West System International (WSI) has updated its product range, introducing a number of new reinforcing fabrics and tapes to provide wider support to boatbuilders. The new products include three different widths of carbon and aramid tapes and fabrics including carbon, aramid and a carbon/aramid hybrid weave.
The expanded West System range includes biaxial, woven fabrics and tapes that can be used to provide reinforcement and/or abrasion resistance. The tapes and fabrics can be applied in multiple layers and in combination with other materials to build composite parts.
’West System reinforcing fabrics can be used to provide extra strength and durability to the structure’, said Ian Oliver, managing director of WSI. ‘This significant expansion of our range enables us to support a much wider breadth of boatbuilding requirements.’
The new products include
West System 702-703 Unidirectional Carbon Tape, used to improve the tensile and compressive strength and stiffness in one direction whilst adding minimum thickness and weight. The carbon fiber warp bundles are held in place by glass weft thread for ease of handling and wet out.
- West System 706-707 Woven Carbon Tape, suitable for adding improved tensile and compressive strength to localised areas.
- West System 715-716 Woven Aramid Tape, which provides improved abrasive and tear resistance in addition to impact resistance due to its ability to absorb and dissipate energy. Suitable for providing extra strength in localised high wear areas such as canoe and kayak keel lines.
- West System 760 Plain Weave Carbon Fabric, which provides improved tensile and compressive strength to laminates.
- West System 765-767 Twill Weave Carbon Fabric, which provides improved tensile and compressive strength to laminates with superior wet out and drapeability when compared to plain weave. It shows a distinctive diagonal weave pattern when used under a clear coating.
- West System 777 Hybrid Fabric, a hybrid cloth that combines the stiffness of carbon with the impact and abrasion resistance of aramid.
- West System 787 Aramid Fabric high strength fabric, providing good impact resistance to laminates due to its ability to absorb and dissipate energy. It also adds improved tear and abrasive resistance.
This story is reprinted from material from West System International, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
