The handling and guiding methods of carbon fibers to prevent filament damage or to maintain fiber width is often overlooked. However, it is an extremely important factor in carbon fiber production and downstream processing using carbon fiber and other high-performance fibers.

Redirection with sharp angles, use of guides without proper surface finish, excessive tension, static contact points: these are all factors that can induce damage to the filaments in the carbon fiber tow. Broken filaments not only degrade the strength of the carbon fiber, but also cause issues in processing leading to production downtime.

Broken filaments accumulate on rotating parts and will accumulate beyond containment, which not only needs an operator to intervene but can stop production or create defects in the product.

Fiber width can also be compromised when the proper guide elements or proper alignment methods are not used. Fibers can become narrower when false twists are induced, or if guide flanges physically case a fiber to narrow down. In some cases, the lack of sizing in the fiber can have negative effects on the fiber width. When using low sizing content fiber or un-sized fibers, the need to use of proper guiding elements is magnified greatly.

The main reason proper assessments are not made for fiber damage caused by inadequate handling is that there have been no quantitative means to measure fiber damage. Similarly, tools to maintain or monitor fiber width have not available. Read more to find out about tools to accomplish this and some analyzation studies.

Winding fibers to produce bobbins or fiber packages is a commonly needed intermediate process in many composite production processes. Winding can damage the filaments or can induce twist if not properly done. If possible, it would be preferred not to wind, but instead take the fibers directly to the final product.

However, composite manufacturing processes come in all shapes, speeds, and sizes, therefore integrating the composite manufacturing process with the actual fiber production process is impossible. Therefore, we are left with the task of winding the fiber to make it manageable in the next process.

When winding carbon fibers in particular, there are three main objectives:

1 – Good build of package

2 – No twist in the fiber

3 – Minimal damage of the filaments

The means of achieving these properties vary depending on the type of fiber and number of filaments. In many cases actual test winding is required, but our decades of experience serve as a starting point to set base parameters. Optimum winding parameters such as tension or wind ratios are difficult to determine without experience and our team of engineers can help you achieve the winding characteristic desired.

In this article, we would like to go over the different types of winders available and what applications they are the best fit for.

With the increasing variety of resin systems available for carbon fiber and other high-performance fibers, there is a growing need for development of sizing materials which interface well with each resin/fiber combination.

For the development of the sizing material, it is often difficult to experiment without obtaining un-sized fiber. Unless you produce the fiber in your own facility, in many cases it would be necessary to     de-size the fiber first, and then apply the desired sizing materials.

Any handling process can damage the fibers, and de-sizing / re-sizing can be particularly abrasive to the filaments. Thus, equipment for this process needs to be designed with extra care to prevent filament damage.

We can provide turn-key systems for single tow sizing development lines as well as multi-tow sizing lines for production scale output requirements. Single tow lines are scalable and configurable: in many cases they are compact table-top units. Production scale lines incorporate industrial-grade equipment, same as the equipment we provide for fiber production plants.

See below for some considerations for specifying the right equipment for the sizing line you may need.

In upstream composites production processes, it is often necessary to control a fiber or a band of fibers to an optimum tension value. However, identifying the correct tension is often overlooked, and production processes still utilize tensioning systems which were developed decades ago without much consideration of the actual tension they are generating.

Winding fibers to produce bobbins or fiber packages is a necessary evil in many composite production processes. Winding is an intermediate step and does not contribute to the production of the final product. If possible, it would be preferred not to wind, and instead take the fibers directly to the final product.

However, composite manufacturing processes come in all shapes, speeds, and sizes, so integrating the composite manufacturing process with the actual fiber production process is impossible. Therefore, we are left with the task of winding the fiber to an easy to handle form to take it to the next process.

When winding carbon fibers in particular, there are three main objectives:

1 – Good build shape of package

2 – No twist in the fiber

3 – Minimal damage of the filaments

The means of achieving these properties vary depending on the type of fiber, number of filaments in the tow, sizing type/content and various other factors. This may require actual test winding, but typically we can assist you based on our decades of experience as well. Optimum winding parameters such as tension or wind ratios are difficult to determine without experience and our team of engineers can help you achieve the winding characteristic desired.

In this article, we would like to go over the different types of winders available and what applications they are the most fit for.

In upstream composites production processes, it is often necessary to control a fiber 

or a band of fibers to an optimum tension value. However, identifying the correct tension is often overlooked, and production processes still utilize tensioning systems which were developed decades ago without much consideration.

If the starting tension at the creel is not controlled properly, then the final product may be constructed of fibers with varying tension. As a result, it will not fully utilize the strength of all fibers equally. This can degrade the mechanical properties of the final product.