CAMX 2018 preview: A&P Technology

A&P Technology (Cincinnati, OH, US) is exhibiting engineered braided fabrics designed to enable cost savings. Bimax, a ±45° off-the-roll fabric, is said to eliminate the need to cut 0°/90° woven fabric on the bias, saving time and money. QISO, a 0°/±60° fabric, is balanced in a single ply enabling easy lay-up and eliminating the need to orient plies. Benchmarked against comparable woven fabric laminates, QISO reportedly outperforms in tension, compression, open hole and impact events.

In addition to standard fabrics, A&P’s wide range of braiding machinery allows for design flexibility and the customization of hybrid fabrics to optimize part requirements, reduce waste and reduce manufacture costs. Custom fabrics include fabrics with hybrid architectures (e.g., triaxial regions within a biaxial fabric), hybridized material systems and customized widths. A&P’s braided fabrics are processed by all major prepreg suppliers and are available in thermoplastic form as well. A&P braids narrow-slit thermoplastic tapes into preforms or wide fabrics, and A&P also provides wide fabrics for the production of thermoplastic billets or thermoplastic semipreg – fabrics that are post-treated and coated with thermoplastic resin film.

Engineered braided fabrics are also combined with bulk molding compound (BMC) or sheet molding compound (SMC) to provide structural reinforcement in high-load areas. The use of braid with SMC, says A&P, enables quick cycle production of highly structural parts. Liquid compression molding, another quick-cycle fabrication method, also takes advantage of the tailorability of braid. A&P provides multiaxial fabrics for LCM that offer superior performance and are designed to drape. Booth U3.