Bespoke prepregs, cellular cores blend adaptability, resilience and performance

In the realm of space and aerospace innovation, Patz Materials and Technologies (PMT, Benicia, Calif., U.S.) emerges as a dynamic small business that offers not just prepregs, but a wide range of advanced materials. With a legacy spanning more than 18 years, PMT says it has become synonymous with manufacturing excellence, specializing in prepregs, specialty composite cellular cores and molding compounds. The company offers unwavering commitment to customer collaboration, ensuring bespoke solutions that cater precisely to material requirements.

Through close cooperation with its clientele, PMT introduces a prepreg that simplifies the conversion of substantial components into carbon-carbon structures, while cutting costs and eliminating the need for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processing. The prepreg’s high char yield matrix, infused with carbon nano particles, undergoes a typical curing process within a standard autoclave at 350°F to cure the green state part. Once that is completed, the green part then goes into a kiln for firing where the carbonized material boasts an 80% char yield within the matrix itself, creating an avenue for subsequent resin infiltration through a debulking process at elevated temperatures.

PMT’s prowess extends to its specialty cores, meticulously crafted from an array of composite thermoset materials and tailored to exacting specifications. This has led to its latest development, the Carbon-Carbon Cellular Core. With a density of 4.14 pounds per cubic foot (pcf) and an integrated porosity, the cellular core material is offered as a versatile solution across diverse applications — from robust heat shields to structures in hypersonic endeavors. PMT cites the core’s adaptability as a key feature, offering the flexibility to transition between carbonized or fully graphitized structures based on specific service temperature demands.