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“Snap-Cure” Epoxies NEWS<br />
and tough on metal molds, so suppliers<br />
are working to try to produce more benign<br />
formulations, easier on equipment, which<br />
will help keep production rate high, without<br />
having to stop for maintenance issues.<br />
For its part, Hexion is confident that<br />
composites will be adopted in applications<br />
where they bring greater functionality,<br />
such as better fatigue properties, while<br />
maintaining fast cycle times.<br />
Huntsman’s Harms says that a collaborative<br />
focus, with composite machine<br />
manufacturers, on joint development of<br />
chemistry and processes for even faster<br />
cycle times is the key to achieving sub-<br />
1-minute cycle times and competing with<br />
existing automotive part manufacturing<br />
processes.<br />
Hexcel believes prepregs and molding<br />
compounds will be developed with even<br />
shorter cure cycles and higher T g.<br />
together<br />
with reduced shrinkage and better bonding<br />
properties. And CW sources say new<br />
prepreg snap-cure forms for Class A and<br />
non-Class A structures are imminent. Says<br />
Toray’s Nguyen, “The technical challenge<br />
is to achieve both rapid cure cycle time<br />
and thermal/mechanical performance,<br />
which is very difficult as they are trade-off<br />
attributes.”<br />
Finally, Brosius concludes,<br />
there’s more than one way forward:<br />
“Composites suppliers don’t have to<br />
follow the example of the BMW i3<br />
and i8, and perhaps the way BMW is<br />
using carbon fiber on its new 7-series<br />
platform offers a more practical path<br />
HOW TO INCREASE<br />
FIRE-BARRIER RESISTANCE?<br />
THE ANSWER >> LOCTITE BENZOXAZINE PREPREG<br />
Sara Black is CW’s technical<br />
editor and has served on the<br />
CW staff for 17 years.<br />
sara@compositesworld.com<br />
to reducing weight, in a multi-material vehicle.” Even small composite parts, used in<br />
high-volume production, obviously represent a huge opportunity for the composites<br />
industry. The prospects for more automotive composites are looking pretty good.<br />
Read this article online | short.<br />
compositesworld.com/FastEpoxy<br />
Read more online about about prepreg<br />
compression molding in “Prepreg<br />
compression molding makes its<br />
commercial debut” |<br />
short.compositesworld.com/PrepregCM<br />
Get the inside story on BMW i3<br />
composites fabrication online |<br />
short.compositesworld.com/BMWi3<br />
Follow this link to Cytec’s video describing<br />
the company’s research in the automotive<br />
sector | www.cytec.com/businesses/<br />
industrial-materials/resource-center,<br />
click on videos on the right side<br />
Follow this link to Hexcel’s video<br />
on this subject |<br />
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TILDeWVdQ50<br />
ALL BENEFITS ON BOARD WITH LOCTITE BZ 9705.2 AERO >><br />
For APUs and other aircraft structures, this benzoxazine prepreg offers you:<br />
> outstanding fire-barrier resistance<br />
> structural performance at high service temperature<br />
> compatible with automated processing<br />
> low cure shrinkage, and springback<br />
> superior damage tolerance<br />
> improved sustainability<br />
> global availability<br />
Henkel is engineering the future of composites: Find your answer at www.henkel-adhesives.com/aerospace<br />
Related CW online articles:<br />
“Automotive composite<br />
production abounds” |<br />
short.compositesworld.com/ACProdBlog<br />
“Auto composites quest:<br />
One-minute cycle time” |<br />
short.compositesworld.com/G651LhR0<br />
CompositesWorld.com<br />
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ComCamp_Ad_2015_APU_111x175_US_vers2.indd 1 06.03.15 15:03
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