A new product family of carbon fiber reinforced polyaryletherketone (PAEK) composites for the aerospace industry is now offered by Victrex, in the form of unidirectional (UD) tape and laminate panels. With its US branch in West Coshohocken, Pennsylvania, Victrex is a supplier of high performance polymer solutions.
The Victrex AE250 composites allow the production of continuously-reinforced components that reportedly perform exceptionally under load. Targeted are components used throughout an aircraft in primary and secondary structures including brackets, clips, clamps and housings.
The AE250 PAEK composites reportedly provide up to a 60% reduction in weight compared with metals such as aluminum, stainless steel and titanium. This process enables AE250 PAEK composites in the form of inserts analogue to metals to be overmolded with fiber-reinforced Victrex PEEK injection molding materials.