CompositesWorld
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OCTOBER 2015 92 CompositesWorld PLANT TOUR stitching machines, the former enabling the warp fbers to be readied in-house for hybrid fabric production, and the latter for attaching lightweight veils and mats to custom fabrics for infusion. Along the left side of the building, several machines are used to prepreg fabric. Tey apply resin to MSC's tailored fabrics and are capable of processing thermosets, thermoplastics and high-temperature resins. Preform kits are prepared using computer-controlled ply cutters near the building's front side. Along the far wall are the commingled fber machines. Tese feed in strands of two or more diferent fber types, inter- mingling them to produce an integrated yarn, which then can be used in MSC's weaving machines. Examples of commin- gled fbers could include glass with nylon or other thermoplastic fber, but MSC's versions often tend toward unusual tailored combinations, specially devel- oped for customers who prefer to keep their systems under close wraps. Fiber commingling is not new tech- nology. But thanks to MSC's long history of materials and applications develop- ment, it sees commingling as a means for entirely new multifunctional composites. One example harkens back to the sonar window work. "We take fbers that have structural properties, and then add acous- tical performance, like low insertion loss," Cassin explains. "Te fbers that give the best through-transmission have low struc- tural properties. Our ability to combine these fbers provides a tailored solution." Cassin adds that MSC can customize the electrical, thermal and dielectric prop- erties of such fbers. "We have commin- gled thermoplastic fbers, such as poly- propylene and PEEK, with carbon fbers, and also analyzed the process parame- ters," he says. "From our modeling capa- bilities, we can synthesize thousands of materials to produce totally novel, custom composites." Asked how realistic this is for near-term applications, Cassin responds, Cutting & kitting complete the package MSC uses computer-controlled ply cutters to transform its specialty textiles into labeled preform kits. Source | Materials Sciences Corp. Today's SMC challenges require the utmost Compression Molding Expertise. Greenerd has the engineered application solutions you need to succeed. Pressing for the best solution A m e r i c a n M a d e SM C R E Q U I R E S C M E • Automotive • Aerospace • Medical • Marine • Industrial Innovative Hydraulic Compression Molding Solutions 800-877-9110 • www.greenerd.com Scan to visit our Compression Molding Applications Showroom!