Xenia Materials, based in Mussolente, Italy, is introducing a new family of supertough carbon fibre composites called Xecarb ST to close a performance gap in the market and provide superior impact strength performance.

“There is a growing demand for lightweight composites in various new markets, such as sustainable mobility and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), where we have identified a need for higher impact resistance than previously offered by carbon fibre reinforced composites,” says Cristian Zanchetta, technical manager for R&D at Xenia Materials. “Our new Xecarb ST family meets these needs while at the same time opening new opportunities for applications in existing market segments, such as sports equipment, appliances, supercars and even additive manufacturing.”

Xecarb ST builds on the proven mechanical strengths of Xenia’s successful Xecarb range, but shows significantly higher notched impact resistance, low temperature ductility and tensile elongation at break. With slightly lower density, the new carbon fibre composite technology offers these unmatched advantages together with further lightweighting possibilities. Customers seeking to improve the impact and cold impact performance of carbon fibre composites are already evaluating the added potential for weight reductions, lower material and energy consumption, with associated cost savings and reduced environmental impact.

Xecarb ST thermoplastic composites are based on selected polyamide matrix materials – PA66, PA6, PA11, PA12, PA6.10, PA6.12 and PA4.10 – addressing different mechanical, thermal and physical requirements. Standard carbon fibre content is 30% and the PA6-based composites are also available as CF20, CF25, CF35 and CF40 grades. In addition, the portfolio includes two high-modulus materials for enhanced flexural strength, and provides a wide engineering window for further customisation depending on specific application needs.

www.xeniamaterials.com