The woven way to success

It’s easy to overlook that the development of composite materials and particularly carbon fibre owes as much to the weaving and textile industries as it does to the chemical lab. Bruce Craig, managing director of Lancashire-based Cristex can date his involvement with carbon fibre right back to its origins in the early 1970s. “I was around when it was being developed working for a company called Fothergill and Harvey (now the Fothergill Group) who were the first company to start weaving it at the time. From those small beginnings the industry has built up to what it is today. It was a time of experimentation; clearly at that time we did not realise its full potential and all the applications it would be used for.” After working for a number of other companies in the industry Craig decided it was time to go into business himself and along with the backing of business partner in 1990 Cristex was born. After 25 years the company has grown to become one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of high performance fibres and fabrics for the UK composites and reinforced plastics industry. It supplies a wide ranging assortment of products manufactured by companies such as Saertex, Eurocarbon, G.Angeloni and Elantas Camattini, as well as glass fibre products, aramids, Dyneema thermoplastics and natural fibres. “We supply into all the industries that have adopted composites such as aerospace, marine, automotive, wind energy sports and recreation as well as utility providers. We have worked very hard with the aerospace industry in particular and have been very successful. We are now the exclusive supplier of multiaxial carbon fibre for a major civil aerospace programme in Northern Ireland. “I expect there is still potential for massive growth in the civil aerospace sector and in other areas including civil engineering and marine they are using more carbon fibre than ever before. If large scale serial production takes off in the automotive sector the potential is massive.” The right price Craig believes one of the current drivers for more industries exploring the use of carbon fibre is its reduction in cost. “The first carbon fibre that I sold was around £100 per 1lb in weight (approx 0.454g). Now a 200g plain weave woven carbon fabric is approximately £8 per m². That reduction in price has contributed to carbon being adopted more widely.” However, he believes the prospect of demand outstripping supply could be a problem in the future. “At the moment as far as carbon fibre is concerned there is excess supply but all you need is one or two of the mass produced car, wind energy or aerospace programmes to really take off and there could be a shortage. “Price fluctuations happen quite often in this market. At the moment certain types of glass fibre are in shorter supply and that has a lot to do with the fact that many US and European producers have reduced capacity due to the competition from China.” Craig believes the growth of carbon fibre fabrics and prepregs will continue as manufacturers find new ways to lower the cost for customers. “The demand from the automotive industry is pushing developments that way. We are spreading the tow of the fibre wider and wider to make it cheaper.” The tow is the bundle of thousands of continuous individual carbon filaments held together in one strand. Craig explains: “It is now possible to get 12k (12,000) fibres spread together over a weight 200g in UD materials and on wovens 48k spread over a weight of 300g for bi-axial materials. Manufacturers are taking heavier tow and spreading it to produce a lighter weight fabric, which is reducing the cost. “If the automotive industry is going to adopt carbon fibre large scale it will demand a certain cost and although it might not be attainable yet in two or three years’ time it will be.” Cutting capability Cristex has recently purchased a new CADCAM flatbed cutting machine to provide customers with material cut to shape and size. “Customers don’t want waste. If they can buy pre-cut material and put it straight in the mould they are happier. The machine will add value to the products that we sell because with some more difficult materials we can do the cutting. In fact, cutting is a relatively simple part of the process; the handling afterwards is also very important. Some fabrics are very open weave and it’s easy for things to get distorted.” Craig says there is a general trend of Cristex customers moving from traditional hand lay-up processes to RTM and resin infusion and that the company’s technical support in the transition is greatly valued. “We advise some customers with no experience of these processes and work in cooperation with the resin makers and the suppliers of the infusion equipment. A lot of companies making the transition from hand lay-up to RTM or resin infusion don’t realise how complicated it can be and all the factors that need to be addressed such as, chemical reaction, resin, hardeners, temperature, time, the surface of the tool, the fabric, the operation of the pumps and bags. All these have to work together to be able to produce a successful product. So we are not just selling fabric we are also often selling solutions for our customers and that technical support is vital to winning business.” So what future developments does Craig foresee happening in the composites industry? What impacts are recycling and sustainable materials having on the market? “The development of using natural fibres has happened over the last 20 years and we have produced various products in jute, hemp, flax and cotton or combinations of them all and achieved great results. “The use of these materials more widely is on the horizon, but only when we reach the volumes that make it commercially viable. It’s a desirable goal which is difficult to attain because cars, trains and planes have to sell at a cost and natural fibres can’t compete with carbon if they turn out to be three times more expensive. “I also expect more recycling of carbon fibre into felt like products which can then be mixed with thermoplastics such as PEEK. There will undoubtedly be stronger and stronger carbons developed and many manufacturers are working on their sizing systems to produce better chemistries to produce better bonding with epoxies or vinyl esters or phenolics.” So after 25 years in business what future does Craig see for the business? “Our suppliers have some fabulous materials in the pipeline. Growth is inevitable because if you want to move anything, whether it’s a plane, car, boat or train and you want to do it as cheaply as possible you need to take weight out of it and the main product that can provide lighter weight with greater strength is carbon at the moment. “When you start a business you are just happy to survive the first year. The business has gone from strength to strength like the carbon fibre and composite industry in general.” www.cristex.co.uk