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Toray Advanced Composites TC522
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Grid-Stiffened and Lattice Composite Structures
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Technologically Advanced Triband Radome
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Ready for the Next Generation of Carbon?
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The Hyperloop Concept—Transportation Redesigned
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CAMX 2019 Postshow Review
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Hands-On Instruction from Composite Tooling Experts
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People Focus—John Darlington, Sales and Marketing Director, EMEA
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2019 Autumn/Winter Event Calendar
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Toray Advanced Composites TC522
High Impact, Low Dielectric, and Loss Prepreg for Radomes and Antennas
Toray TC522 is a highly toughened modified epoxy resin system for dielectric applications
Toray TC522 stands apart from other materials used in radomes and antennas, exhibiting outstanding Compression After Impact (CAI) strength. It also demonstrates excellent mechanical and thermal properties, along with very low moisture absorption. TC522’s low dielectric constant and loss tangent, paired with its high CAI, make it an ideal material for multiband operations such as SatCom Wi-Fi radomes.
Radomes must be rugged and effective to meet today’s applications and support the challenges of tomorrow’s demanding transportation modes. For instance, TGV trains traveling at more than 200 mph and supersonic aircraft flying over Mach 2 require EM windows capable of withstanding severe impact while providing clear transmission and reception.
A full range of compatible MicroPlyTM products are available to support TC522, including syntactic, resin, surfacing, and adhesive films, core splice, and impregnated peel plies.
Product Benefits/Features
> Outstanding Compression After Impact (CAI)
> Low dielectric constant and loss tangent
> Outstanding hot/wet properties and Tg
> Very low moisture absorption
> Long room temperature out time and freezer storage life
> Meets NASA requirements for outgassing
> Excellent balance of electrical, mechanical, and general properties for highly loaded dielectric structures in severe impact environments
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Grid-Stiffened and Lattice Composite Structures
ATG Europe R&D Project Enabled with Toray RS36
Grid-Stiffened and Lattice Composite Structures
ATG Europe recently developed a unique grid-stiffened and lattice technology for space applications utilizing Toray RS36. An epoxy prepreg resin system employing uni-directional carbon fiber tape, Toray RS36 delivers impressive lightweight strength performance while meeting material outgassing characteristic requirements. ATG Europe is a recognized leader in aerospace composite solutions with ongoing development projects for spacecraft and launcher structures.
Design Characteristics
ATG Europe’s lattice structure is comprised of continuous carbon fiber tows arranged in an overlapping lattice fashion. The application of this architecture can positively impact multiple applications e.g., spacecraft central cylinders—the core component of a satellite's structure.
Grid-Stiffened and Lattice Architecture Benefits
> High performing and extremely lightweight
> Provides up to 30% mass reduction compared to sandwich structures
> Reduces part cost by 30%
Next Steps
While designed for space applications, ATG Europe’s grid-stiffened and lattice structures offer multiple benefits for aeronautics, energy, and other industrial markets seeking stronger, lighter, more cost-effective material solutions.
Lattice image copyright of ATG Europe
Up to 30% mass reduction
compared to sandwich structures
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Technologically Advanced Triband Radome
Toray BTCy-1 Low Dielectric Cyanate Ester/Quartz Fabric Boosts Performance
Toray Advanced Composites worked in partnership with radome designer General Dynamics, providing a material solution allowing the enclosed antennae to transmit and receive radio frequency signals across a broader range of bandwidths. The resulting radome achieves enhanced levels of speed and connectivity for inflight Wi-Fi and two-way communications.
Design considerations
- Transmit data across three bandwidths (K, Ku, and Ka)
- Achieve enhanced levels of speed and connectivity
- Enable consistency in signal transmission across all parts
- Deliver longevity of the part
- Provide a cost-effective solution
Product solution
Toray BTCy-1 is an cyanate ester-based thermoset prepreg that offers an excellent balance of toughness, low dielectrics, mechanical property translation, and hot/wet performance. Combined with a quartz fabric, this advanced composite material solution cost-effectively delivers excellent mechanical performance.
This project was completed under the company name TenCate Advanced Composites, prior to our acquisition by Toray Industries Inc. and name change to Toray Advanced Composites in 2019
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Ready for the Next Generation of Carbon?
REIN4CED Facility Inauguration—Sights Set on Innovation Leader in Bicycle Industry
On July 2, 2019, lightweight, impact-resistant bicycle frame manufacturer REIN4CED opened their production facility in Winksele, Belgium. As their composite material supplier, Toray Advanced Composites was there to celebrate on opening day, a significant date in more than one way. REIN4CED chose the eve before the Tour de France was to begin right there in Belgium as a way to highlight their key market—high performance bicycles. REIN4CED plans to differentiate themselves through developing a fully automated production line of hybrid carbon bicycle frames in Europe.
Positioned to be Innovation Leader—REIN4CED is centered around:
> A new construction method for carbon fiber/Toray Cetex® UD tape, combining the material with very fine steel fibers developed by REIN4CED. This hybrid material is as light and stiff as carbon, but deforms like a metal rather than break under impact (patent pending).
> Scale and automation—being competitive for small-series production runs
Production Capacity—Utilizing a Toray Cetex® carbon fiber thermoplastic UD tape, the production process includes:
> Automated blank production cell—uniquely developed for thermoplastic composite part large series production
> Automated press forming cell
> Assembly cell for full bicycle frames
REIN4CED plans to extend applications for this new hybrid composite beyond bicycles and into automotive and aerospace markets in the near future.
