Discovery Composites Material

A sandwich-structured composite is normally consisting of two thin, stiff skins bonded to a thick, lightweight core. While the core material is typically of low strength, its thickness provides the composite with high bending stiffness while maintaining a low overall density.

Common core materials include open- or closed-cell foams such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), polyethylene (PET), balsa wood and honeycombs. Skins are typically made from glass or carbon fibre-reinforced laminates of thermoset polymers like unsaturated polyesters and epoxies. 

With sustainability becoming a major global focus, a recent trend is the use of continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastics (CFRT) as the skin material, bonded to the core through a double belt hot pressing process. This approach not only improves manufacturing efficiency but also reduces energy consumption, while enhancing the recyclability of the panels, thanks to the thermoplastic properties. When both the skin matrix component and core materials are made from the same polymer base, such as PET, the recyclability is further increased.