Loiretech is a leading designer and manufacturer of tooling for large and complex composite parts, including preforming, moulding and trimming tools. Their main customers belong to the commercial aerospace, automotive, and defence industries globally. They have maintained a good business growth over the past five years; 100% increase in total turnover in 2013 compared to 2009. Currently, their main business segment is the aerospace industry, representing 76% of the company’s total turnover, while automotive industry represents 18%. Using past and present understanding of composite tooling manufacturing, Loiretech is committed to ensuring that the SIMUTOOL project is geared towards producing a practical and effective product. The successful completion of SIMUTOOL will help to boost Loiretech’s position in the automotive composite industry globally.
Loiretech’s industrial organization is ISO 9001 certified. Furthermore, they are involved in sustainable development, and the organization is certified through ISO 14001. Loiretech is permanently working on new designs, materials and technologies to be able to offer to its customers the best technical and cost effective solution.
Loiretech allocates at least 4% of the turnover by year for research and development activities. This innovation activity led them to achieve five patents, including two European patents.Loiretech has roughly ten technical concepts protected by “Envelope Soleau”. Loiretech is member of the EMC2 association, a major French industrial cluster in the field of composites. They are also a member of the Technical Research Institute Jules Verne, which is a centre for technological research.
Infrastructure at Loiretech includes:
Large tooling manufacturing which includes:
- Two machining halls
- Two assembling halls
- One clean room
- Handling cranes up to ten tons
CAD CAM and Machining equipment:
- CATIA V5: mechanical design
- SEE Electrical expert: electrical and pneumatic design
- WorkNC & Mastercam: three and five axes CNC programming
- CNC: Five axis high speed milling machines up to 12 meters long travel
Composites equipment:
- Twenty metre long bench table
- Two trimming rooms
Inspection equipment:
- Laser Tracker API T3
- IntelliProbe 360 API
- Axxis6 2600mm 3D measuring Arm
- SA Ultimate + Native CAD All instruments Interfaces
3D Stiefelmayer measuring machine
Key tasks and expertise
Loiretech will lead the ceramic matrix composite tool design and production, leading WP5. Loiretech will also contribute to the modelling of the tool (defining material properties for the ceramics that will be used) and to the demonstrators manufacturing in the correct handling of the tool, cleaning its surface and issuing guidelines for the vacuum procedure.
www.loiretech.fr
