What is Carbon Fiber Prepreg

Prepreg, a prepreg sheet product made by impregnating matrix in reinforced fiber, is an intermediate material for composite materials. Carbon fiber prepreg is a composite material made of reinforcing body, such as carbon fiber yarn, resin matrix, release paper and other materials, processed by coating, hot pressing, cooling, laminating, winding and other processes, also known as carbon fiber prepreg.

Carbon fiber prepreg performance

High strength and low density: the strength of carbon fiber prepreg can be 6-12 times that of steel, and the density is only a quarter of that of steel.

●Good plasticity: it can be made into any shape according to the shape of the mold, easy molding, easy processing

●Corrosion resistance, long life.

Types of Carbon Fiber Prepreg

Carbon fiber prepreg types are unidirectional carbon fiber prepreg and woven carbon fiber prepreg, unidirectional carbon fiber prepreg has greater strength in the direction of the fibers and is usually used for stacked panels with different directional combinations, while woven carbon fiber prepreg has a different weaving method and its strength is approximately equal in both directions, which can be applied to different structures. At present, carbon fiber prepregs mainly use thermosetting materials: epoxy resin, due to the prepreg resin curing state is B-stage, so the rolled prepregs need to be stored in a low-temperature environment, carbon fiber prepregs can be stored at room temperature for a period of time known as the storage cycle, such as the absence of low-temperature storage conditions, the amount of prepregs must be made to the principle of being able to use up in the storage cycle.

Carbon fiber prepreg application areas are widely used in fishing tackle, sports equipment, sporting goods and other fields.

Carbon Fiber Prepreg Market OutlookThe carbon fiber industry includes not only the process of polymerization, raw filaments, and production of carbon fibers, but also the production of downstream carbon fiber prepregs and the production and application of composite materials. According to the report, the global carbon fiber prepreg market reached USD 4 billion in 2019, maintaining rapid growth with a market growth rate of over 11%. The price of carbon fiber prepregs will rise at a faster rate due to soaring production costs and growing aggregate demand. The number of prepreg suppliers is rising globally and the overall market is energized by innovation and higher product performance.

Future Trends of Carbon Fiber Prepreg

With the development of the carbon fiber industry, carbon fiber prepreg products have shown new prepreg trends in recent years. The advantages of large tow carbon fiber prepregs in the industrial field are becoming more and more obvious.

Specialized prepregs for different applications: For example, in the automotive field, the requirement for short time molding of parts is high, and in order to meet the subsequent rapid prototyping process, fast curing prepregs of <5min must be developed.

Co-curing prepregs with other materials: prepregs can be co-cured with infused resins, co-molded with SMC, or co-molded with unidirectional prepregs, fabric prepregs and SMC.

Functionalized prepregs: carbon nanotubes or short-cut carbon fibers are mixed into the resin to make prepregs with wave-absorbing function, and so on.