Its composites expertise includes not only GFRP but carbon fiber composites (CFRP) as well, and a long history of projects in polyester, vinyl ester and epoxy resins using hand layup, resin infusion, resin transfer molding (RTM) and Light RTM (LRTM). The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and employs roughly 100 people. Conceived by internationally-renowned designer Karim Rashid, it was actualized by AFI in CFRP, using biaxial fabric and clear epoxy resin with ground natural stones to create a uniquely intriguing, highly-reflective surface.ĪFI’s 3,250-square-meter facility in Dubai includes a climate-controlled cleanroom, post-curing oven, paint booth, CNC three-axis router and KUKA (Augsburg, Germany) CNC seven-axis milling robot. 48 Post Cure column in CW’s Feb 2022 issue). Another example is the 7-meter-tall “Evolutes” sculpture on display in Dubai’s iconic Bourj Khalifa hotel (see p. This innovation and willingness to look for unusual solutions, and then engineer them to work well, is part of AFI’s personality. ![]() “Evolutes” sculpture made from carbon fiber-reinforced composites. “We thought it could provide a solution for us to meet the time and cost requirements for the hundreds of panels we’d need to make for the MOTF lobby.” “We had seen the Adapa mold system being used to produce glass fiber-reinforced concrete panels for the Kuwait International Airport project,” says Chaudhry. In fact, AFI was the first company to use the Adapa system for molding glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) panels in the Middle East and implemented customizations that are now standard, such more magnets under the silicone membrane molding surface from rising during vacuum molding of composite panels and extra actuator rods underneath to smooth out the silicone membrane as it reconfigured into new shapes. AFI also supplied 356 composite panels as cladding for the lobby’s three spiral staircases - two intertwined in a DNA-like shape and one spanning the full seven stories of the MOTF - as well as 238 oval light structures made from composites for the parking decks.Īs explained in the MOTF lobby article, one enabling technology for this project was AFI’s use of reconfigurable digital molds from Adapa (Aalborg, Denmark). ![]() Featured in CW’s October 2022 article on the Museum of The Future (MOTF) interior lobby, AFI was responsible for construction and installation of its 7,700 square meters of composite panels, each with a different curved shape and set of Arabic calligraphy letters, many featuring acoustic insulation and inset with LED lights. Photo Credit all images: Advanced Fiberglass IndustriesĪdvanced Fiberglass Industries (AFI, Dubai, United Arab Emirates) was founded in 1996. AFI designs and produces high-quality composites for a wide range of applications, specializing in unique and challenging projects.
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