Prepreg lay-up

Reinforcement fibre pre-impregnated with a controlled quantity of resin, usually a partially cured (B-staged) thermoset, supplied in rolls and stored chilled or frozen until layup. Prepregs give precise fibre and resin content and are the standard material form for high-performance aerospace and motorsport laminates.

The curing of composite laminates in a heated pressure vessel, which applies elevated temperature and gas pressure in addition to vacuum-bag consolidation. The combination suppresses voids and delivers the high, repeatable laminate quality required for primary aerospace structures.

Intermediate vacuum compaction of a partially completed prepreg stack, carried out periodically during lay-up to remove trapped air and seat the plies before further layers are added. Regular debulks reduce wrinkling, bridging and final void content, especially on curved tooling.

A consolidation technique in which a laminate is sealed under a flexible airtight film and the air is evacuated so that atmospheric pressure compacts the plies during cure. It removes trapped air and excess resin and is used with wet lay-up, prepreg and infusion processes.

The programmed schedule of temperature, pressure and vacuum against time under which a thermosetting laminate or adhesive is cured, including heating ramps, dwells and cool-down. The cycle is defined in the material's processing data and qualified for the specific part and process.