TenCate Commissions New Aerospace Thermoplastic Prepreg Line
Cetex® Thermo-Lite® uni-tape commissioned to meet growing demand for thermoplastics in aerospace structures.
August 19, 2009 Morgan Hill, CA - Tencate Advanced Composites USA (TCAC-USA)
has installed a new thermoplastic unitape prepreg line in Morgan Hill CA to meet the
growing demand for aerospace thermoplastic composites. Morgan Hill is an ISO
9001:2000 and AS9100:2004 Rev B approved aerospace facility. This investment builds
upon TenCate's 2007 acquisition of Phoenixx TPC, a leading manufacturer of thermoplastic unitapes.
Scott Unger, Group President of TenCate Advanced Composites USA reports that
"thermoplastic applications continue to grow within the aerospace market. Thermoplastic
composites offer many of the properties desired for the next generation of aerospace composites including: fast processing cycles, excellent toughness, fire retardant properties, weldability, low moisture absorption, re-process ability and room temperature storage. Thermoplastic unitapes in particular allow customers to gain the benefits of automation from automated tape laying and in-situ out of autoclave consolidation processes for added productivity savings. "
The TenCate Cetex® Thermo-Lite brand of thermoplastic uni-tapes are offered with PEEK, PEKK, PPS and PEI resins in up to twelve inch widths with carbon, glass or aramid fibers. Slit tapes as narrow as 0.125 inches are also offered. TenCate's Cetex Thermo-Lite brand of unitapes offer very low void content. TenCate's proprietary and patented prepreg process provides balanced high quality impregnation with void contents of less than 1% as demonstrated by photomicrograph evaluations.
Joe Morris, Vice President and COO states that "this investment represents TenCate's
continued commitment and investment in thermoplastic composites."
Cetex® Thermo-Lite® unitapes are being considered for several aerospace applications
which take advantage of reduced time processing and the superior thermoplastic
properties. TenCate's PEEK based Cetex® Thermo-Lite® unitape is currently being
qualified on a primary structure within a rotary wing military aircraft for weight savings and durability improvement.
USA
Michael Cichon,
Director of Product Marketing
m.cichon@tencate.com
+1.408.465.8500 x 8544
Contact Info
Europe
Nick Tiffin
European Sales & Marketing Director
n.tiffin@tencate.com
+44.1926.831959
TenCate Advanced Composites
TenCate Advanced Composites is a leading aerospace thermoset and thermoplastic prepreg supplier. TenCate's prepregs are used in commercial aircraft, satellites, helicopters, general aviation, aircraft interiors, radomes and unmanned vehicles. TenCate's Cetex line of thermoplastic prepregs are widely used in aerospace with over six tons on each Airbus A380. Cetex thermoplastic laminates are qualified and used on most commercial aircraft.
Royal TenCate
TenCate www.tencate.com is a multinational company which combines textile technology and chemical processes in developing and manufacturing special materials. Its materials can be divided into four areas of application: safety & protection, space & aerospace, sport & leisure, and environment & infrastructure. The company has world leading positions in protective fabrics, space and aerospace composites, armor composites, geosynthetics and synthetic turf.TenCate is listed on NYSE Euronext. Cetex® and Thermo-Lite® are registered trademarks of Royal TenCate.