New hybrid material
As light and stiff as carbon, but deforms like a metal
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The Hyperloop Concept—Transportation Redesigned
Unveiled by Elon Musk in 2013, the Hyperloop concept is a futuristic high-speed ground transport and transit system, with vehicles/pods travelling in a system of near-vacuum tubes at speeds over 1,000 km/h (800 mph). Composites World published an article on the Hyperloop concept from competition to commercialization in August 2019. You can access it here.
SpaceX Hyperloop Competition
Competition team Delft Hyperloop’s Atlas 02 pod launcher, featuring Toray Advanced Composites materials, made it to the final four in the SpaceX Hyperloop Competition IV race at SpaceX’s Hawthorne facility on July 21, 2019. The Atlas 02 features a full composite chassis and carbon fiber battery case.
The pod’s launcher was manufactured with automation technology using Toray Advanced Composites’ uni-directional carbon fiber epoxy-based prepregs, supplied from their European Centre of Excellence for thermoset systems, Langley Mill (Nottingham, UK). Using composite materials in an automated process helped contribute to a 20% weight reduction of the pod since the previous competition.
"In our efforts to lead the way, Toray Advanced Composites is constantly providing material solutions for lightweight applications,” said Dr. John Darlington, Sales & Marketing Director, EMEA. “We are excited to support initiatives that bring the boundaries of transportation to a new level of speed and efficiency.”
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CAMX 2019 Postshow Review
Innovative Composite Technologies and Prestigious Awards for Toray Industries
The power of three was present for Toray Industries at CAMX 2019 in Anaheim this year, the largest advanced materials event in North America.
Three of Toray’s divisions combined efforts and exhibited together at the event—Toray Advanced Composites, Toray Composite Materials America, and Toray Performance Materials Corporation,
Several large display pieces attracted attention from show goers and the media. Triumph Group Aerospace Structures provided a large aeroshell assembly comprised of co-cured stringers and secondarily bonded ribs made from Toray TC890 high temperature polyimide pregreg.
Advanced Thermoplastic Composites (ATC) created an aircraft economy seat back and pan using Toray Cetex® TC1225/T700 Engineered PAEK thermoplastic matrix, uni-directional tape. The product displayed on a hinge to simulate a real seat highlighted the benefits of low-cost automated processing, high performance thermoplastics, and lightweight and tailored results. The ATC seat was highlighted in the CW CAMX Thursday Daily.
Award Nominations
In addition to displays in the booth, the Toray Envir-Bond® and Inflatable Composites Air Core Composite™(*) technologies were selected as finalists for ACE and CAMX awards respectively—these items were on display in the Awards Pavilion. The award nominations didn’t stop there. General Atomics was nominated for a novel thermoplastic joining technique that utilized materials from Toray Advanced Composites; more details to come on this exciting breakthrough.
New advances in composites as well as long proven products were on display for Toray Advanced Composites; samples of our new product Toray TC522 for the radomes and communications markets, an intricate Toray AmberTool® piece showcasing various edge capabilities, and blocks of Toray TC380 up to 800 plies thick demonstrating the stable and consistent results of this proven structural aerospace composite.
*Inflatable Composites Air Core Composite™ is a trademark of Inflatable Composites, LLC. Toray Cetex® TC940 (PET) is used in the creation of this laminate.
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Hands-On Instruction from Composite Tooling Experts
Toray AmberTool® Tooling Academy
Hands-On Instruction from the Experts
Course Outline – Sessions will include the following:
1. Master Models—Determining the correct materials, methodology, and fabrication techniques
2. Tool Laminate—Step-by-step process instructions for the fabrication of tools using Toray AmberTool® products.
3. Materials—A general discussion on material properties and how they effect the performance of the tool laminate.
4. Tool Design—Tool design basics for proper tool laminate construction as well as enhanced performance.
Register now to reserve your spot! explore@toraytac-usa.com or +1 (408) 465-8500
Toray AmberTool® Tooling Academy
Morgan Hill, CA, USA
November, 13—14, 2019
Toray Advanced Composites—Headquarters
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People Focus—John Darlington, Sales and Marketing Director, EMEA
John Darlington (Nottingham, UK)
A graduate of Durham University with a Ph.D. in Manufacturing Engineering, John joined Toray Advanced Composites (then TenCate Advanced Composites) in 2011 and helped strengthen a number of programs. He applied his experience in materials and manufacturing processes to aircraft interiors demonstrating how Toray Cetex© thermoplastic composites can reduce cycle times for manufacture, improving critical FST performance, and reduce weight. Later, John led the thermoset and thermoplastic product management groups, introducing hybrid composite concepts to maximize the application potential of a mixed material solution. Today, he directs the sales and marketing teams in Europe, using his over 20 years of experience in polymers, prepregs, and fibers for aerospace and industrial markets to help identify ideal solutions for customer needs.
Before joining Toray, John spent eight years living and working in The Netherlands for GE Plastics/SABIC in strategic market development with TenCate in Nijverdal as his customer, before returning to the UK to join Gurit as Prepreg Product Manager.
John is married to A.S. Darlington, a professor at Southampton University. Together they have three children. He lives on the edge of the South Downs National Park near Winchester, UK, and enjoys running, cycling, skiing, and time with family in The Netherlands.
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2019 Autumn/Winter Event Calendar
Advanced Engineering 2019
Birmingham, UK
October 30–31, 2019
NEC, Booth M62
Manufacturing Problem Prevention Program (MP3)
El Segundo, CA, USA
November 5, 2019
The Aerospace Corporation
Composite Meetings (B2B)
Nantes, France
November 13–14, 2019
Toray AmberTool Tooling Academy
Morgan Hill, CA, USA
November 13–14, 2019
Toray Advanced Composites HQ
Space Tech Expo
Bremen, Germany
November 19–21, 2019
Bremen Messe, Booth F43
JEC World
Paris, France
March 3–5, 2020
Paris Nord Villepinte
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