×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

thermplastic prepregging methods and machinery

thermplastic prepregging methods and machinery

thermplastic prepregging methods and machinery

(OP)
Hi all,

Does anyone have ideas to how thermoplastic prepregs can be manufactured on a smaller scale?

I need to prepreg my own woven fabrics with various thermoplastics (from HDPE to PEEK) and I have identified 2 possible routes:

solution impregnation using thermoplastic resins dissolved in solvents such as xylene

(wet) powder impregnation using fine resin powder in water or propanol based dispersions.

complicating factors are that the fabrics are up to 60" wide so most likely too wide for a subcontractor of unidirectional tapes.

I want to set up a small acale production line that I can run one day per week to convert 500 yards or so.

The solution route probably offers the best impregnation so this might be my preferred route if I can find a safe way to handle xylene.

my questions for you are:

Does anyone know if I can convert some kind of textile machinery to handle solution impregnation?

does anyone know if the fabric needs to be exposed to the solution for a longer period of time or if it just needs a quick dip?

Any ideas as to who manufactures suitable machinery that might be viable for small scale production?

any other piece of advice will be hghly appreciated !

Thanks

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources