Natural flax laminate

At this week’s JEC Composites show in Paris, French companies Ecotechnilin and Depestele Group are introducing Lincore ML a technical-flax laminate fabric with a nonwoven core layer available in rolls or sheets.

The new needlepunch-bonded product exists in a 100% natural version or one that incorporates thermoplastic filaments (e.g. PP, PLA, PA). The ready-to-use sandwich product can be adapted to standard composites processes including RTM, infusion, calendering and thermoforming.

The post-processing thickness of the finished product can be controlled by changing the pressure that is applied to the laminate structure – the user can adjust the structure’s acoustic and thermal insulation properties, density and stiffness as a function of the specific requirements.

Combined with its low density, the laminate structure’s mechanical properties make it suitable for applications in a number of industrial sectors, including automotive and transportation, building and construction, railway, road transportation, marine and sports and leisure.

A key product advantage of Lincore ML is its end-of-life optimisation for the 100% natural version: recyclability, biodegradability and/or compostability are competitive advantages for interior truck or boat panels, substrates for thermal and acoustic insulation, or vibration-damping systems for the construction sector.