http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/txt/s1706369.htm Quickstep reports expansion of component testing in UK:
Sydney - Thursday - July 20: (RWE Aust Business News) - Advanced materials group Quickstep Holdings Ltd (ASX:QHL) has announced that Spirit AeroSystems (Europe) Ltd - formerly BAE Systems - has expanded its testing programme on sample aircraft components manufactured at Quickstep's UK facility to achieve further efficiencies in production rates. Quickstep's CEO, Nick Noble, said Spirit had requested that additional sample parts be produced, targeting a reduction in the process time in the Quickstep machine from four hours to three hours or less. This compares very favourably with the 8-12 hour process time required for traditional autoclave manufacturing. Spirit has highlighted their much larger volume potential as a key contributing factor to reducing the process time. Mr Noble said that working with Spirit and its US-based parent represented a significant opportunity for Quickstep to access a broad and well-established international customer base in the global aerospace market. "Spirit AeroSystems is the world's largest independent supplier of structures for commercial aircraft, and is a key supplier to Boeing, Airbus and Raytheon - some of the largest names in the global aviation industry," he said. "With these positive test results, we are very excited to be a step closer to working with some of the biggest aircraft companies around the world."
Chariots of fibre 07/11/2006
A breakthrough composites manufaturing technology promises to take the world of planes, trains and automobiles by storm. David Haselhurst reports.
Here’s a company with a plausible story that could take its shares much higher over the coming months, thanks to the promise of a string of announcements involving major multinationals. We bought into Quickstep Holdings last week because it’s about to capitalise on a number of patents to make composites, such as carbon-fibre mouldings, cheaper, stronger and faster than present technologies.
Carbon-fibre composites are increasingly used in products ranging from golf club shafts to parts and panels in satellites and aircraft. During the past three decades, lighter, stronger and high-heat resistant composites have replaced traditional materials such as metallic components in many applications.
As an example, when the F-15A fighter aircraft was released in 1973, only 3% of its structure involved composite materials. The equivalent figure for the current F-22 Raptor is 25%. The next-generation Airbus 380 and Boeing 787 passenger aircraft will incorporate around 50% composites. Faster and cheaper manufacturing methods are important if aircraft makers are to meet demand.
Traditionally, carbon or glass fibres are combined in a mould with high--temperature resins then cured in an autoclave at high temperature. But the batch-processing of the autoclave takes excessive time to heat and cool.
Quickstep’s curing is completed between two beds of a heat transfer fluid operating at up to 200°C. It’s rather like the product being encased in a large sandwich toaster under heat and pressure. The company compares a product that takes 200 minutes to make in an autoclave. Using the Quickstep method, up to five pieces of the same product could be made in the same time.
Quickstep had its beginnings with a syndicate in Perth that won backing in 2001 from the CSIRO to begin developing the process. Last October, the company undertook a $6m float and brought in new management, with original syndicate members now holding 36% of the listed company through their Decta Holdings.
The company should now have 136.5 million shares on issue after the exercise of 6.4 million options due at 22.92¢ each by the end of June. At the end of March, Quickstep had $4.5m cash, which should be boosted by a further $3m if all the options are exercised. Quickstep has traded since listing between a high of 27.5¢ and a low of 15¢. At 25.5¢ last week the company carries a market capitalisation of $33m.
Management is headed by chemical and mechanical engineer Nick Noble, CEO and holder of 3.1% of the stock. Chairman Mark Jenkins is a chartered accountant, while the chief operating officer is Dale Brosius, a chemical engineer. Non--executive director Deryck Graham represents the founding syndicate.
To demonstrate the company’s technology to potential buyers, Quickstep has progressively installed a demonstration machine at its Perth headquarters, another at Victoria’s Deakin University and a third at Manchester University in Britain. The Deakin installation was supported with a $400,000 grant from the Victorian Centre for Advanced Material Engineering, and the Manchester machine with a £2.1m ($5.2m) grant from the Northwest Development Agency.
The roll-out of a fourth demonstration plant will be completed in October at the National Composites Center in Dayton, Ohio, the heartland of the US composites industry. The city of Dayton is supporting this with a grant of $US800,000 ($1.1m).
