DIAB Knowledge Series

Optimize your kit

Boost your performance

Improve efficiency,
lower cost and
increase quality

Design the optimal kit

to boost your performance

Pinpointing your needs

for efficient customization

What would it take to boost your applications performance? Lower weight or cost? Increased manufacturing
efficiency and quality? Most likely it is a specific combination of several strategic criteria.

Different customers have different requirements for success in their markets. That is why it is so important to have
a detailed run-through of your needs at the start, and to maintain a close dialogue during the entire kit process.

Taking your specific goals into account, you can significantly improve the manufacturing performance and quality
of composite applications by receiving core material
delivered in pre-cut parts (kits) instead of just plain sheets.
DIAB is a world-leading supplier of sandwich composite
solutions with long experience in developing kits for the
composite industry worldwide. We offer this knowledge
guide to help you achieve the best results with your kits
based on our expertise and experience with a variety of
segments over the years. Kits are far from off-the-shelf,
one-size-fits-all solutions. This guide is a springboard for
detailed discussions that we as experts would like to
have with you to find an optimal solution to fit your needs.

What is a kit?
With DIABs kit concept, each piece is pre-cut and
shaped as necessary and then numbered to fit exactly
into its designated place in the mold. The kit can consist
of everything from sheets only to 3D shapes made with
CNC routing. Kits are designed based on customer
requirements for weight, cost and quality, as well as taking
geometry, manufacturing process and lay-up sequence
into account.

Why do kits matter?

By eliminating the on-site shaping and cutting of flat
sheets, you can reduce build times and save labor and

material cost. In addition, with the easy assembly and

exact fit, you can achieve a consistently high quality in
less time.

Boost performance in terms of weight, cost and quality

Shorten lay-up time of the core in the mold
Improve surface quality and decrease weight
Minimize the amount of waste handling
Reduce material stocks

Based on our experience, we have identified four major

groups with similar needs in regards to kits. This insight
enables us to quickly zero in on your requirements and
provide targeted advice for customizing your optimal kit.
Yet, with almost limitless nuances, no needs are the
same. This means that what makes an optimal kit differs

from customer to customer. However, the processes and

criteria impacting kit design are the same for all customers.
Therefore, to ensure we develop kits according to your
needs, we always go through the same process to identify
and discuss the impacting criteria with you as a customer.

How DIAB can help

Everything under one roof
We understand that application objectives differ from
customer to customer. That is why our kit offering is
scalable and flexible. Having core, finishing and kit design
under one roof enables us to optimize lead times,
streamline logistics costs and provide high service levels.

Weight
Quality

Manufacturing

Defined process based on long experience

Working with kits demands a close cooperation between
customer and supplier, with continuous evaluation and
possibility for improvements. To support this, DIAB uses
a defined kit process that enables us to provide
competitive offerings, top service and quick turn-around
times for prototypes. You define which parts of the
sequence you will manage or let DIAB manage. Naturally,
the highest value you gain from working with DIAB is to
let us provide a full solution from concept to ready kit.

Surface finish

Cost

Optimized
kit

Geometry

Composite process

Kits Guide

Courtesy: Fairline

Courtesy: Hallberg & Rassy

Applications with similar kit requirements

Medium-volume, smaller
marine and composite
applications

Larger series marine and

transport applications with
high quality requirements

Wind blades and high-volume

composite applications with
high demands on durability

High-performance
applications with complex
geometry; subsea, racing and
aerospace applications

Kits Guide

Two categories influencing kit design

Analyzing the two main influencing categories key success criteria and technical drivers will help you work
with our experts to develop the kit best suited to improving your applications performance.
As you begin to evaluate and make decisions based on the various factors within these categories, our
cooperation is critical to understanding that they relate in unique ways depending on the type of application
meaning that each factor can influence the others. The following pages will give you a good basis for
understanding and discussing the impact these factors have on your kit design.

What are the key success criteria for your application?

What are the technical drivers for your application?

