Honeycomb is a lightweight core material that offers versatility in cell size, density, temperature and other properties. HexWeb® honeycomb provides a unique structure made from a wide variety of web materials including thermoplastic, fiberglass, carbon, aluminum and mechanical papers such as aramid. It is also ideal for high volume manufacturing.
Hexcel was the first company to manufacture honeycomb on a commercial scale. Today we produce over 700 varieties with new versions being continually developed to meet customer demands. Honeycomb is an outstanding core material for sandwich structures and an efficient energy absorber. It is also used for airflow direction, sound attenuation and dielectric applications.
Hexcel makes honeycomb using the expansion method and the corrugated process:
Expansion Process: adhesive node lines are printed onto sheets of substrate material, which are stacked and cured to form a HOBE (Honeycomb Before Expansion) block. The HOBE block is expanded and slices of honeycomb are cut to the desired thickness.
Corrugated Process: adhesive is applied to the corrugated nodes, the corrugated sheets are stacked into blocks, the node adhesive cured, and sheets are cut to the required core thickness.
These manufacturing methods enable us to offer a range of cell configurations to meet different requirements for formability, curving, energy absorption and strength
Recent Developments:
HexWeb® HRP-C fiberglass core for aircraft nacelle applications
HexWeb® HDC-F heavy density fiberglass for potting replacement in honeycomb sandwich panels
HexWeb® Mil-PAA improved corrosion resistant metallic core for flight control structures and nacelles
HexWeb® HRH-86 low cost non-metallic core for aerospace, marine and rail interior applications, and aircraft secondary structures
HexWeb® HRH-36 high performance aramid for lightweight, high performance non-metallic aerospace applications (floors, interiors and secondary structures).
HexWeb® Honeycomb Selector Guide
HexWeb® Honeycomb Attributes and Properties