Michelman to display carbon fibre sizing solutions at US' CAMX 2022

Hydrosize is Michelman’s flagship line of sizing solutions designed for use in the manufacturing of glass, carbon, and natural fibres, including both chopped and continuous formats. They are used as lubricants, film formers, sizing agents, and binders during fibre manufacturing and composite processing. This technology allows fibre manufacturers to optimise the interfacial adhesion between the polymers and fibres by tailoring their reinforcement fibres surface chemistry to the matrix resin’s chemistry. This improved interface adhesion helps fibre producers and composite manufacturers produce stronger, lighter, and more durable composite parts, the company said in a press release.

Michelman will also feature their line of Hydrosize carbon solutions that allow customers to leverage carbon fibre’s unique qualities and produce higher-quality composite parts. It also helps further exploit the traditional benefits of composites: design freedom, consolidation of parts, and integration of functionality while meeting light-weighting initiatives. Composites that require high-temperature processing typically require the use of high-temperature polyamide, polyimide, PPS, and PAEK-based resins.

Select Hydrosize carbon grades provide excellent thermal stability and are specifically designed to withstand elevated processing and subsequent applications. Furthermore, the various grades offer a wide variety of solutions depending on resin compatibility, fibre type, and desired composite performance.

Michelman’s Unyte brand is a versatile family of water-based technologies that help achieve advanced form and function in woven and nonwoven materials used in the design of technical textiles and pre-preg fabrics. These solutions enhance textile products’ performance by improving adhesion, binding, processability, and chemical & heat resistance. The Unyte Bind series offers multiple solutions that improve fibre-to-fibre adhesion. Unyte Grip promotes the adhesion between fibres and polymeric matrices, helping to improve various functional or mechanical properties. Unyte Slip is beneficial for fabrics, nonwovens, and pre-pregs that need to be stacked or rolled without sticking together. Finally, Unyte Resist products are designed to provide excellent wet-out and moisture/chemical resistance to fabrics. They impart performance benefits, including chemical resistance, water resistance, and hydrophobicity under humid conditions to fabrics, wovens, and nonwovens.

“While fibre sizing accounts for a small percent of the finished product, it has a significant impact on the final properties of composite parts. Optimising fibre polymer interfacial adhesion with Hydrosize enhances the performance of numerous mechanical and chemical properties, including thermal and hydrolytic stability, corrosion resistance, heat and oil resistance, impact strength, tensile and flexural strengths, compressive strength, fatigue performance, and electrical conductivity. It is a critical component that produces high-quality, high-performance composites,” Steve Bassetti, Michelman’s director, global marketing for the company’s fibres & composites business group, said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)