ENGINEERING THERMOPLASTICS | INNOVATION
Injection moulders
are increasingly taking to new technology and
materials enabling them to overmould thermoplastic composite
parts.Peter Mapleston investigates the products offered by major suppliers
Thermoplastic composite moulding shows strength
Technologies for producing thermoplastic compos- ites by injection moulding over inserts of continu- ous fibre reinforcements are moving quickly into commercial use. Applications are opening up across multiple market sectors, but it is clear that the main attraction is automotive and other transport forms that benefit most from the ability of the technology to deliver, cost-effectively, at high production rates, parts that are light and strong. Engel’s organomelt process is typical of the
breed. Fibre-reinforced prepreg sheet or tape with a thermoplastic matrix is heated, inserted into the mould, formed there and directly over-moulded with thermoplastic. It has already been used in high-volume manufacturing, including fully automated production of items such as front-end carriers. But it continues to develop in sophistica- tion and applicability. Norbert Müller, head of Engel’s Centre for Lightweight Composite Technologies, says thermo- plastic composites are growing in importance when it comes to lightweighting in the automotive industry, for two main reasons. Firstly, the consistent thermoplastic approach makes it possible to efficiently integrate the forming and functionalisa- tion of fibre-reinforced prepregs, which reduces unit costs. Secondly, the use of exclusively thermo- plastic polymers makes it easier to develop recy- cling strategies. “Returning composite components
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to the material loop at the end of their service life is one of the priorities for ongoing development in the electric vehicle sector,” Müller says. Engel says it is working together with its custom- ers and partners on the production aspects of designing composite components with a targeted load distribution. “In the future, several different prepregs will be combined for each component to tailor the lightweight construction characteristics to the relevant component’s shape as well as the different stresses on individual areas inside the component,” Müller says. At K 2019, Engel showed how organomelt can
produce parts that reflect the latest innovations for car door modules. The production cell on its stand was the first in the world to use infrared radiation to heat up and form three organic sheets of differing thicknesses, as well as shaping a high-quality visible surface in the same injection moulding process stage. The process was developed in partnership with automotive supplier Brose. At the time, Engel said this was the only system in the world that can simultaneously process three differently shaped organic sheets between 0.6 mm and 2.5 mm in thickness in a fully automated process involving integrated IR ovens. A vertical IR oven directly above the clamping unit heated up one organic sheet, just 0.6 mm thick.
January/February 2020 | INJECTION WORLD 25
Main image: Ineos Styrolu- tion’s StyLight Aesthetic S C200-1 has high fibre density and improved stiffness.
(Photo: Ineos Styrolution)
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