Compression Molding of Structural Composites

Composite materials offer many potential advantages as metal replacement materials. Compression molding an epoxy sheet molding compound (E-SMC) can be used to fabricate many structural components in a cost-effective manner. In molding materials containing a high content of random fibers, the location and orientation of the fibers in the finished component is key to successful performance. Part design, mold design, and molding parameters can influence fiber orientation.