Thermoplastic mold composite materials, whether short fiber, continuous fiber or hybrid are receiving increasing attention in various industries because of their many advantages, especially in terms of stiffness and specific strength.
The advantages in working with thermoplastic molds
Thermoplastic molds allow the use of different types of fibers and materials.
- In the case of using discontinuous fibers, the composite can be made using the same processing technologies used for unreinforced materials, with significant economic advantages.
- In the case of the use of continuous fiber, the ability to thermoform such materials or weld different components into an assembled allows the production of artifacts of complex geometry.
- In addition to production-related advantages, composites made with thermoplastic molds are more tough, and this is reflected in the fracture behavior of the related material.
- Finally, the use of thermoplastic molds allows the material to be recycled.
Why is thermoplastic printing cost-effective?
Where stiffness and specific strength requirements are of great importance, composites constitute a class of materials of extreme interest. Among them, those with a thermoplastic matrix offer a number of advantages related to:
- performance
- formability
- possibility of being coupled with other materials
- possibility of reusing the material, as mentioned above.
Lastly, in case the reinforcing fiber is also made of polymeric material, the recyclability of the material is an additional advantage. In the face of these advantages, the complications associated with the processing and production of such materials limit their market diffusion.
What limitations exist and how to overcome them
There are several strategies to overcome these limitations. The first is to employ materials that allow for the exploitation of technologies already available for traditional matrices, and to this end to develop matrices that allow for simultaneous impregnation and polymerization to give the final product significantly higher toughness than traditional cross-links.
A different case is the use of polymers reinforced with discontinuous fibers: in this case the production technologies may coincide with those of unreinforced thermoplastic polymers.
The presence of the fibers can be a defect that reduces the strength of the material. One solution, made possible by the use of thermoplastic molds, is to make hybrid composites in which discontinuous fiber composites are suitably reinforced by continuous fiber laminates.
Choose a supplier with appropriate experience and technical capabilities
Ansa Composites has been manufacturing thermoplastic molds and dealing with all phases of molding, for over 60 years. It supplies foreign and Italian companies with the best technologies and excellent standards of satisfaction. That’s why it is without a doubt the ideal partner to request an evaluation of your business project.