Manufacturing and geometry are important keys to unlocking the right kit design for maximum efficiency and
quality in your application. It is vital to address these factors as early as possible in the process.

There are four main factors to consider: surface finish, weight, quality and cost. Most likely, you will have a
combination of requirements for your application so it is important to understand how each one influences
the others to determine how your application is positioned overall for these criteria.

Surface finish
Surface requirements differ and affect the approach we
take for kit design. On a wind blade, the durability is more
crucial than the surface finish. Compare this with a racing
or luxury yacht and you have different alternatives for
how to arrange the sheets in the kit, as well as different
finishing. Using Kit Lok, for example, improves surface finish
as the good fit between kit parts reduces the risk of "race
tracking" or surface printing from resin. Understanding
your requirements ensures focus is placed in the right areas.

Customer manufacturing operations

so critical, single skin could be used in complicated parts
of the application to save cost and speed up fitting.
Depending on the corner, we can apply multiple solutions
for optimizing weight or cost.

Cost
Cost is an essential part of the whole kit process.
Understanding and going through your requirements and
what will impact the kit ensures that the kits costing is
accurately based on what you need.

Weight
In weight-sensitive applications, a lot of focus is placed
on having as much of the application designed with sandwich as possible, including angles. Where weight is not

Geometry
Geometry has a significant impact on the kit related to
material selection and the time it takes to design and
manufacture the actual kit. Discussing your requirements
with DIAB at an early stage in the applications design
phase will help ensure the kit meets the geometry
requirements of the component.

Composite manufacturing process

Quality
Quality level is naturally an important success criterion.
Depending on the type of application, operational requirements and expected operational lifetime, it has a significant
impact on kit design.

The type of manufacturing operations you run influence

the way the kit is designed and manufactured. For example,
one-offs, luxury yachts or large serial production of wind
blades each have quite different impacts on the kit type.
It is also important for us to know how you work as it
provides invaluable information on how to pack and
sequence the kit in the best way significantly impacting
efficiency in your manufacturing.
The process you use in your manufacturing also impacts
the design and manufacturing of the kit. The process
defines what finishing is used in the kits as well as how
important the tolerances are when joining the kit parts
together in the mold. The main groups of manufacturing
processes are:

R
Corner with bevels:
full sandwich, lighter

Corner with single skin:

heavier

DIABs Kit Lok concept ensures tight connection and

that kit parts stay steady in the mold. On flat parts of the
application, the kit parts fit well together based on the
kits fine cutting. Good fit decreases weight as it prevents
gaps from filling with resin.
When weight is critical, you should also focus on optimal
finishing. For instance, you should use different types of
finishing for the core dependent on the applications
shifting geometry.

Open molding: When using open molding, the tolerances

on the kit parts are usually less critical compared to closed
molding techniques.
Infusion: When using infusion processes, there are more
considerations to be made. The kit parts need to fit perfectly
to each other on a variety of surfaces and geometries.
Resin Transfer Molding (RTM): Since RTM includes two
stiff counter molds, it is essential to have a perfect match
between core and mold to optimize resin consumption
and ensure consistency over a production run.

DIAB's Kit Lok ensures sheets are bonded

together with perfect precision.

Kits Guide

Kits Guide

DIAB Know
ledge Series

Designing an optimal kit

The kit design

Finishing selection
Finishing has a distinct and profound impact on your
applications success directly influencing weight, cost and
quality. Your design objectives, manufacturing process,
and the geometry of your application all play important
roles in determining which finishing options to use. DIAB
helps you choose from a wide range of cuts, grooves,
perforations, kerfs, etc. in different patterns, each serving
a specific purpose to optimize your application.

We know that customer needs vary. That is why we provide solutions rather than products. When working with
kits, our customers have the opportunity to fully utilize DIABs expertise and competence, or to fill in certain parts
of the process with their own key competence. Below, you see all the elements needed to reach an optimal kit
according to your requirements. DIAB can assist you in all these activities or just a few the choice is yours.

