Landau, July 21, 2022. Since 2021, Wickert Maschinenbau has recorded a considerable increase in interest in composite presses for producing ballistic panels. They are used for armoring to protect civilian and military vehicles, ships, and aircraft from gunfire.
In particular, there is a demand for complete systems comprising a composite press, automated loading and unloading, along with efficient temperature control. Most recently at the end of 2021, Wickert commissioned a complete system for a supplier to the Australian Ministry of Defense.
It delivered a WKP 52000 composite press that had been modified to meet the requirements of ballistic plate production. Weighing 150 t, the press features a lower-piston frame design with a fully hydraulic closing system and boasts a press force of 52,000 kN and 1,600 x 2,500 mm heating plates.
Ballistic plates made from up to 60 layers of fiber composite
Producing ballistic panels involves processing blanks of up to 60 layers of fibers impregnated with a special plastic. These are made of high-performance materials such as aramide and high-performance polyethylene. Combined with glass, ceramic, and metal fibers made of aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, boron carbide, aluminum, and armor steel, they are then heated in composite presses and pressed into fiber-reinforced composite panels.
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Image 1 of 4: The composite press delivered to Australia is a smaller model of the WPK 60000 illustrated here with automatic loading and unloading (image: Wickert Maschinenbau GmbH).
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Image 3 of 4: Producing ballistic panels involves processing blanks of up to 60 layers of fibers impregnated with a special plastic. (Image: IStockphoto).
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Image 4 of 4: Ballistic panels are used for armoring to protect civilian and military vehicles, ships, and aircraft from gunfire (Image: IStockphoto).
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