Manufacture
The three traditional honeycomb production techniques: expansion, corrugation and moulding were all developed by 1901 for non-sandwich applications. For decorative applications the expanded honeycomb production reached a remarkable degree of automation in the first decade of the 20th century.
Today honeycomb cores are manufactured via the expansion process and the corrugation process from composite materials such as glass-reinforced plastic (also known as fiberglass), carbon fiber reinforced plastic, Nomex aramide paper reinforced plastic, or from a metal (usually aluminum).
Thermoplastic honeycomb cores (usually from polypropylene) are usually made by extrusion processed via a block of extruded profiles or extruded tubes from which the honeycomb sheets are sliced.
Recently a new process to produce thermoplastic honeycombs has been implemented, allowing a continuous in-line production with direct lamination of skin to cost efficient sandwich panel production. Continuous in-line production of metal honeycomb can be done from metal rolls by cutting and bending.
Today, a wide variety of materials can be formed into a honeycomb composite. For example paperboard honeycomb is used in paper pallets and package cushioning, blocking and bracing.
Read more about this topic: Honeycomb Structure
Famous quotes containing the word manufacture:
“Culture is an instrument wielded by teachers to manufacture teachers, who, in their turn, will manufacture still more teachers.”
—Simone Weil (1909–1943)
“The great cry that rises from all our manufacturing cities, louder than the furnace blast, is all in very deed for this—that we manufacture everything there except men.”
—John Ruskin (1819–1900)
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—Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844–1911)