Since being developed in the early 1970s, thermoplastic composite materials have always been valued by various countries, and the related research and application are endless. Aerospace, automotive, chemical, electronic and electrical fields are all thermoplastic composite applications and rapid development areas. Especially in the past 10 years, the annual consumption has exceeded 25% growth rate, and the development rate is several times higher than that of thermosetting composite materials.
According to the Research Report on thermoplastic composite materials in 2019, the global market size of thermoplastic composite materials will increase from US $28 billion in 2019 to US $36 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.2% in the forecast period.
Advantages of thermoplastic composites (compared with thermosetting composites)
1. Small environmental impact factors – convenient storage and long storage time (raw materials can be stored at room temperature for a long time).
2. The material can be fused.
3. Excellent performance: higher toughness and damage tolerance, excellent fire resistance and low smoke toxicity, low moisture absorption, some thermoplastic composite materials and higher service temperature.
4. It can be recycled and reprocessed.
5. It is more suitable for automatic production due to its fast material forming and diversified forming methods.
Classification of resins for thermoplastic composites:
1. Common high-performance thermoplastic resins: PEEK, Pei, PPS and PEKK have excellent notch impact strength and damage tolerance, among which peek is the most widely used in aerospace.
2. Other thermoplastic resins: polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), etc.
