JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #85 - November/December 2013 - 22

Market

process

Over-moulded organo-sheets:
heavily filled parts by the millions
- Over-moulded organosheets: heavily filled
parts by the millions ... p22

Automation, production rates and cost are key words when it comes
to developing the production of composites in never-before-achieved
volumes. Of course, these words bring to mind the injection process. However, although long fibre thermoplastic (LFT) compounds
have contributed real progress in terms of mechanical performance,
some heavily filled parts require continuous fibres, and complex
part geometry is often an additional constraint. One technology that
appears to satisfy these restrictive constraints is the overmoulding
of organo-sheets. Here is a review of the technology and the players
involved.
mention "PA6 GF" with a number corresponding to the glass fibre content.
Today, things have changed, especially
vermoulded organo-sheet tech- in the automotive industry, where
nology is by no means limited
CO2 emission standards are increasto the automotive industry, alingly stricter (e.g. for the European
though there are quite a lot of success- Union, 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre
ful projects in that sector in the form
by 2020; the United States and China
of demonstrators, but also - and eshave also become tougher on emission
pecially - series parts. Most of the ex- limits). Vehicle weights must absoamples in the present article are from
lutely be reduced. It is said that the
that sector. But we mustn't forget the
weight can be reduced by at least 200
consumer electronics sector, where the kg per vehicle without sacrificing the
number of composite parts is mushcomfort and safety drivers are used to.
rooming, even if they are not always
So composites are taking centre stage,
visible. Orthopaedics, sports & leisure especially since there are some mature,
and aerospace are sectors where
extremely technical solutions that use
organo-sheets are well established, so
highly reinforced compounds, long
the use of these is also spreading - or
fibre thermoplastics, and organo-sheet
could spread - in combination with
overmoulding. Some injection mouldthe injection overmoulding process.
ers, led by the Germans, focus on
Before 2010, injection moulders rarely organo-sheet overmoulding technolinsisted on the word "composite", but
ogy (the subject of the present article)
spoke rather of grade of filled comwhich enables substantial weight savpound. For example, most parts made ings for heavily filled parts.
of polyamide-6 are filled with glass
fibre of a size that provides mechanical Scope
reinforcement and not just low-cost
Let's start with some composite tervolume, but the word "composite"
minology in order to define the scope
is hardly ever used. You see only the
involved: organic sheets, organo-

22 jec composites magazine / No85 November - December 2013

http://www.jeccomposites.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #85 - November/December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #85 - November/December 2013