Equipment for the production of UD tapes

Melt impregnation technology

Meltimpregnation is based on the infiltration of unidirectionally oriented reinforcing fibers using plasticized thermoplastic polymers. To do this, it is first necessary to align and spread the required fiber rovings. Downstream the fibers are impregnated with matrix in the wetting nozzle. After passing through the nozzle, the semi-finished products are cooled using a two-roll calender (smoothing unit) and molded close to the final contour. The edges are  trimmed and the semi-finished products are assembled on winding cores.

UD tape system UD50

Melt impregnation system for the production of UD tapes on a laboratory scale. Suitable for material development on a small scale or for the pre-series production of narrow semi-finished tapes for near-net-shaping components. The maximum tape width is 50 mm.

UD 50  
Tape width 50 mm
Tape thickness 0,15 - 0,5 mm
Process speed 2 – 15 m/min
Processing temperature Max. 400 °C
Polymer throughput 10 – 12 kg/h
Polymers PP, PE, PA, PC, PPA, PPS etc. 
Fibers Glass, carbon, basalt, polymer fibers, etc.
Number of winding points 16

 

Material-specific process adaptation and scale-up

Verification of process stability in long-term tests

Preparation for small series processes

Inline thermography system for detecting fiber gaps and defects in the UD tape

 

Inline measurement technology:

  • Inline thermography system for the detection of fiber gaps and defects in the UD tape

UD tape system UD500

The pilot-scale tape line has a tape production width of 500 mm. Thanks to the modular process design, it can be adapted to different fiber matrix systems for tape production. Appropriately dimensioned creels also allow the use of reinforcement materials of different yarn thicknesses. This means that important aspects of material selection and subsequent issues such as material usage costs can be efficiently incorporated into the tape process. 

UD 500  
Tape width 500mm
Tape thickness 0,15 - 0,5 mm
Process speed 2 – 15 m/min
Processing temperature Max. 350 °C
Polymer throughput 180 – 120 kg/h
Polymers PP, PE, PA, PC, PPA, PPS etc. 
Fibers Glass, carbon, basalt, polymer fibers, etc.
Number of winding points 120

 

Pilot tests for the design of customer systems

Verification of process stability in long-term tests

Preparation for small series processes

 

Inline measurement technology:

  • Inline thickness measurement over the entire length of the tape
  • Camera inspection system for recording the spreading quality before fiber impregnation and the tape quality after passing through the impregnation nozzle
  • Inline thermography system for detecting fiber gaps and defects in the UD tape with position detection on the taper roll
© Fraunhofer IMWS
© Fraunhofer IMWS
© Fraunhofer IMWS