CompositesWorld
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OCTOBER 2015 76 CompositesWorld WORK IN PROGRESS TFP is part of James Cropper plc, a specialist paper & advanced materials group WWW.TFPGLOBAL.COM • INQUIRIES@TFPGLOBAL.COM • 1 518 280 8500 ADVANCED NONWOVENS FOR COMPOSITES SURFACE FINISH High quality resin rich surface fnish FABRICATION AID Adhesive carrier • Resin fow media • Fracture toughness improvement SURFACE FUNCTIONALITY EMI shielding • Electrical conductivity • Abrasion resistance Galvanic corrosion protection • Corrosion resistance • Fire protection MULTIPLE BENEFITS FROM USING A SINGLE MATERIAL! FROM TECHNICAL FIBRE PRODUCTS Find out more at CAMX • BOOTH K99 • Dallas TX • Oct 27-29 similar to epoxy, might be better suited for Class A fnish applications; however, the trade-of is negative from a weight perspec- tive, given the higher density of glass fber. Another alternative, he notes, is chopped carbon. "Chopped carbon poses its own challenges, but they are ones related to porosity that we understand." Campbell reports that BASF's European division is researching in-mold gelcoats, including two-phase systems, for carbon fber parts. Te research is in early stages, but he says the coatings likely would have to be thicker than those typically used to coat glass-flled composites to defray surface stress and texture print-through. Lastly, lightweighting cars and trucks by increasing the use of composites, including the possibility of composite body panels, will hinge on integrating them into the logistical fow of parts on the assembly line, a sticking point that previously raised thorny issues, including colormatching problems, for suppliers of parts made of neat plastics. Currently, because of the high-temperature E-coating process at the body-shop stage, most plastic parts are painted of line and assembled after the paint booth. Campbell believes the most feasible solution is to install most exterior composite parts between the E-coat and paint booths. Inherently corrosion-resis- tant, plastics and composites need no E-coating. To that end, BASF is developing a low-bake clearcoat that can be applied to both metal and plastics/composites. Lower temperatures also help alleviate diferential expansion of the matrix and carbon fber. "It's an interesting challenge," Campbell concludes. Indeed, capitalizing on the opportunity to supply automakers with large-scale, volume composite exterior parts will require ongoing development by suppliers, fabricators and OEMs alike, and no doubt will be the subject of much addi- tional research in the coming years. Michael R. LeGault is a freelance writer located in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the former editor of Canadian Plastics magazine (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). mlegault@compositesworld.com ridges appear when the sanded panel is reheated to bake temperature. Campbell allows that further work and testing must be done to understand how carbon fber fabrics can be developed for RTM to control and reduce texturing. He says carbon fber composites with more uniform fber distribution, which, in turn, reduce resin-rich domains at the surface, will mitigate the texturing efects. "Meanwhile, the cost-performance trade-of between composite material in both struc- tural and non-structural applications will continue to be evaluated, Campbell notes. While carbon provides high stifness, most body panels are nonstructural. Glass, with a CTE Read this article online: short.compositesworld.com/ClassACFBP