Microwave-assisted High-speed Winding of Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

Filament winding is a widely employing technique for manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite. However, the low winding speed of traditional filament winding methods hinder the improvement of production efficiency. In this study, a novel microwave-assisted high-speed winding method for the manufacturing process of continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics has been developed. The apparatus is established, and the maximum winding speed is measured based on experimental and finite elements calculations. The correlation between microwave power, winding speed and performance is investigated