Dow Automotive Systems has developed a range of epoxy intermediates that can be combined with carbon or glass fiber fabric.
According to the company using the Vorafuse range offers improved handling and rapid cycle times for compression molding of composite parts for structural applications.
Epoxy-fiber composites can offer competitive strength and stiffness at lower density, enabling the production of components that can function well with traditional metal parts in a hybrid construction. Potential applications for Vorafuse are structural applications which require strength, stiffness and lightweight construction.
Vorafuse is designed to work in processes such as compression molding to achieve fast cycle times, Dow says. It can be cured in two to five minutes for high volume manufacturing and can be used to enable automated manufacturing solutions. A variety of fabric configurations will accommodate Vorafuse, including unidirectional tape as well as woven, braided or non-crimp fabric at a range of areal weights.
High-strength parts
Available in two grades, the Vorafuse P6300 resin system is designed for high volume manufacturing with no tack for robot handling of 2D and 3D pre-forms and compression molding. Vorafuse P6100 is formulated to accommodate diverse manufacturing scenarios from autoclave to out-of-autoclave processing on lower-cost tooling for medium to low volume applications.
‘OEM emissions and fuel efficiency requirements are expected to continue to increase, as is the implementation of lightweight materials,’ said Allan James, NAFTA composites market manager, Dow Automotive Systems. ‘Vorafuse epoxy intermediates support mass production of high-strength parts. Like other Dow Automotive materials, it can be customized to match different manufacturing and performance requirements for a variety of applications.’
This story uses material from Dow, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
