Long Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics

With years of experience, OTE has established itself as a leader in the design and implementation of process manufacturing in the Long Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (LFRT) industry including single and twin screw compounding conventions.

What is Long Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic?

LFRT is different from your typical extruded plastic pellet. LFRT is used in a wide gamut of industries; from automotive and aerospace to consumer electronics and furniture. Generally regarded as stronger, stiffer and light weight, LFRT offers a low cost alternative to metals.

LFRT compounds are inherently more complex to compound, and use a process coined as “poltrusion”; a portmanteau of the words “pull” and “extrusion” that describes the act of pulling material from the extruder, as opposed to the pushing of material through extrusion. Fiber roves are weaved through the die head of the extruder where polymer is wicked up into the fiber strands; then cooled, dried, cut and classified into uniform pellets ranging from 6-12 mm long, depending on application, as compared to the 2-3 mm pellets that you’d see from traditional compounding.

The result is a product that weighs considerably less and performs significantly better than traditional thermoplastic composites.