Stamford, Conn., 29 January 2019 . Hexcel is exhibiting at the Aero India show for the sixth time, continuing to support customers in the Indian subcontinent and throughout Asia. This year’s show takes place in Bangalore from February 20-24 (Stand AB2.5D, Hall AB) to promote a range of carbon fibers and composites that are benefiting Indian aerospace manufacturers for commercial aircraft, helicopters and space programs.
To coincide with the show, Hexcel is announcing the opening of its new sales office, Hexcel Composites India LLP. The office is located in Bangalore and will be fully operational in March 2019. Mr Vijay Sharma, Sales Manager, and Mr Ram Kumar, Technical Representative, will manage the sales activities and support key customers in the region.
Hexcel has supplied carbon and glass fiber fabrics, prepregs, honeycombs and adhesives to Indian aerospace companies for more than 28 years, including Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), National Aerospace Lab (NAL), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and TATA Advanced Materials.
Hexcel’s high strength and intermediate modulus carbon fiber range has been augmented by the launch of HexTow® HM63, a high modulus carbon fiber that has the highest tensile strength of any existing HM fiber. HexTow® HM63 provides outstanding translation of fiber properties in a composite, including superior inter-laminar shear and compression shear strength. HexTow® HM63 is therefore ideal for any high stiffness and strength-critical applications including space, satellites, UAV, commercial aerospace and helicopters.
Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) is a composite manufacturing process that allows high quality components to be produced with good surface quality and without using autoclaves. Hexcel has recently launched HexFlow® RTM6-2 to provide the industry with a bi-component version of its highly successful RTM6 resin, making it easier to transport by air or sea outside Europe. With the same chemical composition as RTM6, HexFlow® RTM6-2 provides the same high mechanical properties from a short cure cycle, including high Tg. An added advantage is that HexFlow® RTM6-2 can be stored at +5°C for 12 months.
Hexcel will also promote HexPly M56 out-of-autoclave (OOA) prepreg for aircraft secondary structures.Unlike traditional aerospace prepregs that require an autoclave cure to achieve the required properties, HexPly M56 provides the same quality and performance from a simple oven cure under vacuum. This avoids capital investment in autoclave equipment and on-going processing costs. The easy handling of HexPly® M56 for hand lay-up and ATL applications is also a benefit, along with the 30-day tack life at room temperature.
HexPly M56 is available with woven carbon, UD carbon tape, woven glass and Metallic mesh reinforcements and is suitable for hand lay-up, Automated Tape Laying (ATL) and Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) processing. The standard cure temperature is 180°C and an alternative 135°C cure cycle is possible, with potential for reduced tooling costs and composite repair applications.
