Rock West Composites completes filament winding facility expansion
Rock West Composites has grown its operation this year with the acquisition of new winders and ovens and expanded its building space to establish a filament winding center of excellence in a dedicated manufacturing facility. This new capability enables efficiencies in labor, faster production, improved quality and lower cost.
Rock West Composites (RWC) celebrated the full operational capacity of its new, dedicated filament winding facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. RWC expanded into a third manufacturing bay at their building, adding 20,000 square feet of space for staff and new equipment. As the company’s capability in the filament winding arena has grown, the need to consolidate equipment and expertise in a centralized location became essential in fulfilling customer demand for this product.
The company has aligned several multi-spindle, wet winding and tow preg, and small to large diameter winders. Capability includes manufacturing tubes in a wide variety of dimensions up to 315” long and 30” in diameter. RWC has also deployed a custom resin mixing and dispensing system for precise resin mix ratios to assure mixing accuracy and consistency. Several ovens to accommodate the increased tube production, a new extended length hydraulic mandrel extractor, and mandrel storage are all closely located within the cell to improve efficiency.
Dave Erickson, the General Manager of Rock West Composites’ Utah operation, said:
“RWC has extensive experience working with carbon fiber and glass fiber materials. The expansion of our filament winding operation is a natural extension of the work we have been engaged in for years. We are always seeking ways to increase efficiency, reduce cost, improve product quality, and shorten schedule. This center of excellence will enable us to deliver on our promise to make our customers more competitive.”
