Carbon fiber specialist Hexcel has partnered with ski manufacture Madshus to develop dry carbon fiber tapes for a range of cross-country racing skis.
According to the company, HiTape dry carbon tapes are made with industrial grade fiber with aerial weights from 120-250 gsm and widths between 38-47 mm. Dry fiber tows are sandwiched between lightweight thermoplastic veils on the upper and lower faces. The lack of fiber splices and cut filaments give a very clean ‘fuzz free’ product, making it suitable for automated production processes, Hexcel says.
According to the company, its HiTape Dry Carbon Tapes can help improve the performance, manufacturing efficiency and surface finish of the skis. The tapes can also reportedly produce less fuzz in production and meet tolerances for aerial weight and width.
‘The exceptionally clean edges of the tapes really make a difference in our molding process and enhance the surface finish of the finished ski,’ said Bjørn Ivar Austrem, technical director at Madshus.
Hexcel is currently supplying Madshus with three different HiTape products based on the specific design parameters of different cross-country ski types. The company is now delivering nearly 500,000 lm of the tape per year.
This story is reprinted from material from Hexcel, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
