Spread tow reinforcements are being increasingly used within all kinds of industries working with composites and especially those using carbon fiber. In Part 1 of this two-part article Fredrik Ohlsson of Oxeon AB outlines the construction and manufacture of spread tow reinforcements and discusses their benefits over other reinforcements.
The usage of spread tow reinforcements has rapidly increased since they were first introduced in 2004. They are now well received in and recognized by many different industries. Benefits like relatively straighterfibers, less crimpandbettermechanical performance have been easily understood. With increased usage of spread tow reinforcements other advantages such as improved cutting and handling are also being seen.