TenCate presents high-grade composite solutions at JEC Europe 2015

This press release was issued as TenCate Advanced Composites, prior to our acquisition by Toray Industries and name change to Toray Advanced Composites in 2019.

TenCate Advanced Composites, a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced composite materials, will be highlighting their latest material innovations and technologies for aerospace, automotive and industrial markets during the JEC Europe 2015 exhibition in Paris, France, between 10 and12 March 2015. TenCate will launch several new high-grade products and will showcase a range of customer applications that utilize advanced composites of TenCate.

Items displayed at the TenCate stand (F18, hall 7.3)include a full size Thales GD LiveTV triband radome, an Airbus Defense and Space next generation solar panel for future ESA missions using the latest space prepreg technology, and an Airbus A380 engine pylon cover manufactured by Daher Socata using TenCate Cetex® thermoplastic composites. The TenCate stand will also feature a showcase of thermoset and thermoplastic automotive pieces including the Kringlan thermoplastic hybrid rim for passenger cars.

Latest composite products

New products across both thermoset and thermoplastic composite portfolios include:

• TenCate Cetex® TC1320 PEKK– this new thermoplastic composite is aimed at commercial aircraft applications ranging from structural components to interiors. This high-grade TenCate Cetex® material features flame retardancy, low moisture uptake, excellent resistance to solvents and outstanding toughness for impact resistance. 
• TenCate Cetex® TC912– a PA6 thermoplastic for a range of structural and semi structural high volume automotive applications, offering improved mechanical properties and tailored fabric architecture available in both woven and UD reinforcements. 
  TenCate TC275-1– this epoxy prepreg represents the latest generation of out of autoclave / vacuum processible structural prepregs of TenCate. It is currently being used in general aviation and launch structure as a result of its ideal set of mechanical and handling properties.
• TenCate E760– a highly toughened epoxy resin system with exceptional high temperature performance designed for use in mechanically demanding structural applications exposed to elevated temperatures, such as Formula 1 and high performance automotive.
  

Existing composite solutions

TenCate solutions across both thermoset and thermoplastic composites include:

• Thales GD LiveTV Satcom Radome– a complete LiveTV satcom radome. This triband radome allows commercial aircraft to provide internet connectivity with the K, Ku and Ka bands, to deliver as much signal bandwidth — that is, speed and connectivity — as possible. It utilizes TenCate TC250, an epoxy based thermoset prepreg with quartz fabric for improved performance whilst maintaining cost effectiveness. This satcom radome is approximately 2.7 meters (9 feet) in length by 1.2 meters (4 foot) in width.
• Airbus Defense and Space ARA MK4 Solar Panel– a full scale next generation, state-of-the-art substrate panel technology for satellite solar arrays. ARA Mk4 panels will be deployed on solar arrays for future European Space Agency missions, and features the next generation of space prepregs developed by TenCate.
• Airbus A380 Engine Pylon Cover– this panel, manufactured by Daher Socata, is made using TenCate Cetex® thermoplastic composite materials, selected due to their impact resistance, fluid resistance, temperature behavior and FST properties. This part is one of 50 panels on each A380 pylon for both engines.
• Automotive components– several thermoset and thermoplastic components for high-performance automotive applications, made using TenCate materials.

Global expansion

TenCate will also profile their global expansions in both capabilities and capacity. In North America, at the Morgan Hill (California) premises in the United States, TenCate Advanced Composites announces internal slitting capability for both thermoset and thermoplastic unitapes. The precision slitting equipment of TenCate features eighteen station traverse winding, with slit widths of 0.3175-0.095cm (0.125 - 0.375 inches).

In Europe, at the Langley Mill (Nottingham) premises in the United Kingdom, TenCate Advanced Composites is set to become a center of excellence for thermoset chemistry systems, expanding the European capability to include thermoset composite materials for aerospace and space applications and capacity for fabric and UD tape based products to serve existing industrial markets.

TenCate Advanced Composites

Almelo, the Netherlands, Wednesday 4 March 2015

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