In Britain, testing of sample parts from Quickstep is underway on behalf of BAE Systems and Airbus, where Quickstep hopes to have its parts incorporated before the end of 2007. Broker to the company float, One State Stockbroking, projects the company can expect “meaningful revenues” from the fourth quarter of 2006. Initially this will come from the manufacture of folding boats due to start in August, then from a joint manufacturing venture in India.
Quickstep will put up $1.2m and supply a moulding plant for a 44% interest in a factory in Dehli, to be owned by private Indian company NTF (51%) and Japanese composite supplier Avanti (5%). The venture is focused on supplying interior panels for railway carriages in India, Japan and Australia. The plant should be ready for production in November.
Quickstep gets first contract manufacturing order:
13:20, Wednesday, 19 October 2005
Sydney - Wednesday - October 19: (RWE Aust Business News) - Newly-listed composites technology developer Quickstep Holdings Ltd (ASX:QHL) has its first order for contract manufacturing business QuickPanel. QuickPanel will apply its composite manufacturing technology to the contract manufacture of glass fibre/foam and carbon fibre/balsa core panels for Western Australian boat-builder Monocat Marine Australia. Delivery is expected to commence in early December. "With over $5.4 million of funds post-listing, the QuickPanel contract manufacturing business represents the start of our plans for commercial roll-out of the Quickstep Process," managing director Nick Noble said. Quickstep shares were steady at 23c.
Also of interest is this Age article:
Quickstep moulds plans with $6m ASX listing By Ian Porter August 22, 2005
Carbon fibre is increasingly being used through the bodywork of cars such as the Corvette Z06. Quickstep has supplied its technology to Toyota.
A SMALL Perth company that has invented a way of processing advanced industrial plastics is planning to raise $6 million with a prospectus opening today.
Quickstep Holdings has already supplied its technology to Toyota in Japan and formed an alliance with the world's largest producer of carbon fibre, Toray Composites.
Managing director Nick Noble said the company had also supplied development versions of its pressure chambers to an affiliate of British Aerospace in Britain, and to the Victorian Centre for Advanced Manufacturing Materials in Geelong.
Composites are advanced industrial plastics where woven carbon fibre is impregnated with plastic and baked into the desired shape.
They were displacing lightweight metals such as aluminium and magnesium in aeroplanes and were expected to do the same in cars and other products, Mr Noble said.
"At present, the cost of a composite part is 20 per cent material and 80 per cent processing," he said.
"Our technique reduces the cost of processing."
Up to now, composites have had to be "laid up" in the part mould and then baked in high-temperature ovens or autoclaves to set them in their final shape.
Under the Quickstep process, the carbon fibre and plastic is "laid up" and then inserted into a pressure chamber, where it is immersed in hot fluid, making the curing much quicker and more energy efficient.
Commercialization of Quickstep Technology: $6M Public Share Offer Takes Off
Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Perth-based advanced technology group Quickstep Holdings Limited has launched its A$6 million public share offer, bringing to the public arena a unique investment opportunity in the worldwide commercialisation of an innovative Australian composites manufacturing technology with application in the multi-billion dollar aerospace and automotive industries. Composites combine high strength with light weight and are key materials in aerospace, automotive, marine, defence, public transport and industrial applications. The global composites parts market is growing strongly, reflecting a shift towards the greater use of composites as an increasingly desirable replacement for metals in many applications because of their high strength and reduced weight. Quickstep has been at the leading edge of the growing need to reduce part costs since the early 1990s, with its existing shareholders having already invested over A$4.0 million in the development of the patented Quickstep Process – an advanced composites component manufacturing technology developed in Perth, WA that has attracted widespread international interest because of its potential to significantly reduce the cost of parts produced from advanced composite materials. Quickstep already has fully automated Quickstep pilot production facilities operating at three separate locations with Toyota Motor Corporation in Nagoya, Japan, the Victorian Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing (VCAMM) in Geelong, and the Northern Aerospace Technology Exploitation Centre (NATEC) in Manchester, England in conjunction with the University of Manchester and UK-based aerospace and technology giant BAE Systems.
DYOR.
Subject macre12 down she goes Stock Code QHL - QUICKSTEP HOLDINGS LIMITED Posted 29/08/06 21:30 Posted by TeamM IP 220.239.xxx.xxx Hotcopper Radio QHL on BoardRoom Radio Post #1226840 - 24 reads Start of thread
Damn Macrea12 you are full of sht. You make no sense and have no reason. Please let me know why this is a good buy.
QHL Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
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