| Abstract: | In the field of large-volume applications today, injection-moldable polymers, reinforced with short or long fibers, are used for semi-structural components. Additional use is made of glass mat thermoplastic sheets, for which the processing technologies have already been established in a large number of applications. Advanced thermoplastic composites based on highly aligned, continuous fibers represent, with their high fiber content, a big step in terms of mechanical performance and offer thermoplastic polymers the chance to become structural components. In spite of a great deal of work carried out in this category of materials, in particular with carbon fiber-based products for defense and aerospace applications, the business is still at an early stage of development due to the high price of intermediate products (small plants and not fully optimized production processes) and to embrionic manufacturing technologies for mess production applications. Conversion of the various continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic materials into useful parts and components is dependent on the intermediate product forms: boardy tape, flexible two, fabric or sheet. Some general technologies exist for the thermoplastic composites and their subsequent processing methods; however, in many cases because of the peculiarity of these products (i.e. fabric deformation under stamping) they require different approaches. The scope of this work is to describe those methods that are most promising for large-volume applications, in particular products forms (containing powder) for post-shaping impregnation, and to analyze some of the fundamental mechanisms of flow and deformation that drive the processing behavior. |
