High strength, stiffness, and impact properties
c-GFRTP

Overview and Features

What is LENCEN™ (c-GFRTP)?

LENCEN™ (c-GFRTP) is a continuous glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic formed by stacking layers of a continuous glass fiber textile with polyamide-66 (PA66) films.

Continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic is a composite material formed by impregnating glass fiber textiles or similar fabrics with thermoplastic resin, then solidifying to yield a sheet-shaped product, and also known as a composite, organo-sheet or prepreg.
The acronym for Continuous Glass Fiber Reinforced thermoplastic is c-GFRTP (the first c is lowercase), but there are other notations such as GFRTP and GFRP.

Key features and manufacturing process of LENCEN™ (c-GFRTP)

The features and manufacturing process of LENCEN™, prepreg product formed by stacking layers of a continuous glass fiber textile with polyamide-66 (PA66) films, are introduced here.

High strength and rigidity

Asahi Kasei's proprietary technology enhances adhesion between glass fibers and resin, yielding higher-strength materials.
Because the tensile strength and shock absorption of LENCEN™ fiber-reinforced thermoplastics are comparable or superior to those of metals, these materials increase impact safety while reducing weight, helping to improve reliability and fuel efficiency.

LENCEN　製品特長 — High strength and rigidity

Flame resistance

Flame-retardant grades withstand burner-flame tests (1000°C, 5 minutes) with no holes appearing in the material.
As one example, if an electric-vehicle battery suffers a thermal-runaway event, this material will slow the spread of flames, helping protect passenger safety.

Manufacturing process

LENCEN™ is produced via the following procedure.

Layering: Layers of glass fiber fabric or other reinforcing fibers are stacked together with resin-film layers.
Heating/pressurizing: The layer stack is heated and pressurized in a press, causing the resin to melt.
Impregnation: The molten resin soaks through glass fibers.
Finally, the product is cooled to solidify the resin, yielding sheet of material ready for molding.

Also, because PA66 are thermoplastic resins, they can be combined with injection molding of materials of similar types (hybrid of composite and injection molding, composite sheet overmolded with injection molding). This allows formation of complex-shaped parts such as ribs and flanges, offering the possibility of cost reductions thanks to improved component rigidity and better integration with neighboring components.

【What is prepreg?】
Prepreg is a term used to refer to sheet of molding material manufactured via the impregnation process described above. The term organo-sheet is also used.
The combination of materials used to produce prepreg may be chosen in many ways. For the resin films, common choices include thermoplastic resins such as polyamide or polypropylene; thermosetting resins may also be used. For the reinforcing fibers, common choices include glass fibers and carbon fibers, which may be woven into continuous fiber textiles or aligned in uni-directional (UD) configurations; non-woven (random) configurations of chopped fibers are also used.

Application Proposal

Proposal to EV battery cases

Battery cases in electric vehicles are typically made from metals such as steel or aluminum. The goal of reducing component weight to extend vehicle travel distance suggests the possibility of switching to resin materials, but typical resins cannot offer the required thermal resistance; also, cost reduction is a perennial issue.

"LENCEN™" is

It is lightweight, with a specific gravity of about 1/4 that of iron.
(Specific gravity: LENCEN™ 1.9, iron 7.9, aluminum 2.7)
No holes were found in a combustion test at 1000℃ for 5 minutes.
It is possible to consolidate and reduce the number of materials required for steel casings, preventing cost increases.
■ Upper cover:
Potential to reduce anti-rust paint and insulation
■ Lower case:
Potential for undercover reduction

Bumper beam, brake pedal

Metals such as iron and aluminum are used in parts like bumper beams and brake pedals, leaving many possibilities for weight reduction.

These components require materials with excellent strength, stiffness, impact, and durability. We believe that LENCEN™ that combine these characteristics are suitable.

Iron bumper beams require post-processing, such as bending or welding with separate parts, but this material can reduce weight, as well as the number of processes and parts.

レンセン™の強度、剛性、衝撃吸収性、耐久性 — LENCEN™ has excellent strength, stiffness, impact, and durability.

Applications of CAE: Design optimization

Shape optimization using Asahi Kasei's proprietary CAE technology can reduce component weight even further.

LENCEN　CAEの活用 — Example: Accelerator-pedal component

Applications of CAE: Shock analysis

For a battery-cover component subjected to a side-impact test, CAE modeling accurately reproduces rupture behavior and energy absorption at time of impact.

LENCEN CAE活用 — Battery cover (side-impact test)

Please contact us to ask any questions, discuss any concerns, and request samples.

Inquiries

Asahi Asahi Kasei engineering plastics' contribution to achieving carbon neutrality: The Asahi Kasei Group is committed to contributing to the realization of a carbon neutrality, sustainable society.
We will introduce our efforts to achieve a circular economy in the engineering plastics business.; Learn more

High strength, stiffness, and impact properties
c-GFRTP

What is LENCEN™ (c-GFRTP)?