An Introduction to Sheet Molding Compound (SMC)

Sheet molding compound (SMC) has been widely used in industry since the 1970’s. The material consists of a thermoset matrix and discontinuous fiber reinforcement. SMC can include a wide variety of resin, filler, additive, and reinforcing fibers, which allows engineers to tailor the SMC material to the application. The material has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, and dimensional stability. SMC material can be rapidly produced at a low cost and formed into complex geometries using compression molding, allowing for high production rates, suitable for mass manufacturing.

This presentation will provide an introduction SMC composites production. The presentation will start with a general introduction to SMC, followed by a more detailed look into: the individual components in an SMC formulation, the SMC production process, SMC composite manufacturing, current applications of SMC, and finally a summary.

Presented by:
Eric Martin
Research Engineer
Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Composites