As 98% of repairs are carried out where the
customer’s equipment is located, CHRONO
Flex’s fleet of 180 strategically-located
mobile workshops is absolutely critical to
its 24/7 operation.
To improve its mobile workshops, the
company has decided to switch from a
conventional steel unit
to one that off ers all
the advantages of sandwich composites.
CHRONO Flex and its designated
vehicle body builder have been working
closely with Diab to develop both the
laminate specifi cation (based
on Matrix 7-7
structural foam core) and the one-shot, core
infusion manufacturing process.
By taking the sandwich composite approach
and using Matrix 7-7, CHRONO Flex
has not only been able to achieve a weight
savings of 400 kg (882 lb), but has also
gained an extra 1.5 m3 (53 ft3) of workshop/
storage space. This increased payload means
each vehicle can carry a wider assortment
of spare parts, thereby making them better
prepared to handle any possible repair need.
Also, the mobile workshop is much stronger
than its steel predecessor and is expected
to have a much longer service life. The
nature of sandwich composites means that
any damage tends to be restricted to a
localized area that can be readily repaired.
In the case of a steel-bodied workshop, any
damage often results in the replacement of
a complete panel.
With the core infusion process (in which the
core acts as the resin transfer medium), the
sides, front and roof of the workshop, plus
some internal “furniture”, are produced as a
single molding with an easy-to-maintain,
gel-coated internal finish. As well as not
requiring any further interior finishing, this
approach speeds the manufacturing process
and reduces the risk of water ingress due to
the elimination of seams.
With the ramping up of production of the
new mobile workshop bodies, it is planned
that Diab will start to supply CHRONO
Flex’s sub-contractor with ready-to-use
Matrix 7-7 core kits to further speed the
manufacturing process.
www.chronoflex.fr