Thin ply sheet molding compound enables thin laminates with properties as of continuous fibers

In a research collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SWE) and Imperial College (UK), Oxeon AB has developed ultrathin carbon fiber sheet molding compound (SMC) products for high performance, thin laminate and ease of manufacture composite applications. Said SMC products are based on ultrathin (0.02 mm or 0.0008 in) Spread Tow Tapes that are cut by length and randomly distributed in order to obtain a preform with an in-plane isotropy in either dry or pre-impregnated form displaying the previously never seen minimum cured plate thickness of about 0.5 mm. Recent work has demonstrated that these SMC materials can reach high stiffness and strength making them good alternatives to metal alloys or even continuous fiber composites. In the conduced work, SMC composites were manufactured using ultra-thin tapes of high modulus and ultrahigh modulus fibers having a large length-to-thickness ratio. The paper will describe how these SMC products lead to high stiffness and to significant increase in strength compared to commercially available SMC materials.