DragonPlate Expands Modular Connector System for Carbon Fiber Tubes
Dragonplate has a new modular connector system specifically designed for connecting pultruded tubes and rods. Leveraging off the design and success of its patent pending carbon fiber tube modular connector system, designed to connect roll-wrapped and braided carbon fiber tubes, Dragonplate has extended this line of products to now incorporate pultruded tubes and rods.
Pultruded carbon fiber has two huge benefits: cost and rigidity. Since all of the fibers are perfectly aligned down the length of the part, the tensile, compressive, and bending stiffness are extremely high. Dragonplate's pultruded tubes and pultruded rods are 50% stiffer and have a stiffness to weight ratio that is over 3 times that of aluminum. Along with the molded connectors Dragonplate offers, which provide an affordable means to create complex trusses and frames, the new pultruded modular connectors extend one's design capability through a variety of small anodized aluminum components. The result is the ability to make a way range of both simple and complex joints. By combining the versatility of the multi-angle connector (used for diagonal truss connections in the standard molded connector set) with a variety of simple blocks, links, and spacers, the designer now has a much wider toolbox for those creative moments.
The complete modular connector system is a revolutionary way to think about carbon fiber tube structure fabrication. In the past, carbon fiber assemblies were almost always custom made. This, however, usually means high costs and long lead times. By creating a system that utilizes off the shelf tubes and connectors, a large percentage of the structure can now simply be assembled with off-the-shelf parts. The time and cost savings are enormous, and the versatility is only limited by the creativity of the designer. Dragonplate tubes and modular connectors have been used for a wide array of projects including industrial automation robotics, telescoping assemblies for electronics, and even stage productions. In the realm of automation, the ability to quickly assemble end of arm tooling and robotic arms that save weight over traditional metal systems is invaluable, and at the other end of the spectrum several theater production companies have used the modular connectors and carbon fiber tubes to create large, yet lightweight, stage props, thus making them easier to manipulate and also improving safety.
Dragonplate is continuously releasing new additions for all of the modular connector systems, and soon will be making it possible to combine both roll-wrapped, braided, and pultruded tubes and rods into a single structure. This unified carbon fiber assembly system aims to bring carbon fiber design and manufacture to anyone who requires reduced weight, yet does not have the time for complete customization.
For more information on carbon fiber components, visit http://DragonPlate.com
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