EconCore, Toray Advanced Composites and Bostik, are celebrating the development of a thermoplastic honeycomb core sandwich panel for use in mass transportation applications, including aircraft interiors.
EconCore
EconCore, Toray and Bostik collaborate on FST qualified thermoplastic honeycomb panels
By using Toray Cetex reinforced thermoplastic laminates as skins, EconCore’s thermoplastic honeycomb core based on thermoplastic chemistries with FST qualification, and Bostik’s flame retardant thermoplastics polyester web adhesive, the collaboration has seen the new material pass fire, smoke and toxicity regulations applying to aircraft interiors.
The companies came together to provide a sustainable solution to more expensive and labour-intensive fabrication of parts based on conventional sandwich layup that is currently used in aerospace, such as phenolic prepreg skins and phenolic impregnated aramid honeycomb core.
The thermoset system requires lengthy and expensive handling and processing into the final part. By using EconCore’s continuous process and compression moulding, however, the technology can take around 60 seconds to form the desired shape.
Not only is the thermoplastic honeycomb part less time-consuming to make, the thermoplastic solution is by far more sustainable as traditional thermoset materials are not recyclable. When looking to discard EconCore’s thermoplastic honeycomb skin, it can be easily recycled, shredded and repurposed into composites.
Tomasz Czarnecki, COO of EconCore, said: “We are excited about this collaboration, especially as we have been able to develop a sustainable technology that is recyclable and which, next to the automotive and transportation applications where it is widely used already, has the potential to be used in a variety of markets such as rail, aviation or ship building.”
The traditional phenolics have been replaced with a flame-retardant polyester web adhesive, which provides a unique way of applying and new possibilities to produce lightweight materials.
Segment Manager at Toray Frank ten Napel added:, “This application demonstrates the versatility of thermoplastic composite technology, and the efficiencies it can bring to processing technologies throughout the value chain.”