“Offering four times greater output from current lay-up staff and lower tool production costs, DForm fabric tooling prepreg will revolutionize the manufacture of composite tooling bringing a significant cost reduction to all manufacturers,” commented Neil Cureton, Global Tooling Market Manager at Cytec Industries.

“Current manufacturers of epoxy tooling will benefit from lower production costs when using DForm Epoxy; and aerospace tool manufacturers will see DForm BMI as a cost-efficient alternative to invar.”

Innovative prepreg format

DForm, Deformable Composite System, is an innovative prepreg format that combines short fibre conformability with the handling and laminate characteristics of a conventional long fibre composite. Its unique deformation characteristics are achieved through selective fibre slitting of a fabric prepreg, the company reports.

DForm does not require detailed laminating. This prepreg system flows under pressure, replicating precise details, retaining thickness and fibre orientation and producing an excellent surface finish, according to the manufacturer.

DForm fabric tooling prepreg is commercialized as formatted multi-ply tiles of standard fabric tooling prepreg to which Cytec disruptive DForm technology has been applied, offering time saving benefits to composite tooling manufacturers.

Automotive applications

Cytec will also showcase the advances it and its supply chain partners have made towards enabling high rate CFRP parts manufacture for serial automotive applications in automation, bonding, rapid-cure prepreg and HP-RTM, press-moulding and industrial textiles. Cytec will exhibit parts manufactured using Cytec’s rapid-cure prepregs enabling sub three minutes press-moulding.

Saving 75% of lay-up and debulk time and offering four times greater output from current lay-up staff, DForm fabric tooling prepreg is expected to revolutionize the composite tooling manufacture while bringing a significant cost reduction, according to the manufacturer.

JEC Innovation Awards

Cytec is once again the official sponsor of the JEC Innovation Awards, which honours innovative individuals and companies contributing to the advancement of the composites industry.

Egbert Boerrigter, Global Commercial Director for Cytec Industrial Materials, will open the Innovation Awards ceremony and give a short presentation about the importance of innovation in the ever-evolving world of composites.

www.cytec.com