Lancer Systems’ engineers are experts in lightweight composite material design and application. The wide breadth of composite applications – which includes thermoplastics, thermosets, and ceramic-matrix materials – often provides intrinsic material properties which are superior to metal. Areas of potential advantage include weight, stiffness-to-weight ratio, self-lubricity, thermal and/or electrical insulation, performance at extreme temperatures (both cryogenic and > 2500°F) and manufacturing cost.
Lancer Systems’ vast experience with composite materials and processes gives us the ability to identify opportunities for our customers in which composites may offer significant advantages to metal, and to design and select appropriate solutions for these applications.
Lancer Systems’ market focus includes application engineering, rapid prototyping, and production volumes typical of defense industry applications.
Introducing CeraComp®. The ceramic matrix composite material engineered for high temperature applications.
At its core, CeraComp significantly reduces weight for high temperature applications as compared to high temperature metal alternatives. Going well beyond weight savings, it provides improved structural integrity, thermal shock and fracture resistance compared to monolithic ceramics.
As with all of Lancer’s ceramic matrix composite (CMC) offerings, CeraComp delivers superior performance in mission-critical, high temperature industrial and defense applications.
For further details and test results, download the CeraComp® Technical Brief.
Lancer’s CeraComp® technical lead, Dr. Robert Cook, Ph.D., discusses the benefits of the technology in the following articles:
- Aerospace & Defense Technology Magazine, February 2015. Read the full article here.
- Pumps & Systems Magazine, September 2014 digital edition (December print edition). Read the full article here.
CeraComp is featured in the November 2013 issue of High Performance Composites. Read the full article here.
Lancer designs and manufactures thermoset, thermoplastic, and ceramic matrix composite solutions for the defense and aerospace industries.
Thermosets
- Possesses excellent heat resistance, high fatigue strength and superior stiffness vs. weight performance as compared to metals.
- Can be manufactured into large shapes.
- Used in primary- and secondary-structure applications in UAV’s, aircraft panels and other weight-sensitive applications.
- Lancer capabilities include pre-preg hand lay-up, roll-wrapping, in- & out-of-autoclave processing, as well as compression molding.
Thermoplastics
- Provide excellent durability and impact resistance. Thermoplastics in many cases can be reformed or repaired.
- Can be manufactured into complex shapes to produce cost-effective secondary structures such as brackets.
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Lancer capabilities include compression molding and machining of stock shapes. Lancer leverages Greene, Tweed and other industry partners for injection mold.
Ceramic Matrix Composites
- Well-suited for extreme high temperatures (in excess of 2500°F).
- Provide superior toughness when compared to monolithic ceramics.
- Can be manufactured into complex shapes for applications such as jet-engine components, exoatmosphere vehicle attitude control systems, and extreme temperature thermal barriers.
- The Polymer Infiltration and Pyrolysis (PIP) process used by Lancer provides higher throughput of larger parts as compared to the Chemical Vapor Infiltration (CVI) process
Lancer is an agile, growing company that has the capital equipment to meet our customer’s needs:
- Compression-Molded parts up to 36 in. x 30 in.
- Roll-Wrap Tubes up to 8 feet in length with a four-inch outer diameter
- Precision Ply-Cutting Table
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Autoclave
- Kiln and integral Retort for processing Ceramic Matrix Composites
- Milling Machines
- CNC Turning Center
- Conditioning Ovens
Lancer continues to enhance our capabilities with additional capital equipment as business cases warrant.