Manufacturing process
Out-of-autoclave prepreg curing
Also known as OOA curing, out-of-autoclave processing
Curing of prepregs formulated to consolidate under vacuum pressure alone and at lower temperatures than an autoclave cure. It avoids the autoclave’s cost and energy use.
Classification
- matrix families
- POLYMER
How this record is known
- 2
- Settled consensus
- Cited as the accepted position of the discipline.
2 of 2 claims on this page cite at least one registered source. Counts describe how each statement is known, not how likely it is to be true.
What Lithoen records
Each claim states how it is known and cites its evidence.
EstablishedTooling, co-cured integrated stiffeners, reduced tool–part expansion mismatch.
Out-of-autoclave prepregs have been used to make tooling and allow integrated stiffeners in large structures to be co-cured in a single cycle; at their lower cure temperatures tool–part thermal-expansion mismatch matters less, which makes them a potential answer to part cracking caused by cure-temperature differentials.
Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence · one source
Evidence: U.S. Department of Energy 2015 · Primary authority
EstablishedCure under vacuum pressure at 93 °C or 121 °C instead of autoclave conditions.
Out-of-autoclave prepregs are cured at lower pressure and temperature than in an autoclave: under vacuum pressure instead of a typical 586 kPa, and at 93 °C or 121 °C instead of the traditional 177 °C.
Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence · one source
Evidence: U.S. Department of Energy 2015 · Primary authority
Record last updated 2026-10-30. Corrections follow the published corrections policy; superseded claims are retained, never silently edited.