Zoltek, headquartered in St. Louis Missouri, has partnered with A + Composites of Weselberg, Germany, to create a new carbon fibre polypropylene UD tape.

Based on 50k Zoltek PX35 carbon fibre tow with an aerial weight of 50gsm, the tape has a 50% fibre volume fraction and a thickness of just 50µm.

“This particular UD tape is unique because it is fully impregnated with a 50k large tow carbon fibre with polypropylene while remaining extremely thin at 50 µm,” explained Jakob Goerzen of A+ Composites. “Comparable thicknesses have not been achieved for fully impregnated thermoplastic carbon UD tapes in the past, especially with large tow carbon fibre. As a result, this product is on par with regular tow applications for a fraction of the cost.”

“This development shows the versatility and potential of Zoltek’s 50k PX35 carbon fibre tow and the technical expertise of the engineers at A+ Composites, who have the know-how to use this product in an innovative way,” added Tobias Potyra, director of EU sales at Zoltek. “Thin tapes such as these offer enormous potential for weight savings and increased mechanical performance and are particularly suited for aesthetic applications. In addition, very small bending radii can be realised, which means that winding applications with very small diameters and tighter radii in forming processes can be achieved.”

www.zoltek.com