Because of their high specific stiffness and strength, fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) are preferred lightweight materials. Recent developments show a growing industrial interest in the integration of thermoplastic FRP in complex structures for high volumes. However, there are still shortcomings for these materials concerning the insufficient energy absorption in case of failure and the limited opportunities available for the assembly with other components. Improvements in the crash performance can be achieved for instance with the selective reinforcement of the FRP structure with ductile metallic inserts. The present study shows the interlaminar shear strength and scanning electron microscope (SEM) samples of a novel load optimized hybrid composite consisting of a continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic matrix, in which a metal core is integrated.

Vacuum-pressure casting technology allows small batches of components to be manufactured from polymer materials, mainly from thermosetting plastics such as polyurethane and epoxy resins. Apart from being very simple, the process is also advantageous in that it offers a very accurately reproduced geometrical structure of the surfaces of master patterns used in mold manufacturing. This article presents the results of analyses performed for the process of replicating mechanoscopic marks with the use of three vacuum casting variants, including a hybrid vacuum-pressure casting process developed in particular for the replication purposes. The main research objective was to analyze and evaluate the influence of the parameters of the individual process variants on the quality of the obtained cast parts and on the replication accuracy without introducing additional artifacts on their surfaces. The article discusses the individual stages of the process and provides an analysis of their parameters. The replicas were evaluated for their porosity and reproduction quality with the use of CT methods and comparative photographs obtained from a light microscope.

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Particle shape and size, density and distribution are important characteristics of the powders processed by additive manufacturing processes e.g. Selective Laser Melting (SLM) or Electron Beam Melting (EBM). Spherical shape of powder particles allows to stably carrying out the process and affects also the manufactured objects properties. Desired morphology of the powder can be achieved by powder manufacturing process or by additional treatment of the non-spherical powders. This paper is dedicated to study spheroidization of tungsten powder by Atmosphere Plasma Spraying (APS). Influence of APS process parameters and preliminary powder treatment has been analysed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for the evaluation of shape, size and distribution of post-processed powder particles.