These thermoplastics include engineering plastics such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polycarbonate (PC), and polyamide 6 and 66 (PA 6 and PA 66) and high performance materials including polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), polyamide 11 and 12 (PA 11 and PA 12), and polyetherimide (PEI).
Based on AGY’s experience with direct sizing of its S-2 Glass® yarns and rovings, the new sizing compositions are designed to be used for rovings or yarns for the manufacture of products such as tapes, or as chopped fibres in 0.125 inch (3.2 mm) and 0.25 inch (6.4 mm) lengths for compounding into thermoplastic materials.
The sizings have been evaluated on a range of AGY products, from low diameter E-glass to S-2 Glass fibres, and have proven to offer increased mechanical and impact performances over traditional chopped fibres.
The new sizings were developed for applications where a range of different thermoplastic resins are used and where the added mechanical performance of an AGY high-performance glass solution brings new opportunities.
| For example, the use of these sizings with an S-2 Glass fibre product could allow a reduction of the glass fibres added to a given thermoplastic compound to enhance the aesthetics, reduce weight or even a combination of both. Using the same volume of glass fibres, they could also add a significant mechanical advantage over the traditional filled compound. |
| Drew Walker, President, AGY |
“These new opportunities include metal replacement with thermoplastic composites and thermoplastic compounds, or alternatively as a way to remove weight from traditional thermoplastic composite products,” explains Drew Walker, President of AGY, which is headquartered in Aiken, South Carolina, USA.
Walker expects these sizings, combined with AGY's S-2 Glass technologies, to open up new applications in the automotive, aerospace and industrial markets.
Sizings can be supplied on S-2 Glass and E-glass fibres directly from AGY in either chopped or continuous forms. They can also be offered on fibres outside of the traditional sphere of chopped fibre diameters, offering additional performance advantages over traditional chopped or roving solutions.
