Orthotropic - Engineering design & development facilities

Engineering office

Workshop and test

Visitors are always welcome to our Gloucestershire base:  Although small, you’ll find that we’re equipped to tackle a wide range of engineering challenges.  Please contact us to arrange a visit and we’ll be sure to put the kettle on…

Engineering Office - Design, Analysis and Consultancy activities

The Engineering Office at Orthotropic is equipped with the tools needed to accurately and efficiently provide a wide range of composites engineering services, such as engineering design and structural analysis tasks. We run modern CAD and FE software on high-performance workstations and have developed a suite of proprietary tools to expedite the analysis of composite materials and composite structures. Our efforts are supported by an impressive library of standard texts.

Orthotropic conducts analysis of composite structure with powerful NASTRAN FE software

BOLTCALC software assists us in the analysis of joints

Orthotropic has developed a range of proprietary design tools to expedite the analysis of of laminates and composite structures

At Orthotropic we use INVENTOR to model our designs

Our 2D drawings are also created in INVENTOR

Workshop facilities - Prototyping, Development and Test

Composites engineering is a highly practical subject, presenting many questions that can’t be answered by analysis alone. For this reason, we’ve set up our workshop to manufacture and test composite coupons, test pieces and small prototypes; we can help directly with activities such as composites materials selection and preliminary evaluation. Whilst the primary function of the workshop is to support our design, analysis and consultancy activities, it also enables us to offer a ‘special-project’ design and build service, perfect for those one-off jobs where economy of communication contributes enormously to overall efficiency. Careful control of process and traceability of materials and measurements can be taken for granted throughout all our manufacturing activities.

Orthotropic continues to invest in dimensional inspection and measurement equipment

All critical measurements are taken with traceability calibrated equipment

Orthotropic’s 100kN test frame enables us to undertake and record a wide range of mechanical tests

Our composite manufacturing begins at a well-organised cutting bench

Orthotropic’s workshop is equiped with a vacuum system and infusion equipment

Our programmable oven with datalogging allows us to accurately cure laminates and small composite parts

Orthotropic is set up to manufacture wet-laminated composite parts

We make measurements of density using the time-honoured Archimedes method

An elevated-temperature conditioning bath enables us to accelerate the ageing of composite laminates – essential for understanding the marine environment