Hexcel to display composite innovations at JEC Americas

INDUSTRIAL PROMOTIONS:

HexPly Carbon Industrial Prepregs

At the Hexcel booth, there will be a substantial showing of our new HexPly carbon industrial prepreg product line. These carbon reinforcement prepregs are available with a 250oF cure resin system that is flexible for a variety of processes and manufacturing variables. On display will be two automotive parts, brake ducts and a wheel cover made by Indy Performance Composites that highlight the combination of our 200 gsm and 670 gsm twill prepregs.

HexPly M79 Low Temperature Cure Prepreg for Large Industrial Composite Structures

NEW HexPly M79 prepreg from Hexcel has been developed to be a game-changer in the wind blade industry – now offering a real option for those who currently manufacture large, thick wall composite structures by infusion to move to prepreg technology and benefit from superior mechanical performance.

HexPly M79 has been developed to respond to the industry requirements for a lower temperature curing prepreg that cures more quickly than 250°F cure-systems currently on the market.  A number of cure cycle options are possible with HexPly M79 including a very low temperature cure cycle of 8-10 hours at just 158°F or a more rapid cure cycle of just 4-6 hours at 176°F.  This is a significant time-saving on established industry prepregs where a typical cure cycle for a 176°F curing resin matrix is 10 hours.

With HexPly M79 there is also a 60% reduction in the risk of an exothermic reaction than with standard wind energy prepregs - yet the new system is based on standard epoxy chemistry that has more than 20 years of proven performance for wind blades.  HexPly M79 also has a very long out life at room temperature of at least two months, which is unusual for such a low temperature curing product.

Due to the low cure temperature of HexPly M79 the system is compatible with any liquid epoxy resin used for infusion processing.  This means that prepreg and infusion processes can be combined in the same blade, combining the twin advantages of stronger laminates and cost-effective processing.

The ultimate performance for wind blades is achieved when HexPly M79 is reinforced with carbon fiber to provide exceptionally strong laminates that are lighter than those made with glass fiber.  This is an enabling technology for the increasingly larger wind blades that are being manufactured – now approaching 100m in length.