MATRIX Composites to show the LYB QUANTUM-ESC® carbon SMC product at ICS’24
MATRIX Composite Materials (Bristol, UK) will be exhibiting at the International Composites Summit (ICS) in Milton Keynes on 4-5th September. Their primary exhibit will be QUANTUM-ESC® carbon SMC material produced by LyondellBasell (LYB) in Germany.
MATRIX have been a supplier to the UK composites industry since 1997, and are well known for stocking Sicomin epoxies, Armacell PET and Hexcel reinforcements. Taking on a pre-impregnated product such as carbon SMC is a major development for the company, and has involved building a freezer in their Bristol warehouse. As with all their products, they intend to have the QUANTUM-ESC® material available from stock in small and large quantities.
The QUANTUM-ESC® material being introduced at the ICS is based on a vinylester hybrid, zero styrene resin. The product has very high flow, enabling shapes that are unthinkable in traditional fabric prepregs. Loading of the tool is a matter of seconds, and cure times can be as little as 5-10 minutes.
Although most effective when processed in a hot press, the SMC can also be processed in an autoclave. The material can be co-moulded with epoxy prepreg, offering a very cost-effective heavyweight backing to carbon tooling.
The MATRIX technical team will be on hand at the ICS to both discuss and demonstrate products that have been produced from the new SMC material