Ultra-light woven reinforcement fabrics enhance space-grade parts

TeXtreme (Boras, Sweden) is displaying its ultra-light reinforcement fabrics that are designed to help composites manufacturers save weight and resources while maintaining the durability and enhancing the structural integrity of the part produced. Products reinforced with TeXtreme are said to be 20–30% lighter than those using conventional carbon fiber reinforcements. The company is showcasing these products, as well as the Kerberos Engineering (Padova, Italy) satellite solar array.

Kerberos Engineering, a company developing space-grade composite satellite subsystem structures, is a customer of TeXtreme. The company’s area of expertise lies in deployable satellite solar array structures, for which it has integrated TeXtreme 0/90 woven spread tow fabrics. It is said that this strategic selection of materials has led to a 90% reduction in resources required for manufacturing the solar arrays compared to conventional techniques. The company says that the most notable benefit the material has is its reduction in labor requirements. Meanwhile, traditional unidirectional (UD) prepreg materials necessitate a labor-intensive layer-by-layer application; each layer must be precisely aligned and carefully handled to avoid fraying and separation, which can lead to extended production times and increased labor costs.

TeXtreme 0/90 simplifies the manufacturing process with its woven structure and compatibility with vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). The technique enables the rapid and uniform infusion of resin, which reduces the overall labor input and expedite production. With TeXtreme 0/90, the streamlined VARTM process can minimize handling complexity and reduce the need for multiple curing stages.

Material efficiency is also said to be provided by TeXtreme 0/90, as the woven fabric can minimize issues such as fraying and fiber separation, common in UD prepregs, leading to material waste. TeXtreme’s 0/90 configuration is capable of providing structural integrity and reducing the need for excessive layering to achieve desired properties. By using fewer layers and optimizing material use, TeXtreme 0/90 is designed to meet the performance requirements of space environments and reduces material waste, which can lower production costs and environmental impact.