Combine materials. Engineer the direction of strength.
Composite materials combine reinforcement with a surrounding matrix to produce properties that cannot be achieved in the same way by either constituent material alone.
Fiber orientation and layer sequence can be part of the mechanical design.
Composite behavior depends on the reinforcement, matrix, orientation, geometry, and manufacturing process.
Carbon Fiber
Carbon reinforcement can provide high stiffness and strength at relatively low weight where cost and process requirements are justified.
Glass Fiber
Fiberglass materials provide useful strength, stiffness, electrical properties, corrosion resistance, and broad manufacturing flexibility.
Polymer Matrix
Thermoset or thermoplastic matrices bind reinforcement, transfer loads, protect fibers, and influence temperature and chemical performance.
Core Materials
Foam, honeycomb, or other lightweight cores can increase panel stiffness without making the entire structure solid.
Fillers & Additives
Fillers can modify cost, shrinkage, conductivity, flame behavior, wear, stiffness, processing, or other properties.
Hybrid Reinforcement
Multiple reinforcement types can be combined to balance stiffness, impact, cost, weight, or directional performance.
Unlike many isotropic materials, composite properties can depend strongly on direction.
Loads should be considered relative to the directions in which reinforcement carries them most effectively.
The order and angle of layers can influence stiffness, bending, torsion, dimensional stability, and failure behavior.
Abrupt changes can create stress concentrations, resin-rich areas, bridging, or manufacturing difficulty.
Load introduction points may require local reinforcement, inserts, bushings, or special joint design.
Drilling, trimming, routing, and machining can damage fibers or create delamination if the process is not controlled.
The manufacturing process determines how reinforcement and resin become one controlled structure.
Tooling, material form, layup, pressure, heat, cure, consolidation, fiber placement, trimming, and inspection all influence the finished part.
Many important defects can exist below the visible surface.
Voids
Entrapped air or incomplete consolidation can create internal voids that affect structure and consistency.
Delamination
Layer separation can occur through manufacturing defects, impact, drilling, trimming, loading, or poor bonding.
Fiber Misalignment
Incorrect orientation, wrinkles, bridging, or movement can reduce performance in intended load directions.
Inspection
Visual, dimensional, ultrasonic, radiographic, tap-test, or other methods may be used depending on the part and requirements.
Material choice becomes even more specialized in electronic products.
Electronic manufacturing combines conductive, insulating, thermal, structural, solderable, and protective materials in the same product.
Electronic Materials →