels are in operation globally, process in excess of 24,000 bobbins of fiber.

“A 500-kilogram bobbin offers an immediate win over a 350-kilogram bobbin in terms of line efficiency,” Peter Stevenson, director of projects at Cygnet Texkimp, explains. “The creel also supports the ability to process higher tow count fibers, such as 24K or 48K tows, and achieve faster line speeds by increasing the size and weight of the PAN precursor bobbin.”

“We have developed this new capability as part of our ongoing consultation with the industry and driven by sustained growth in carbon fiber production capacity globally,” Stevenson continues. “In particular, the technology addresses the needs of a growing number of high-volume industrial applications around the world, many of which are designed to establish new sovereign capability.”

The VHD solution uses an operator-managed lifter loader system to unload the packages of PAN fiber from the winding system and load them onto the creel, with the option of a bespoke handling solution incorporating a higher degree of automation. Like all Cygnet Texkimp’s VHD Creels, it is equipped with an electronic tension control system that uses a closed-loop dancer arm mechanism to maintain near-constant fiber tension while unwinding packages of fiber into the process.