Thermoplastic Matrix Mineral Fibre Composites Processing
topic
Thermoplastic mineral fibre composites using polypropylene, polyamide, PEEK, and PPS matrices commingled with glass, carbon, and basalt fibre tows or hybrid yarn architectures enable rapid stamp forming and injection overmoulding manufacturing that dramatically reduces cycle time versus thermoset composites, with processing temperatures from 180 to 380 degrees Celsius matched to matrix melting point and fibre thermal stability.
Role
Enables high-volume automotive composite component manufacturing through stamp forming of glass and carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic organosheet blanks in 60 second cycle times versus hours for equivalent thermoset components, opening structural composite application in volume automotive body structures where thermoset composite manufacturing economics are incompatible with hundreds of thousands of units annual production volume.