The Dieffenbacher Preform Technology has enabled the company to produce complex dry carbon fiber preforms in a fully automated sequence and with cycle times of 90 seconds, or 40 preforms per hour. This involves several individual layers of carbon fiber materials being cut and draped to a near net shape, three-dimensional preform. The preform is pressed in the subsequent HP-RTM process to become a finished component. 

The company says the near net shape preforming means significantly less of the valuable raw material, carbon, is consumed.