Tape Winding

Industrialization of thermoplastic composites

Semi-finished products and process technology are available

The range of thermoplastic semi-finished products has developed considerably in recent years. More players have entered the market, the quality of semi-finished products has increased and thermoplastic composites have established themselves in their first series applications. Process technology has also developed further in terms of robustness, series capability and existing process knowledge. Today is the ideal time to overcome boundaries and replace conventional components with thermoplastic products.

Thermoplastic UD Tapes

The right material for your product

The wide range of properties of thermoplastic CFRP and GFRP components extends from outstanding mechanical performance to subsequent functionalization via injection molding. Depending on the application, the focus is on different material properties. Depending on the combination of fiber material (glass, carbon, ...) and thermoplastic matrix (PE, PP, PA, PPS, PVDF, PEEK, ...), the component properties can be adjusted accordingly.

Winding is efficient

Automated process technology enables short cycle times

Laser-assisted tape winding is a robot-based process (AFP: Automated Fiber Placement) in which thermoplastic tapes are placed on a mandrel / table and are fully consolidate in a single process step (in-situ consolidation). The layered structure of the final part allows for adjusting the mechanical part properties by adjusting the fiber orientation of each layer.

The thermoplastic tape is fed from the spool through the tape laying head and is heated by a laser shortly before it is placed on the mandrel. At the same time, the upper layer of the already deployed tape is melted and the two layers are consolidated using a compaction roller. After this consolidation step, no downstream production steps such as curing in an autoclave or a separate pressing process are necessary.