TFP Launch Next Generation Nonwovens at JEC World
Technical Fibre Products (TFP) will launching our range of next generation surfacing and
adhesive support veils at JEC World in March. The new range of materials have been
designed to offer superior flexibility and surface smoothness and supplement our current
range of Optiveil® materials, which are already used extensively in this application.
The next generation veils are manufactured from a range of different fibre types, including micro
denier polyester and Kuraray’s WRAMP fibre (a polyester-polyamide hybrid). These microfibers
have a finer diameter than TFP’s standard polyester products, measuring 4 & 5 μm compared to 12
& 7 μm respectively. This means there is significantly more fibres per gram of material – nearly 18
million fibres versus 2 million in our standard polyester nonwovens; producing a different, closer,
pore structure with a higher surface area. This ultimately conveys increased flexibility to the
nonwoven and enhances its conformability to more complex shapes during composite
manufacturing. The pore structure refinement also improves the surface smoothness as well
processing ease; providing a further benefit in surface finish applications where it minimises micro
porosity and micro-cracking.
The increased surface smoothness of these thermoplastic veils also makes them even more
suitable for use as adhesive carrier or support veils, an already popular application for TFP’s
Optiveil® materials. The fibre structure has been optimised to deliver a uniform wet out of
adhesive, ensuring a defined and consistent film thickness, as well as improving the resilience and
handling of the final product. The lightweight veils also act as a support substrate for other fragile
materials; enhancing the ease of handling and resilience with only a minimal weight addition.
TFP’s nonwovens are used effectively in a wide range of composite applications ranging from
aerospace and automotive to energy, transportation and sporting goods, fulfilling requirements
including surfacing, electrical conductivity, EMI shielding, abrasion & corrosion resistance, as well
as increasing fracture toughness or acting as an adhesive carrier.
Visit the TFP stand P32, hall 5 at JEC World in Paris (12-14 March) to find out more about these new
surfacing and support materials as well the many other solutions for composites our nonwovens
offer.
