Tenax TPUD composite material product

Tenax TPUD is a thermoplastic unidirectional carbon fibre prepreg tape from Teijin Carbon Europe, used to make lightweight composite structures. Fibres in a single direction are pre-impregnated with a thermoplastic polymer, so the material is delivered ready to lay up and consolidate without a resin infusion step.

The matrix is chosen by grade. Teijin offers PEEK, low-melt PAEK and PPS, as well as engineering polymers such as PA and PC. Fibre grades are HTS, UTS and IMS, which lets a designer trade stiffness against strength. Listed data sheets cover PEEK and PAEK tapes with HTS45 or IMS65 fibre at about 145 gsm and 34 percent resin content, and PPS tapes with HTS45 fibre at 115 gsm with 40 percent resin or 145 gsm with 34 or 40 percent. Widths and lengths are available in a wide range and can be set to customer requirements.

For production, the tape can be laid by hand or placed automatically by automated tape laying or automated fibre placement. It is consolidated in a static or semi-continuous press, or in an oven under vacuum, so no autoclave is needed. Tubular parts can be made in one step by winding, and thermoplastic joining technologies such as welding can be used to assemble parts. The material is thermoformable, and cycle times are short compared with thermosets.

Teijin lists the benefits as high mechanical properties, low flammability, smoke and toxicity, good resistance to chemicals and solvents, storage and shipping at room temperature, and recyclability. The PEEK-HTS45 grade is tested as non-cytotoxic under DIN EN ISO 10993-5 for medical device use.

For aerospace and drone programs, typical applications are structural parts such as brackets, ribs, frames, tubes and booms, and stiffened panels where high specific stiffness and fast processing are wanted. The final part properties depend on the chosen grade, layup and consolidation conditions.