PMCs are of two broad types, thermosets and thermoplastics. Thermosets are solidified by irreversible chemical reactions, in which the molecules in the polymer “cross-link,” or form connected chains. The most common thermosetting matrix materials for high-performance composites used in the aerospace industry are the epoxies. Thermoplastics, on the other hand, are melted and then solidified, a process that can be repeated numerous times for reprocessing. Although the manufacturing technologies for thermoplastics are generally not as well developed as those for thermosets, thermoplastics offer several advantages. First, they do not have the shelf-life problem associated with thermosets, which require freezer storage to halt the irreversible curing process that begins at room temperature. Second, they are more desirable from an environmental point of view, as they can be recycled. They also exhibit higher fracture toughness and better resistance to solvent attack. Unfortunately, thermoplastics are more expensive, and they generally do not resist heat as well as thermosets; however, strides are being made in developing thermoplastics with higher melting temperatures. Overall, thermoplastics offer a greater choice of processing approaches, so that the process can be determined by the scale and rate of production required and by the size of the component.

A variety of reinforcements can be used with both thermoset and thermoplastic PMCs, including particles, whiskers (very fine single crystals), discontinuous (short) fibres, continuous fibres, and textile preforms (made by braiding, weaving, or knitting fibres together in specified designs). Continuous fibres are more efficient at resisting loads than are short ones, but it is more difficult to fabricate complex shapes from materials containing continuous fibres than from short-fibre or particle-reinforced materials. To aid in processing, most high-performance composites are strengthened with filaments that are bundled into yarns. Each yarn, or tow, contains thousands of filaments, each of which has a diameter of approximately 10 micrometres (0.01 millimetre, or 0.0004 inch).

Depending on the application and on the type of load to be applied to the composite part, the reinforcement can be random, unidirectional (aligned in a single direction), or multidirectional (oriented in two or three dimensions). If the load is uniaxial, the fibres are all aligned in the load direction to gain maximum benefit of their stiffness and strength. However, for multidirectional loading (for example, in aircraft skins), the fibres must be oriented in a variety of directions. This is often accomplished by stacking layers (or lamina) of continuous-fibre systems.

The most common form of material used for the fabrication of composite structures is the preimpregnated tape, or “prepreg.” There are two categories of prepreg: tapes, generally 75 millimetres (3 inches) or less in width, intended for fabrication in automated, computer-controlled tape-laying machines; and “broad goods,” usually several metres in dimension, intended for hand lay-up and large sheet applications. To make prepregs, fibres are subjected to a surface treatment so that the resin will adhere to them. They are then placed in a resin bath and rolled into tapes or sheets.

To fabricate the composite, the manufacturer “lays up” the prepreg according to the reinforcement needs of the application. This has traditionally been done by hand, with successive layers of a broad-goods laminate stacked over a tool in the shape of the desired part in such a way as to accommodate the anticipated loads. However, efforts are now being directed toward automated fibre-placement methods in order to reduce costs and ensure quality and repeatability. Automated fibre-placement processes fall into two categories, tape laying and filament winding. The tape-laying process involves the use of devices that control the placement of narrow prepreg tapes over tooling with the contours of the desired part and along paths prescribed by the design requirements of the structure. The width of the tape determines the “sharpness” of the turns required to place the fibres in the prescribed direction—i.e., wide tapes are used for gradual turns, while narrow tapes are required for the sharp turns associated with more complex shapes.

Filament winding uses the narrowest prepreg unit available—the yarn, or tow, of impregnated filaments. In this process, the tows are wound in prescribed directions over a rotating mandrel in the shape of the part. Successive layers are added until the required thickness is reached. Although filament winding was initially limited to geodesic paths (i.e., winding the fibres along the most direct route between two points), the process is now capable of fabricating complex shapes through the use of robots.

For thermosetting polymers, the structure generated by either tape laying or filament winding must undergo a second manipulation in order to solidify the polymer through a curing reaction. This is usually accomplished by heating the completed structure in an autoclave, or oven. Thermoplastic systems offer the advantage of on-line consolidation, so that the high energy and capital costs associated with the curing step can be eliminated. For these systems, prepreg can be locally melted, consolidated, and cooled at the point of contact so that a finished structure is produced. A variety of energy sources are used to concentrate heat at the point of contact, including hot-gas torches, infrared light, and laser beams.

Pultrusion, the only truly continuous process for manufacturing parts from PMCs, is economical but limited to the production of beamlike shapes. On a pultrusion line, fibres and the resin are pushed through a heated die, or shaping tool, at one end, then cooled and pulled out at the other end. This process can be applied to both thermoplastic and thermoset polymers.

Resin transfer molding, or RTM, is a composites processing method that offers a high potential for tailorability but is currently limited to low-viscosity (easily flowing) thermosetting polymers. In RTM, a textile preform—made by braiding, weaving, or knitting fibres together in a specified design—is placed into a mold, which is then closed and injected with a resin. After consolidation, the mold is opened and the part removed. Preforms can be made in a wide variety of architectures, and several can be joined together during the RTM process to form a multi-element preform offering reinforcement in specific areas and load directions.

The similarity of meltable thermoplastic polymers to metals has prompted the extension of techniques used in metalworking. Sheet forming, used since the 19th century by metallurgists, is now applied to the processing of thermoplastic composites. In a typical thermoforming process, the sheet stock, or preform, is heated in an oven. At the forming temperature, the sheet is transferred into a forming system, where it is forced to conform to a tool, with a shape that matches the finished part. After forming, the sheet is cooled under pressure and then removed. Stretch forming, a variation on thermoplastic sheet forming, is specifically designed to take advantage of the extensibility, or ability to be stretched, of thermoplastics reinforced with long, discontinuous fibres. In this process, a straight preconsolidated beam is heated and then stretched over a shaped tool to introduce curvature. The specific advantage of stretch forming is that it provides an automated way to achieve a very high degree of fibre-orientation control in a wide range of part sizes.