Composite Stock Shapes
Various composite stock shapes produced from prepreg, such as angles and wedges.
What are composite stock shapes?
Produced in molds, prepreg materials are cured into various different shapes such as rods, angles, wedges, and springs. These composite stock shapes can be from a single type of prepreg (called a monolithic construction) or from different prepregs. They can even include other materials such as PTFE covers, steel cores, or rubber face sheets that enhance the targeted properties for any given application.
Norplex-Micarta’s line of rods are different from many others available on the market in that they are rolled and then molded. They are not cut from a sheet. Therefore, the laminations are generally concentric with the OD, versus sheet-ground rod which has all of the laminations in a flat plane. Rolled and molded rods exhibit much more uniform strength and stiffness when compared with sheet ground rod.
All of these composite stock shape materials are fully cured and ready for fabrication by standard stock removal processes such as punching, turning, milling, water jet cutting, and other specialized processes depending on the part geometry, complexity, and tolerance requirements.
Often used for prototype or small applications, stock shapes have the advantage of placing the reinforcement into geometries that enhance the strength and stiffness of the resulting part.
Why Norplex-Micarta’s composite stock shape materials?
Norplex-Micarta has been producing thermoset materials for more than 100 years.
Resin systems based on epoxy, phenolic, melamine, and silicone are commonly ran in our Postville, Iowa facility. These and other resin chemistries are often modified with additives to provide even more functionality for designers and engineers looking for a material solution to demanding applications. Reinforcements are even more varied. Glass, carbon, natural and synthetic reinforcements are all possible. So too are hybridization of these reinforcements in various different fabric architectures.
With an infinite amount of customization available, the options for composite materials can seem overwhelming. Norplex-Micarta has dedicated application and material development engineers to support material selection, application development, prototyping, and customization to support designers and engineers.
Composite Custom Shapes
Norplex-Micarta offers applications engineering, process development, and materials engineering to support the development of composite custom shapes.
Why a composite custom shape?
Because every application is different. And to fully harness the potential of composite materials, the reinforcement needs to align with the load path.
Additionally, with composite custom shapes, material loss from stock removal processes may be limited. And when produced from quick, or snap, curing resin systems, production volumes can be in the hundreds of thousands of parts per year — or more.
Not just for Structural Applications, but Electrical ones as well.
Composites are well known for their structural and mechanical properties. These same materials can also be excellent electrical insulators, which makes them increasingly attractive to engineers in the electrical vehicle (EV) space. Beyond EVs, large, industrial scale batteries and even solar roof panels benefit from both the structural and electrical properties of Norplex-Micarta’s materials.
Why Norplex-Micarta for composite custom shapes development?
Norplex-Micarta has been producing thermoset composite materials for more than 100 years.
Resin systems based on epoxy, phenolic, melamine, and silicone are commonly ran in our Postville, Iowa facility. These and other resin chemistries are often modified with additives to provide even more functionality for designers and engineers looking for a material solution to demanding applications. Reinforcements are even more varied. Glass, carbon, natural and synthetic reinforcements are all possible. So too are hybridization of these reinforcements in various different fabric architectures.
With an infinite amount of customization available, the options for composite materials can seem overwhelming. Norplex-Micarta has dedicated application and material development engineers to support material selection, application development, prototyping, and customization for your application.