Flax/PP manufacture by automated fibre placement (AFP)

Automated fibre placement (AFP) has been used to manufacture flax/polypropylene biocomposites for the first time. This required preparation of tape with a calibrated width from impregnated fibre sheets. The unidirectional tapes showed polymer-rich zones on the surface. During manufacture the polypropylene (PP) is melted locally with a laser. A consolidation step in a hot press is then required to reduce void content. The flax fibres, composed of polysaccharides, have limited thermal resistance so optimization of the thermal cycle is necessary, but subsequent characterization of mechanical behaviour showed no evidence of property loss in spite of an additional melting cycle. AFP appears to be a promising manufacturing method for biocomposites.