BORÅS, Sweden — February 23, 2017 — Since its introduction, Oxeon’s ±45° version of TeXtreme® has been a gamechanger for those seeking a continuous ±45° spread tow fabric. Because of the increased demand, Oxeon is proud to announce an investment of 3 million euros to expand its patented ±45° Spread Tow weaving capacity.
Known for its ability to reduce weight, increase stiffness and strength, improve impact protection as well as improve dampening performance in thin plies, TeXtreme Spread Tow Fabrics extend these benefits found in its 0°/90° fabrics to its ±45°continuous length fabrics which are available in widths up to 60 inches/1.5 meters. There are numerous benefits in using ±45° TeXtreme to replace traditional UD layups which include:
- Labor savings through faster throughput during the layup process as only one ply needs to be laid down rather than two plies;
- Reduced scrap by eliminating the waste associated with bias cutting edge triangle waste;
- Easier layups as the TeXtreme® fabric is more stable during handling than a UD cross ply;
- Reduced numbers of plies and thereby reducing the laminate thickness;
- Consistent ±45° angles throughout the laminate;
- Eliminate the need for splicing which eliminates the joints which create variations in large parts; and
- Increased handling stability in both dry and prepreg forms.
TeXtreme’s nonexistence of stitching or fixation yarn minimizes the risk of mechanical issues, such as micro cracks, along with eliminating the difficulty in predicting mechanical performance due to the induced geometrical variation caused by the stitching or stabilizing/fixation yarns found in its meso structure.
“We can clearly see a need for this product, especially in aerospace applications where the knock-down factor of mechanical properties has limited the usage of existing ± oriented textiles. TeXtreme technology does not require stitching or fixation yarn so, unlike NCF solutions, larger profile parts such as panels, wings or tubes that use TeXtreme have no knock-down factor so this means that the parts are stronger while being much lighter. With this additional investment in TeXtreme Spread Tow Fabrics, we’re further enhancing our position as the advanced carbon reinforcement technology leader”, says Henrik Blycker, CEO, Oxeon.
The additional capacity will be in place at the beginning of 2018.
Posted February 23, 2017
Source: Oxeon
