A&P Technology (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) showcases braided material solutions — including QISO triaxial braided fabric and slit tape thermoplastic braided materials — enabling low-cost, high-rate manufacture of composite parts in applications like space, aerospace and advanced air mobility (AAM).

Patz Materials & Technologies (PMT, Benicia, Calif., U.S.) takes advantage of the in-plane isotropy found in A&P’s +/- 0°, 60° QISO to create low-cost core for space structures. Since QISO is balanced and symmetric in a single layer, PMT only needs to use only one ply of HM63 QISO in place of eight plies of unitape to create its apex vented core. This reduces the amount of material needed by half and still meet PMT’s strength and stiffness targets, A&P reports. With reduced material use and simpler layup, Apex is one-tenth the cost of traditional aramid core and offers a structure with much less moisture uptake and a boost in shear performance.  

Composites One (Schaumburg, Ill., U.S.) is also applying the benefits of A&P Technology’s QISO in its infused high-temperature carbon tooling solution. Composites One’s Tooling Advantage costs 75% less than composite tooling made with prepreg materials. Ideal for R&D, prototypes and short runs, the company’s composite tooling solutions are efficient and affordable. Technical support managers are available to help with QISO tool builds.

Slit tape thermoplastic braided materials being adopted for use in aerospace and AAM are highlighted as well. TapeShapes, A&P’s +/-45° and 0°, +/-60° thermoplastic fabrics offer both conformability advantages and increased mechanical performance. Unlike AFP where steering capability is limited on parts with compound curvatures, A&P’s slit tape braided fabrics offer extreme drape, enabling quick laydown of multiaxial material onto complex geometries.

TapeShapes are produced at custom widths to match final part geometry resulting in near zero waste. Testing of slit tape thermoplastic braided fabrics shows increased performance values in tensile, flex and compression.