Natural fibre LFT for lightweighting
NetComposites has developed injection mouldable long fibre thermoplastic (LFT) Flax/PP and Jute/PP pellets.
The pellets, made using pultrusion technology and commingled yarns, offer a competitive alternative to glass LFT and continuous fibre composites whilst having a number of benefits. The natural fibres offer a stiffness comparable to glass resulting in pellets which are low weight, capable of complex moulding geometries, offer good impact and creep resistance and improved performance over alternative short-fibre materials.
The pellets are ideally suited to light-weighting applications such as automotive interiors. NetComposites is currently working with an automotive trim supplier to develop an interior panel using Flax/PP pellets. The materials have a specific modulus comparable with that of glass fibres, but ~40% lighter.
Other LFT variants are in development such as novel polymer reinforced polymer (PRP) pellets with a PET reinforcement and PP matrix. These offer another lightweight and highly impact-resistant alternative to glass/PP products.
Pellets and moulded parts will be on show at JEC Europe 2015 in Hall 7.3, Stand G70 from 10 - 12 March, Paris, France.