Customer-specified kit

Select the optimal finishing

Get a competitive edge

DIAB optimized kit

Get a com

Select the

petitive edg

optimal

finishing

Download the DIAB Finishing

Guide at diabgroup.com
Reduce
cost,
decrease
weight
and impro
ve qualit

Kit design:
Finishing selection, nesting
and optimization of kit

Composite
manufacturing process

Structural design
and core selection

Kit manufacturing

Optimized
kit

Nesting/optimizing
Nesting means to strategically place the kit parts on a
square sheet to maximize material yield and reduce waste.
Larger and fewer kit parts optimize cost as they increase
the yield. During nesting, we take the handling of the kit
in the fitting process into consideration. This ensures the
kit is as easy to use as possible, while providing the most
economical solution. We strongly recommend to all customers that DIAB always handle this part of the process
as we have the correct tools and expertise for getting this
exactly right.

Packing and fitting

sequence

Kit manufacturing

Structural design
and core selection

Composite
manufacturing process

Based on the loading requirement in the finished part,

DIAB can assist you in the structural design. This includes
selecting the most appropriate core corresponding to
the loading requirement, as well as producing the laminate
design. To optimize weight and cost, we select cores
that are the best fit for structural demands.

Depending on the type of application, a number of different

manufacturing processes may be applicable. DIAB can
work with you to recommend a process as well as provide
training and help to set up the process that is best suited
for your application.
Sandwich composites and
core materials. How they work
and why you should use them.
For more information, download
the DIAB Core Guide at
diabgroup.com

DIAB has all the necessary tools and machines to cut the
kit according to your design, yielding high quality, speed
and consistency. This frees you from tying up investments and capital, as DIAB has full use of the equipment
continuously. DIAB has full capabilities and advanced
machinery to deliver any kind of shape.

Packaging and fitting sequence

DIAB Know
ledge Series

Sandwich

How they

composites

work and

why you

and core

should use

them

materials

Design stron
lighter and ger,
competit more
ive prod
ucts

The packing is critical to ensuring you harvest the full

benefits of using a kit. Gaining an understanding of your
lay-up flow enables us to pack and sequence the kit
parts to ensure that fitting the kit goes as fast as possible.
Further, in complicated kits we normally assist in the first
fitting to instruct your staff on how to reach the right result.
To get sequence right as well as kit improvements, ALWAYS
start laying up the kit from the same point in the mold.

To ensure optimal lay-up

sequence and ability to
optimize the kit, always start
laying up the kit at the same
position in the mold.

Refinement and changes

Kitting is a continuous process, and the first prototype
normally requires some changes. For complex kits, this is
normally done on site when we attend the first fitting. We
then adjust and optimize the kit design prior to subsequent deliveries. Taking the time to go through needs and
requirements as outlined above significantly decreases
the amount of changes needed, saving time and money.

Kits Guide

Kits Guide

The DIAB kit process

teaming with you for success
Kits can be complex. There is a lot of information that has to be right and the necessity for speed is high.
For this reason, DIAB works according to a predefined process in order to:
Reach high customer satisfaction in terms of kit performance, ensuring that all aspects of the kit are covered
Keep the lead time from kit request to prototype to full-scale manufacturing as short as possible
Below, we outline the kit process and what is critical in each step:

Customer kit request

Initial meeting

Kit design proposal

Costing

Prototype kit

Final
production kit

Changes

Customer kit request

Kit start-up meeting

Design proposal and cost estimation

Kit prototype

For customers, there are a number of factors to take into

account when making a kit request that will considerably
speed up the development process.

In the start-up meeting, we discuss all the factors

impacting the design and manufacturing of the kit (see
the previous sections) so it is important that you have a
good understanding of your kit influencing factors prior to
this meeting. At this time, it is also good to have a look at
your manufacturing facility and go through the fitting flow of
core materials you normally use. We will make a detailed
run-through of all your requirements as they apply to the
kit solution we will propose, including:

After the start-up meeting, DIAB will make the kit design
proposal. Based on the design proposal, we will offer a
quote for the kit. If this is satisfactory, DIAB will produce
a prototype kit for delivery. In the design proposal, it is
critical to review that:

Depending on the complexity of the prototype kit, a

representative from DIAB will be present when it is fitted to
identify potential improvements or corrections. After this,
we will make alterations to the design. If the first steps of
the process have been focused and detailed, there are
normally relatively few corrections required, increasing the
speed of delivery as well as keeping cost down.

