en.Wedoany.com Reported - The EU-funded CompSTLar project has achieved a manufacturing milestone: partner Aimplas, based in Valencia, Spain, has produced continuous graphene-reinforced unidirectional (UD) carbon fiber tape at laboratory scale. The consortium states that this is a phased result in the development of multifunctional thermoplastic composites (TPC) for aerospace applications.

The CompSTLar project, coordinated by the Aimen technology center in O Porriño, Spain, is part of the EU Horizon research and innovation action, running from February 2025 to July 2028, and aims to advance the design, manufacturing, maintenance, and recycling of high-performance composite structures for next-generation aircraft. Within this project framework, Aimplas has developed UD tape using graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), graphene/carbon nanotube hybrid nanofillers, and an LMPAEK matrix from Victrex (Cleveleys, UK), targeting multifunctional composites with higher electrical conductivity and greater sensitivity to laser irradiation.

According to information posted by the project team on LinkedIn, processing temperature proved to be a critical variable during manufacturing trials. At approximately 400°C, the material was too viscous for adequate fiber impregnation; after lowering the temperature to around 330°C, the process stabilized and fiber wetting reached an acceptable level. The project team believes that high temperatures may affect the polymer matrix, especially in the presence of graphene-based additives, and understanding this behavior is considered key to eventual scale-up production.

The technology is currently at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 to 4. Next steps include evaluating higher nanofiller loadings and their impact on electrical properties, as well as conducting automated tape placement (ATP) trials. Aimen project coordinator Pablo Romero Rodríguez summarized the project's progress over the past 18 months in a Q&A session.