Aksa Composites to advance H2 composite tank production with Mikrosam filament winder

Mikrosam filament winder. Source | Mikrosam

Mikrosam (Prilep, Macedonia) announces the successful delivery of a high-performance, upgradeable filament winding system to Aksa Composites (formerly Epsilon Composites, Ankara, Turkey). This system is designed for wet winding over cylindrical mandrels and liners, provisioned to wind mandrels with towpreg material in future. It supports Aksa’s mission to advance composite tank production for high-performance applications — customizable to customer needs — in many industries, including the automotive industry, but particularly modern and heavy-duty vehicles (trucks) where large hydrogen storage capacities are required.

The project exemplifies Mikrosam’s ability to deliver fully integrated, high-performance composites manufacturing systems. The delivered solution includes:

Filament winding machine: A double-spindle system with an overhead beam configuration, enabling high-speed, precision winding of carbon and glass fibers. It supports mandrel diameters up to 700 millimeters and lengths up to 2,950 millimeters.

Impregnation resin bath system: It is equipped with programmable doctor blade for precise resin pick-up settings, enabling each fiber tape, routed to different spindles, to have individual and programmable resin pick-up adjustments, which is crucial for ensuring consistent and optimal process quality.

Electronic fiber creel and tension system: A robust, enclosed creel with electronic tension control for smooth, precise fiber unwinding.

WindingExpert software: Mikrosam’s software provides advanced offline programming, 3D simulation and quality assurance, streamlining production planning and execution.

Stationary curing oven: Custom-designed to cure wound cylinders with precise temperature control, ensuring material integrity and part consistency.

The filament winding machine’s high-speed operation — with four-axis control but ungradeable to five-axis in future — its customizable and future-proof design, including for towpreg winding and automation, as well as a built-in quality control system (QCS) to track critical production parameters will play a pivotal role in Aksa’s upcoming R&D initiatives.

“Aksa Composites is investing in state-of-the-art filament winding systems to revolutionize the production of hydrogen storage tanks and aerostructure components,” notes the Aksa team. “Beyond storage, this technology enables the manufacturing of critical aerostructure parts, driving innovation, efficiency and sustainability across our operations.”

The system seamlessly integrates with Aksa’s K1 technology to produce lightweight, large-diameter composite parts with optimal stiffness. It delivers on sustainability, and ensures high productivity, minimal maintenance and reliability.