Nano Thickness Aluminum Film Coating on Carbon Fiber Composites with Archal Shah
The carbon fiber composites have been increasingly used in advanced applications, owing to their superior properties. However, typically carbon epoxy has very little reflectivity. This becomes a challenge for products that require high reflectivity like equipment bay, reflectors, et al. The paper talks about the concept and technology to deposit a nano thickness layer of Aluminum on carbon epoxy composites to achieve high reflectivity. The latter portion of the paper discusses the equipment developed and application of the coating on 1.2m long carbon epoxy shell. The paper also shares the challenges faced in development. Finally, we conclude with measurement techniques and overall process stability.