Composite Press
Centexbel Composite Press — Engineered for Woven, Non-Woven, and UD Textiles; Optimized for Polymer Plate Rheology.
The Centexbel composite press is ideally equipped to process a wide range of textile types, including woven, non-woven, and unidirectional (UD) fabrics. In addition, it allows for the pressing of polymer plates tailored for rotational rheology analysis.
Unidirectional composites are particularly well-suited for research applications, as their mechanical properties are straightforward to interpret. Moreover, they enable direct work at the yarn level, eliminating the need to first produce a fabric.
Centexbel also offers the capability to process polymers in both fibre and film forms.
Unidirectional composites
The operation procedure to produce a UD-plate (or unidirectional composite plate) includes the following steps:
- a number of layers consisting of reinforcing and matrix yarns are winded around a frame. The number of layers needed to obtain a certain thickness can be easily computed.
- the pre-form is then placed in a specially developed mould that can be opened for easy demoulding
- the fibres are cut loose from the frame. This needs to be executed very carefully to prevent fibre disorientation
- the mould is placed into the press where it is submitted to a preset press cycle. The press cycle is characterised by a set pressing pressure, temperature and duration.
Characteristics of the Centexbel LabPress:
- Max temperature: 300°C
- ΔT/Δt = max 10°C/min
- pressure: 30-600 kN (2 – 300 bar)
