NANOFIBRE STRENGTHENING IN HOT DEMAND A New Zealand company is increasing its production output to meet growing world-wide demand for a nanofibre strengthening product used in everything from Formula One race cars and fishing rods through to the aerospace industry. www.engineeringnews.co.nz 37 M A T E R I A L S PROTECTIVE CAPS & PLUGS Extensive range in stock, fast delivery • Tapered & threaded • Metric, BSP & JIC • Tube inserts • Silicone & EPDM • Bolt & nut protection H_2370 Available from Hi-Q Electronics Limited engineering@hiq.co.nz 0800 766 709 www.hiqplugsandcaps.co.nz Demand for Revolution Fibres’ Xantu.Layr, which is the world’s only commercially available nanofibre composite reinforcement veil, has increased dramatically as a result of extensive research and development conducted in 2016 which helped to further validate Xantu.Layr’s performance in composites. Nanofibre applications engineer, Dr Gareth Beckermann, says significant advancements have been made by using nanofibre interleaving veils to increase the impact strength, delamination resistance and fatigue life of composites. “We are also increasingly seeing evidence that nanofibre veils outperform thermoplastic toughening particles and microfibre veils, and nanofibre veils can also improve the mechanical properties of composites containing already toughened resin systems. “In some situations, the addition of lightweight nanofibre interleaving veils can improve delamination resistance by up to 170%, impact strength can be improved by up to 20%, and fatigue life can be improved by nearly 400%, all with negligible laminate weight and thickness gains. “Nanofibre veils can also be used for localised reinforcement as opposed to having to apply veils to the whole composite part,” he says. Revolution Fibres’ Operations Manager, Brent Tucker, says production capacity has recently doubled to meet the additional demand for Xantu.Layr for new and existing clients, which include Kilwell Fishing Rods and Kiwi Composites. For commercially sensitive reasons Revolution Fibres is unable to name most companies it works with. However, the majority of them are in industries where extra high composite performance is required. “We expect 2017 to be a significant year for Xantu.Layr production as many clients are coming to the end of their R&D program cycles with positive results,” says Mr Tucker. “This increased production capacity is a huge benefit to all because it will lead to cost reductions, especially for customers wanting larger volumes.” In 2015 Revolution Fibres achieved its AS9100c certification, a quality assurance step that’s unprecedented in the nanofibre industry. This world-first certification provides internationally recognised assurance to customers that the systems and procedures behind the nanofibre production meet aerospace standards. Thermoplastic nanofibres are electrospun onto silicone release paper to create Xantu.Layr Compatible with epoxy and polyester resin systems The highly porous nanofibre allows resin to penetrate and retain the layer Available in 1.5gsm, 3gsm and 4.5gsm
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