North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) continues to innovate in the world of composites by bringing much thinner prepreg material to the market. The leading composite solutions provider is able to produce unidirectional prepreg tapes (UD Tapes) of only 15 grams per square meter (gsm), while the standard for light prepregs is around 100gsm.
NTPT is well-known for its high performance weight saving prepreg materials from 300gsm down to 30gsm from any type of fibre. NTPT’s UD Tapes and multi-axial prepregs can therefore be produced in any configuration. The new 15gsm UD Tape is a result of NTPT’s extensive know-how in developing weight saving prepreg solutions and provides over 20% of weight saving.
NTPT achieved this result by selecting an innovative intermediate modulus carbon fibre which was recently launched on the market. NTPT transformed this fibre into the unique UD Tape of 15gsm by using its spread tow technology and adding the high Tg epoxy resin ThinPreg™120EPHTg – 402. Taking these specifications into consideration, NTPT is able to produce an exceptional prepreg that is not only extremely thin, but also extremely strong.
‘The results are amazing’, says Gilles Rocher, Sales & Marketing Director of NTPT. ‘Not only the quality of the 15gsm UD Tape is excellent, by it also processes very well on our Automated Tape Laydown (ATL) machine to produce multi-axial preforms. The 15gsm prepreg is now added to our list of standard products and can therefore be delivered with a short lead time.’
The 15gsm UD Tape has several benefits. It can be used easily to create lightweight sandwich panels to be used for ultralight aircrafts, UAV’s, aerospace applications, and rigid wings for racing yachts. When weight saving and composite quality are key, it enables to make symmetric laminates with multiple fibre orientations. This gives users another level of design freedom while keeping the same performances as thicker material.