Cost-effective production of glass fibre reinforced towpregs

Given the high costs of many fibre-reinforced plastics, commonly related to large investment and operating costs of the production systems, high volume markets remain to be accessed by suppliers of semi-finished products and composite components. The Fraunhofer IPT has developed a towpreg production system that is suitable for processing both conventional and photocure thermosets. This study aims to reduce the cost of glass fibre reinforced towpregs by three measures: reducing energy consumption, increasing productivity and realizing full scalability of the process. Moreover, in-situ consolidation tests are performed by means of a VIS-light assisted Automated Fibre Placement system.