Manufacturer of prepregs and natural fiber-reinforced fabrics, UK Composites Evolution recently announced that it has introduced an innovative hybrid fiber composite mold that reduces the production cost of traditional carbon fiber / epoxy molds with linen fiber reinforced fabrics.
At present, when people use the autoclave forming process to produce carbon fiber composite products, molds made of carbon fiber prepregs are usually also used. In this way, synchronous thermal expansion of the mold and the component can be ensured during the heating process, and deformation of the component can be avoided. However, the use of carbon fiber composite materials to make molds is very expensive.
To reduce mold manufacturing costs, Composites Evolution and mold maker KS Composites have jointly developed a new mold prepreg system. Because the thermal expansion properties of flax fibers and carbon fibers are very similar, they replaced some carbon fiber fabrics with flax fiber reinforced fabrics in the process of making molds. Compared with the traditional full carbon fiber composite mold, the material cost of the flax-carbon hybrid fiber mold has been reduced by 15%, and the weight of the mold itself has been reduced by 15%. At the same time, flax fiber, as a kind of natural fiber, can be naturally regenerated and more environmentally friendly.
In the test experiments conducted by KS Composites, the flax-carbon hybrid fiber mold successfully endured more than 400 heat treatment process cycles, and another mold has been put into production.
Gareth Davies, Commercial Manager, Composites Evolution commented, "I am very pleased to provide our customers with more diversified material choices and bring tangible benefits. This new product not only has technical advantages and commercial value, but also fits sustainable development Philosophy. "