Production of Pre-Impregnated Thermoplastic Tapes by Melt Impregnation ^†

The use of composite materials has grown significantly in the mechanical industry and several methods of production are available today. Melt impregnation is a method to produce pre-impregnated thermoplastic materials, based on the direct melting of polymer, with continuous fibres, which are passed through a solution of molten polymer. This process is analogous to the pultrusion technique, with the final product being a reinforced thermoplastic tape.

The aim of this study is to develop a machine capable of producing the prepreg tapes with carbon fibres and three thermoplastic polymers. The production of these prepregs requires an optimization to solve the lack of impregnation noted in the final products. As impregnation issues are associated with high viscosity, presented by the polymer in processing, the rheological and thermal characteristics of polymers were studied. The tapes were then processed by pultrusion, and the final composite bars were characterized by a series of mechanical tests.