1 Moldeo por vacio con autoclave

1.1 Autoclave
Este proceso se lleva a cabo en un autoclave de materiales compuestos y es utilizado para
consolidar y curar componentes realizados con materiales compuestos poliméricos, mediante
el uso de temperatura y presión.
Las variables de las que depende principalmente este procesado son la temperatura y la
presión aplicadas, y vienen definidas por el tipo de material a procesar:

 En materiales termoestables son necesarias altas temperaturas para reducir la viscosidad

del polímero e iniciar la reacción química de curado. Estas condiciones están en el rango
de 175ºC y 600 KPa (poliimidas, PMR-15) pero pueden llegar en ocasiones a rangos de
300-400ºC y 1MPa (PEEK, PEI).

 En materiales termoplásticos los requerimientos de temperatura no son los mismos que en

termoestables, ya que no hay reacción química que activar para conseguir el curado.

 El uso de presión en el proceso es necesario para mantener en todo momento las láminas
juntas, y eliminar posibles defectos que pudieran formarse (poros, deslaminaciones).
La mayor ventaja del conformado en autoclave es la gran flexibilidad para procesar distintas
familias de materiales. De hecho, cualquier material polimérico puede ser procesado, siempre
y cuando su ciclo de cura se encuentre dentro de las limitaciones de temperatura y presión del
autoclave.
Industrial autoclaves are pressure vessels used to process parts and materials which require
exposure to elevated pressure and temperature. The manufacture of high-performance
components from advanced composites often requires autoclave processing.

An autoclave applies both heat and pressure to the workload placed inside of it. Typically, there
are two classes of autoclave. Those pressurized with steam process workloads which can
withstand exposure to water, while circulating heated gas provides greater flexibility and control
of the heating atmosphere.

Processing by autoclave is far more costly than oven heating and is therefore generally used only
when isostatic pressure must be applied to a workload of comparatively complex shape. For
smaller flat parts, heated presses offer much shorter cycle times. In other applications, the
pressure is not required by the process but is integral with the use of steam, since steam
temperature is directly related to steam pressure. Rubber vulcanizing exemplifies this category of
autoclaving.

For exceptional requirements, such as the curing of ablative composite rocket engine nozzles and
missile nosecones, a hydroclave[1][2] can be used, but this entails extremely high equipment costs
and elevated risks in operation. The hydroclave is pressurized with water;[3] the pressure keeps
the water in liquid phase despite the high temperature.
The key component of the industrial autoclave is the fast-opening door; this is also the critical
component in cost of autoclave construction. On one hand, the operator must be able to open and
close the door quickly and easily; on the other, the door must satisfy stringent safety
requirements. Such is the quality of autoclave door design that the US experiences as few as an
estimated five or six autoclave failures annually.

Autoclave design is driven by various safety standards, foremost among which is the ASME
Pressure Vessel Code. While most nations use the ASME code, some have developed their own.
The CE standard in Europe applies to vessels as well as to electrical controls, and China requires
that pressure vessels comply with their domestic code.[4] All codes specify conservative
requirements intended to maximize safety. Local governments may also impose licensing
requirements related to autoclave operation.

1.1.1 Out of autoclave composite manufacturing

Is an alternative to the traditional high pressure autoclave (industrial) curing process commonly
used by the aerospace manufacturers for manufacturing composite material. Out of autoclave
(OOA) is a process that achieves the same quality as an autoclave but through a different process.

1.2 Moldeo por vacio

1.2.1 Vacuum bag moulding
Vacuum bag moulding uses a flexible film to enclose the part and seal it from outside air. Vacuum
bag material is available in a tube shape or a sheet of material. A vacuum is then drawn on the
vacuum bag and atmospheric pressure compresses the part during the cure. When a tube shaped
bag is used, the entire part can be enclosed within the bag. When using sheet bagging materials,
he edges of the vacuum bag are sealed against the edges of the mould surface to enclose the part
against an air-tight mould. When bagged in this way, the lower mold is a rigid structure and the
upper surface of the part is formed by the flexible membrane vacuum bag. The flexible membrane
can be a reusable silicone material or an extruded polymer film. After sealing the part inside the
vacuum bag, a vacuum is drawn on the part (and held) during cure. This process can be performed
at either ambient or elevated temperature with ambient atmospheric pressure acting upon the
vacuum bag. A vacuum pump is typically used to draw a vacuum. An economical method of
drawing a vacuum is with a venturi vacuum and air compressor.

A vacuum bag is a bag made of strong rubber-coated fabric or a polymer film used to compress the
part during cure or hardening. In some applications the bag encloses the entire material, or in
other applications a mold is used to form one face of the laminate with the bag being a single layer
to seal to the outer edge of the mold face. When using a tube shaped bag, the ends of the bag are
sealed and the air is drawn out of the bag through a nipple using a vacuum pump. As a result,
uniform pressure approaching one atmosphere is applied to the surfaces of the object inside the
bag, holding parts together while the adhesive cures. The entire bag may be placed in a
temperature-controlled oven, oil bath or water bath and gently heated to accelerate curing.
Vacuum bagging is widely used in the composites industry as well. Carbon fiber fabric and
fiberglass, along with resins and epoxies are common materials laminated together with a vacuum
bag operation.