Textile Glossary

Tailored Fiber Placement

Definition

TFP stands for tailored fiber placement, referring to the targeted, load-path-oriented deposition of reinforcement fibers onto a carrier structure.

Use in the textile industry

Tailored Fiber Placement is used to deposit reinforcement fibers — typically glass or carbon fibers — along load paths on a carrier substrate, producing load-optimized semi-finished preforms. The process is applied in aerospace, automotive, and sporting goods manufacturing, where weight-optimized and structurally adapted fiber-reinforced composite components are required. The targeted fiber deposition reduces material waste and component weight compared to conventional woven fabric layers.

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Frequently asked question

In Tailored Fiber Placement, fibers are fixed onto a flat carrier material by stitching before the preform is placed into a mold and infiltrated with a resin system. Automated Fiber Placement, by contrast, deposits pre-impregnated fiber tows directly onto a three-dimensional component or tool. Both processes enable load-path-oriented fiber alignment, but they differ in process sequence, raw material form, and the component geometries that can be achieved.

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