New composite material for rail and aerospace interiors saves money and lives
Development of process to produce new fire-resistant, cost effective and safer interior prepreg material

- Cost: Phenolic parts have long moulding times and need several hours of manual finishing.
- Safety: Phenolics emit toxic and carcinogenic materials during processing.
- Material Preparation: formulation of the resin systems, catalysts and additives to give the required processing characteristics and performance.
- Feedstock Handling: bringing together the formulated resins and fabrics to allow effective impregnation.
- Fabric Impregnation: impregnating the fabric with the resin.
- Product Cooling: cooling the prepreg material to prevent premature setting of the resin system.
Gordon Bishop, Group Managing DirectorThe development and commercialisation of PFA prepregs has been a classic success story, from proof-of-concept in 2010, through to the current full-scale commercial production. iNet support has formed a critical piece of the funding jigsaw, and we are now looking forward to significant growth in turnover and local employees.