We recommend you spend some time thinking about

the key success factors for your application, as described
earlier.
Specify the thicknesses and core properties required.
Ideally, you will provide a core drawing, or mold offset
for cores, bevel placement and angles. If this is not
possible, we can assist you.
If computer models are available, we need them in any
of the following formats. A 3D model and detailed 2D
drawings, along with notes, are usually enough to
solve the project directly at the kit department. 3D files
are normally exported as igs, stp, 3dm, sldprt, x_t. For
easier projects, pdf drawings are acceptable. With high
complexity, we prefer 2D files in dwg or dxf (vectorized
information).

Kits Guide

Finishing selection
Tolerances
Proposals for structural design, if needed
Process selection and set up
Lay-up scheme, including preferred starting point
Packing instructions
Number of test kits
Number of kits per delivery
Other requirements

Cored areas are correctly placed in relation to areas

with single skin:
-- Distances from core to mold edges are correct
-- Thickness and density transitions are correct
Core edges are correct (bevels, radii, etc.)

Final kit design and series production

After making the corrections, we start serial production of
the kit. In most cases, once application production moves
on, we continuously make changes to fine-tune the kit as
well as the customers manufacturing process.

Kits Guide

Optimization
through the right competence

Customer

Competence and experience in sandwich technology, cores, finishing and processes are key in designing kits
according to customer-specific needs. DIAB has extensive hands-on as well as theoretical experience in kits
and sandwich technology. We feel equally at home with the CAD program as we do setting up infusion
processes and fitting kits into the mold.

DIAB

To make the kit process as efficient as possible, your

DIAB account manager leads the project together
with you. A highly experienced team of kit experts
supports the account manager, ensuring your kits are
optimized according to your needs with exactly the right
competence to fit the complexity of your application.

Optimized
kit

DIAB kitting experts

The DIAB Kit Department is an integral part of the kit
process and heavily involved from the initial stage to
series production. DIAB has kit operations and strategic
partners located in the Americas, Europe and Asia. They
are experts in cutting complex shapes in both 2D and 3D.
One of the most valuable aspects of working with DIAB
is the nesting and optimization of the kit. The kit department
makes sure the surface of every sheet that becomes part
of a kit is utilized to its maximum and that the design fits
into your operations critical to optimizing the kits value
for you as the customer.
DIAB Technical Services is our competence hub, encompassing everything you need to know about sandwich
designs and kits. They step in to work with more complex
kits and can optimize structural design, finishing and kit
design based on customer needs. Technical Services
works closely with your designers and manufacturing
staff to capture your needs and requirements.
Composites Consulting Group (CCG) is an independent
consulting company for composites (wholly owned by
DIAB), and can assist you with pure consulting work in all
aspects of sandwich composite design and manufacturing.

ccg-composites.com

Kits Guide

10

11

Kits Guide

www.pyramid.se December 2014

Making you more

competitive
DIAB is a world-leading supplier of sandwich composite
solutions that make our customers products stronger,
lighter and more competitive. Our extensive experience
in providing sandwich composite solutions to customers
has made DIAB a leading partner in the sandwich
composite industry. DIABs solutions combine
high-performance core materials, value-added kits,
engineering and process services.

Core materials | Knowledge | Kits | Processing | Engineering | Training |

Global presence local service

DIAB Group
Box 201
SE-312 22 Laholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 (0)430 163 00
Fax: +46 (0)430 163 96
E-mail: info@se.diabgroup.com

DIAB, Divinycell, Matrix and ProBalsa are registered trademarks

in countries all over the world.

diabgroup.com