With the widening application of composite materials, various molding processes are emerging constantly. At present, more than 20 molding methods for polymer-based composite materials have been successfully used.
Today, let’s talk about the process of honeycomb sandwich panels.
First, we have to mention the types of honeycomb. The strength of the honeycomb is related to the raw materials and the shape of the honeycomb. Honeycomb shapes can be hexagons, diamonds, rectangles, and hexagons with reinforcement. Reinforced hexagons are the highest in strength, followed rectangles. Besides, they are material-saving and easy to process. That’s why the hexagon is the most popular shape of honeycomb sandwich panels.
Now let’s move on the structure molding.
Dry molding:
Though dry molding, the bonding strength between the honeycomb core and the panel can be increased to more than 3MPa. The honeycomb surface is smooth and flat. Every process in the production is easy to check so that the quality is easy to control. The only disadvantage of dry molding is its relatively long production cycle.
Wet molding:
The production cycle of wet molding is short. It is most suitable for special-shaped products such as spherical surfaces and shells. However, the surface quality is hard to control.
Finally, it comes to the panel molding.
The common method for sandwich panel molding is lamination, in which prepreg tape is cut and placed between two polished metal molds to form a composite product under heating and pressure. It is an early developed and matured process of composite materials. It is mainly used to produce composite panels in various specifications, with the characters of mechanization, automation, and stable quality.
