If products were square, reinforcement would be easy!

However, in real life nothing is square and we are continually confronted with a multitude of shapes. Products that are unique to each industry will go through various stresses, strains and impact scenarios. Heat, sunlight and colour can also add complexity let alone the number of components that will need to interact synergistically.

Working with Long Fibre thermoplastics offers:

• Improved impact strength and physical properties.
• Improved dimensional stability.
• Improved high temperature stability.
• Ease of processing.
• Weight reduction.
• Thinner wall sections.
• Superior structural properties.

Giving rise to LFT being used in items traditionally made from SFT through to various metals.

Design

Being able to identify high stress locations in a part and using modelling to predict how the fibres will orientate has allowed the design of parts with thinner walls to enable functionality, reduce weight and to improve overall performance primarily through:

• Tailoring the fibre orientation in the direction of critical stresses.
• Tailoring fibre content to the strength and stiffness required.
• Tailoring melt flow in the mould to achieve desired fibre orientation and moving weld lines to areas of low stress.
• Employing low shear moulding processes with generously sized runners and gates.
• And utilising FEA and MFA analysis to design and test in the initial stages before tool construction begins.