Hexcel Promotes Its Latest Advanced Composite Innovations at JEC Composites Connect 2021

STAMFORD, Conn., June 1, 2021 – Hexcel will promote a wide range of composite innovations for customer applications in aerospace, automotive, wind energy, recreation, and marine markets at JEC Composites Connect, a two-day digital event that begins today for networking, discovery and learning about the composites industry trends and markets.

At its virtual stand, Hexcel will display a variety of innovative, advanced composite products including:

HexPEKK^® 3D Printed Parts for Aerospace, Space, and Defense

HexAM^® additive manufacturing is a sophisticated merging of PEKK high-performance thermoplastic and the world's most robust additive manufacturing technology, delivering a range of fully functional end-use parts and components. Hexcel is fundamentally improving the way the world's aircraft components are manufactured, fulfilling critical development and production contracts for 3D printed parts in a range of aircraft applications and combining high performance with significant weight and cost savings to customers.

This technology is ideally suited for end-market applications where functional complexity and weight reduction can have a substantial and positive impact on performance while also yielding cost and energy savings. Hexcel products deliver sustained value for customers.

Hexcel also will host a “live” presentation in collaboration with Sogeclair Aerospace – a major partner in engineering and a prime contractor for the aerospace industry – to show how the HexAM process combines a high-performance thermoplastic with selective laser sintering (SLS) technology to produce fully functional HexPEKK end-use components. The process eliminates extra tools and equipment, multiple suppliers, and technologies that are typically needed.

HexPly® Prepregs for Recreation

Hexcel will display its high-performance range of materials for the sporting goods market including HexPly® prepreg, an innovative material that combines leading aircraft technology with automotive resin chemistry. Using intermediate modulus HexTow® IM2C or high modulus HexTow® HM54 and HM63, Hexcel has developed a high-quality industrial prepreg using aircraft C-UD tape technology combined with HexPly® M77 Snap-Cure automotive grade epoxy. HexPly M77 Snap-Cure enables sporting goods to be press-cured in two minutes at 150°C. These innovative Hexcel composites are widely used in a number of leading recreational sports equipment including skis, golf shafts, and tennis racquets and provide lightweighting, stiffness and strength.

Next-Generation Thermoplastic Composite Solutions for Aerospace

Hexcel and Arkema are strategic partners in developing thermoplastic composite solutions for the aerospace, space, and defense sectors. Their collaboration brings together the expertise of Hexcel in carbon fiber and Arkema in PEKK. A stiffened panel demonstrator part made by Hutchinson with Compositadour and the Institut de Soudre using Hexcel and Arkema material is a result of that collaboration, and it will be showcased at JEC Composites Connect. This HexPly® PEKK part is designed for optimal lay-up in Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) with pultruded stringers, with integrated Lightning Strike Protection.

HexPly® XF for Automotive and Marine

Hexcel has developed a range of HexPly® surface finishing prepregs and semi-pregs for wind turbine blades and for automotive and marine applications. Providing a tough, durable, and ready-to-paint surface without using in-mold coats, these products shorten the manufacturing cycle and reduce material costs. HexPly® XF prepreg is optimized for wind blades and has a ready-to-paint surface, straight from the mold, saving at least two hours of takt time. HexPly® XF is suitable for in-mold prepreg and infusion processes. It also has a proven track record in marine, wind, and automotive and is available as prepreg or semi-preg.

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About Hexcel

Hexcel Corporation is a leading advanced composites company. It develops, manufactures, and markets lightweight, high-performance structural materials including carbon fibers, specialty reinforcements, prepregs, and other fiber-reinforced matrix materials, honeycomb, adhesives, engineered core and composite structures for use in commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial applications.

Contact Information

Paula Constantinou | Director, Marketing Communications | paula.constantinou@hexcel.com

Sophie Meyniel | Marketing Communications Aerospace Manager, Europe, MEA, Asia Pacific | sophie.meyniel@hexcel.com