JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #143 - November/December 2021 - 35

New surfacing technology enabling high-quality paint-ready surfaces
Fig. 1: The HexPly XF
ening of availability in the supply chain, demand
in the industrial composites sector has
remained strong. Hexcel developed HexPly
XF to improve production effi ciency, ultimately
saving time and reducing costs for
manufacturers, which is going to be a key
driver for the most successful wind energy
OEMs in the future.
Wind energy is certainly a key market but
our technology is defi nitely not limited to
wind. We have great feedback on the production
benefi ts of HexPly XF from part
manufacturers in both marine and industrial
markets, too.
With wind energy production being a key
driver for the HexPly XF technology, can
you give us more detail as to how this new
material fi ts into the blade building process?
Is it suitable for prepreg and/or infusion
blades?
A.F.: We developed two variants of the
HexPly XF material, one is compatible with
prepreg and the other with the infusion
manufacturing processes (typically, we are
talking about customers curing with mould
temperatures > 60°C for infusion). Th e prepreg
version came fi rst and has been well
proven by key wind OEM prepreg users,
while the infusion version is the product that
we have recently launched.
For both the prepreg and infusion versions,
HexPly XF is the fi rst material applied into
the release-agent-coated mould. Easy to
handle and supplied in a ready-to-use roll
form, it can be quickly applied by hand or
with semi-automated layup equipment.
One side of the product, clearly indicated by
a removable protective fi lm, is the self-adhesive
surface fi nishing side that goes down
against the mould surface. Once the HexPly
XF material has been positioned, the layup
of the blade shell structure (fabric or prepreg
layers) can start immediately, and the laminate
can be infused. Aft er curing, the blade
is easily de-moulded, with the manufacturer
benefi tt ing from a paint-ready surface.
Does the HexPly XF prepreg let the resin go
through during infusion or does it behave
like a resin-tight material?
A.F.: Th e functionality of the XF technology
is achieved with a modifi ed surface resin
layer in combination with specifi c surface
veils. Th e material is designed to stay as an
intact surface layer aft er infusion of the backing
plies.
Outside of the wind energy market, could
HexPly XF be used in other composite
applications? What sort of component types
did you identify and can you give us some
examples of HexPly XF success stories?
A.F.: HexPly XF can be used just as
eff ectively in other prepreg or infused
composite structures. Some of Hexcel's
marine customers have been using it to
improve surface quality and reduce time
and material costs when fairing and fi nishing
parts for the fi nal paint fi nish.
A nice example of this type of application
was seen at a leading UK superyacht
builder who was able to signifi cantly reduce
the paint preparation time for a large
hardtop sun canopy by demoulding the
part with a pinhole-free HexPly XF outer
surface. Th is technology also has the potential
to remove the need for a cosmetic
barrier coat (typically non-structural layers
of chopped strand mat used to avoid
print-through in production boat builds),
hence saving weight, too (Figure 2).
XF technology is also well adopted by
the automotive sector for the manufacture
of high-quality Class A body panels
- an application with the highest surface
quality standards in the composites industry.
Each year, thousands of high-performance
cars are built using HexPly XF
products, demonstrating the exceptional
surface quality performance of HexPly
XF (Figure 3).
With global production and supply capability
for HexPly XF's surface technology,
as well as the option to customize the
solution - for example in wind energy -
HexPly XF for infusion can be produced
with the fi rst structural non-crimp fabric
ply att ached. Hexcel's latest surfacing
technology innovation can be adapted for
a massive range of applications.
Fig. 2: XF technology
provides a paint-ready
surface fi nish
N°143 November - December 2021 / jec composites magazine
35
Feature Energy
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #143 - November/December 2021

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