A New Level of Precision and Efficiency Comes To Automotive Production
In 1956 two brothers in France, Bruno and Louis Durisotti, decided to strike out from the family business and start their
own company. The business they started
specialized in the repair of the busses that
transported workers and their families to the
textile factories to the North. It did not take
long before they earned a reputation for
excellence, and by 1966 the company had
expanded to include 50 employees.
In 1968, seeing the decline in the textile
manufacturing in their area, Durisotti made
the decision to change the direction of the
operations, began designing and transforming
the light commercial vehicles of several large
auto manufacturers. Their first project, in
cooperation with French Auto manufacturer
Pugeot, was lengthening the footing and
overhang of the Pugeot J7 Van. The project
was an immediate success and led to many
more with most of the major automotive
manufacturers in France and Northern
Europe, as well as the National Police Force,
Gendarmerie and French Army.
Since its founding, Durisotti has grown its
original facility to over 32,000 square meters,
and has opened several satellite facilities
around France.
Durisotti has always maintained that
excellence requires changing their operation to
incorporate new technologies and techniques.
This held true for the patented process they
Utility Vehicle Flooring
developed in 2006 to replace the standard
flooring of a utility vehicle to one that allows for seats to be added or removed as needed.
When they first looked at this process, the
challenge was how to efficiently mount the
rails to the floor of the vehicle that would allow
seats to be used. After some time in research
and development, they determined that using
Composites to “replace” the entire flooring,
rather than mounting the rails to the existing
flooring would be the best solution. And, due to
the highly technical difficulty of the part, the best
process for manufacturing this Composites part
was Infusion.
Durisotti Facility
Durisotti tooled a mold, and began using the “classic” method of Infusion
with the clear vacuum film and tacky tape. Unfortunately, the intricacy of the
mold presented them with several production difficulties, and this method of
production never got off the ground.
At about the same time, key members of the Durisotti production team were
invited to a demonstration of a new technology for Closed Molding Production
developed by Magnum Venus Plastech called Flex Molding Process.
Hosted by Magnum Venus Plastech distributor for France Matrasur, the
demonstration was led by MVP RTM/Infusion Technical Specialist Charles
Tur, and featured the innovative technology and techniques that are integral
to Flex Molding Process and make it dramatically more efficient for the
Infusion process.
Infusion of the part using “classic” infusion.
One of the keys to Flex Molding Process’s efficiency over the “classic” method of infusion is the reusable silicone membrane
made with the Patriot™ Duo 1:1 Silicone System from MVP. This system allows manufacturers
to make a flexible counter mold of their
existing mold tool, and insures a secure
seal around even large molds that infusion
film with tacky tape just cannot achieve.
Infusion of the part using Flex Molding Process
After attending the demonstration
at Matrasur, Durisotti Composites
Workshop/R&D Manager Jean Michel
Kosowski realized that this could be the
answer to the technical challenges he Patriot™ Duo 1:1 Silicone System
was experiencing in his production. He
contacted Matrasur about bringing Flex Molding Process to Durisotti,
and shortly Charles Tur was brought in to consult on making the
reusable membrane for their part.
It took a little over two months to determine exactly what was needed
to incorporate Flex Molding Process into their regular production.
Once all of the pieces were in place, it took just two days to make the reusable membrane and actually infuse several test
parts to insure it was all working as planned.
Prior to making the change, Durisotti was able to produce an average
of one part per day using the “classic” Infusion method. With Flex
Molding Process that doubled to two parts per day, and that was just
the beginning. As they grow more familiar with the techniques and
technology, they expect that number to increase soon.
According to Mr. Kosowski, “The quality of the part has improved
for two reasons.” He goes on to say, “the quality of the vacuum is
easier to control with the
silicone membrane and
the fact that the part is
infused with the injection
valve gives a better part
polymerization with no
under-catalyzation.”
Construction of the reusable membrane
Ultimately, several factors played into the decision of Durisotti making the move
to Flex Molding Process. “Time savings against classic infusion, no risks of air
leaks, production part regularity, the guarantee of the same quality for every
part, and the capacity to increase the daily part production per mold,” says Mr.
Kosowski.
Mr. Kosowski ends with, “We are very happy with the help and services we have
received from Magnum Venus Plastech, Matrasur and Charles Tur during this
process.”
Finished part after Infusion
At this time Durisotti is looking into how they can incorporate Flex Molding
Process into the production of other products in their line.