All-Thermoplastic Composite Sandwich Panels – Part I: Manufacturing and Improvement of Surface Quality

Abstract

All-thermoplastic sandwiches with composite faces and thermoplastic foam as core material present great potential for future automotive mass applications. They offer many advantages such as high specific bending stiffness, good insulation properties, high impact resistance,... Furthermore, the use of one single polymer throughout the sandwich brings on optimal face–core compatibility, enhanced recyclability and post-formability. The aim of this first part is to investigate the processing of thermoplastic sandwich structures with improved surface quality manufactured by isothermal compression moulding.