Entering the European Prepreg Equipment Market

Gallagher is pleased to announce the completion of a design/build project delivering thermoplastic prepreg equipment to a European company that makes product for aerospace and other high-performance applications.

The work included custom design and manufacturing of key elements of a unidirectional thermoplastic prepreg production line. It’s the second international prepreg project Gallagher has completed in 2023, following equipment and technical support services delivered to a customer in South Korea working in the alternative energy sector.

The European engagement Is part of Gallagher’s growing business in high performance unidirectional thermoplastic prepreg equipment manufacturing systems.

“Europe, Asia and the United States are the heavyweights of the global composites market, and we now have a presence in all three,” said company CEO Jim Gallagher. “As the use of thermoplastic composite materials continues to grow, we look forward to helping customers build new, or improve existing, prepreg manufacturing processes.”

Running Prepreg in South Korea

Gallagher is pleased to announce that we have completed delivery of thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing equipment and support services to a customer in South Korea.

The project involved the design and manufacturing of customized equipment for a unidirectional thermoplastic prepreg line that will produce material for the alternative energy industry and other commercial applications.

We appreciate working in close collaboration with Mike Buck at ABCO Consulting, Inc. and David Park at D.B. Park LLC on this project and on our evolving programs in thermoplastic composite manufacturing systems.

Tech Spotlight: Thermoplastic Prepreg

Gallagher is now working with several clients on a range of thermoplastic manufacturing systems. The most ambitious thermoplastic project currently in the shop is a full-scale prepreg line now in design for high-performance applications in aerospace, defense, offshore drilling and production systems, among others.

This new prepreg line can handle web formats up to 24 inches wide, using an aqueous slurry technique to impregnate carbon fibers with advanced polymers. The process includes several novel aspects that enhance the quality of the prepreg produced.

In another project, we are engaged with a company recently spun out from a leading engineering university with new technology for cross-plied laminates. Gallagher is now building a Continuous Compression Molding (CCM) machine for the company to process prepreg tapes.

On the R&D front, Gallagher has joined a new consortium with thermoplastic industry leaders who are developing a novel system to make prepreg tapes for additive manufacturing processes and other applications. We currently have a working prototype in refinement, with plans to scale-up to a full production system.

For more information about our thermoplastic capabilities, please contact us today.