Composite Materials

TFP has been developing materials for use in composites for over 30 years and offers a custom range of veils and mats specially designed for use in advanced composites.

Our OPTIVEIL®, OPTIMAT® and TECNOFIRE® nonwovens are used in a variety of industries worldwide, including aerospace, defence, automotive, construction, industrial, consumer electronics & energy. A key advantage of these materials is their multi-functionality; they can simultaneously fulfil a number of different purposes within a composite structure. These range from aiding fabrication, to providing a high quality finish and imparting required functionality to the composite surface.

Our nonwovens are designed to ensure process, system and application compatibility. They can be used with all common resin systems and fabrication techniques including RTM, RIM, compression moulding, filament winding, hand-lay up and vacuum infusion. They are also suitable for dynamic composite processing techniques, such as pultrusion, where gel coats are not suitable in order to achieve a high quality surface finish and resin rich layer.

Materials can also be adapted to ensure compatibility, this can mean selecting the most suitable polymer binder for the resin system and processing method. For example, insoluble binders are used to achieve high wet tensile strength while soluble binders increase the conformability of the nonwoven during processing. Typical binders include polyester, poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), styrene acrylic, cross-linked polyester, co-polyester, polyurethane, phenoxy and epoxy. Basis weight can also be tailored to suit the application requirements, and with a range from 2 g/m² up to 400 g/m², there is plenty of scope available.