Kordsa’s US subsidiary, Axiom Materials, of Santa Ana, California, is introducing carbon fibre tow prepregs which compared to traditional two-dimensional composite counterparts can withstand high temperatures, enabling them to be used in transportation applications including electric, CNG and hydrogen powered aircraft and vehicles.

The narrow tow prepregs are specifically designed to improve safety, increase strength, reduce waste and withstand high temperatures in applications such as critical battery containment, high pressure vessels and structural components that will support next generation transportation.

“Placing sustainability at the core of our activities, we are pleased to expand our capabilities in the composites field with two new prepregs,” said Axiom CEO Johnny Lincoln. “AX-6170 and AX-6201XL are flagship materials for us. They reflect our commitment to advancing the goals of carbon neutrality, clean emissions and environmental sustainability in advanced materials.

“The new prepregs offer marked advantages over traditional two-dimensional composite prepregs and hand lay-up methods. They are designed for either automated fibre placement (AFP) machines, or for machine-supported winding techniques used in the preparation of round, cylindrical and rectangular three-dimensional vessels and structures. They improve passenger safety, enhance fuel efficiency and reduce waste, while enabling lower cost, higher performanc, and more reduced transportation.”

AX-6170-is a quarter-inch wide cyanate ester tape for critical strength parts with a weight of 150gsm, operating in high temperature environments up to 316°C, such as lithium-ion battery containers. AX-6201XL is a toughened, epoxy carbon prepreg of the same width and weight, designed for the manufacture of larger parts requiring excellent surface quality. A flame-retardant variant is also available.

Both products can be cured using vacuum bag oven or autoclave processes.

www.axiommaterials.com