The product development process is carried out by the FAPS engineering and design offices which receive, engineer and develop customers’ requirements with the aid of experience and sophisticated CAD 3D and FEM, tools for design, calculation and structural control. Special applications are also used to assist the engineers in dimensioning the different laminations with flat figure output from 3D elements. These are used to optimize pre-preg cutting by plotter with nesting programs, and generate PLY BOOK which guide personnel through production cycles with dedicated, clearly comprehensible instructions.

The developed projects are then made in the production shops where highly specialized skilled personnel process and transform the composite materials into manufactured products.

The manufacturing technologies for elements in composite materials vary according to the shape, dimensions and properties required of the finished piece.

The main production methods used by FAPS are the WRAPPING system (pre-pregs are wound onto a male mould and cured in ovens or autoclaves), a VACUUM / AUTOCLAVE system (layering and shaping pre-pregs on female moulds), vacuum bag and pressure curing in autoclave, and a pressure system using a PRESS.

To complete the picture, besides the WRAPPING, VACUUM/AUTOCLAVE and PRESS production systems used by FAPS, below are described the OTHER PRODUCTION PROCESSES ccommonly used for the production of parts in composite materials. Technologies that involve impregnating dry fibers, such as, for example, pultrusion, filament winding or pull winding/braiding, generally have very high production rates but lower structural performance than those which use pre-pregs such as vacuum bag and wrapping technologies and relative cure cycle in autoclave. FAPS has chosen to specialize in wrapping, vacuum/autoclave and press technologies and work with pre-impregnated material to achieve greater product performance.

FAPS systems are used to design parts by means of accurate calculations and control of mechanical, aesthetic and performance characteristics of the products involved.