Blackfabric, based in Barcelona, Spain, has joined forces with Cobratex, of Corbonne, France, to develop a range of woven bidirectional fabrics made with bamboo tapes for composites reinforcement.

Natural bamboo fibres are said to offer comptetitive costs of manufacturing and are lightweight with high specific strength. Bidirectional fabrics made from them are a promising alternative for products in the automotive, household, transportation and sports markets.

The bio-based reinforcements also provide an immediate environmental benefit and a Life Cycle Assessment carried out by consultant Expleo has shown that they store as much CO2 as the amount emitted during the production of equivalent glass fibre reinforcements.

Products made with bamboo fabrics also achieve an attractive finish enabling the fabric bonding to be appreciated and a natural appearance to be obtained.

The Cobratex tapes have a rectangular cross-section which has a morphology very different to standard yarns and rovings, making weaving challenging, but Blackfabric has developed a special process designed to weave fabrics up to 200cm wide and in different patterns, including twill, satin, basket, chevron and herringbone.

The collaboration between the two companies involves 100% European local manufacturing, guaranteeing quality, traceability and transparency in production processes, as well as customised solutions for each project.

www.carbonfabrics.eu