At Composites Canada we have just about everything available for our industry, and it’s getting harder all the time to expand our product range. But I just can’t leave things alone and I’m pretty excited to introduce our new 18×20 walk in freezer. OK it’s pretty plain on the outside, but what’s goes in is state of the art.
Prepreg stands for “pre-impregnated”. Composite fabrics with resin has already been added by the manufacturer. The cure is stalled part way through and kept frozen. It waits this way until some heat from an oven completes the cure. Most commonly fiberglass or carbon fiber with epoxy, the concept can extend to any fabric and resin. Woven, stiched, braided, vinylester, phenolic, cyanate ester, anything you could imagine.
Why prepreg? No more resin mess. No more fabric dry spots. No frayed edges, no misplaced fibers, no poorly mixed or off ratio hardener. Easy use of super light and stiff honeycomb (no liquid resin to fill the cells). Ideal resin content for stronger, lighter parts. In short, both the resin and fiber goes where you need it and stays there until cure, all while keeping the shop, and your hands, clean and tidy.
A few quick notes:
- An oven and vacuum bag is required. An autoclave is not.
- Prepregs can cure with as little as 150°F.
- Most can remain at room temperature for a month or more before use.
- We stock mostly carbon prepreg in fabrics, multiaxials and unidirectionals, with cosmetic grades, toughened resins, film adhesives and expanding films as options.
- We can have custom fabrics made into prepreg for just about any application.
Whether you’ve been using prepreg for years or are just curious to see how this material can make better parts, give us a call. Better yet, stop by. Can’t beat this kind of selection.