Textreme is a brand name for a line of ‘spread tow’ composite materials manufactured by Oxeon, a Swedish company that specialises in advanced textile materials. Textreme spread tow materials are made from fibres that are spread into a thin, flat tow and then combined with a resin or other matrix material to form a composite structure.
The fibres are spread into a thin, flat "tow" using a specialised process, and then they are often combined with a resin or other matrix material.
Textreme spread tow materials are typically used in the manufacture of high-performance products such as sports equipment, aerospace components, and automotive parts, where their high strength and stiffness properties can provide significant benefits.
There are a few key characteristics that set spread tow fibres apart from other materials:
Thin and flat: Spread tow fibres are much thinner and flatter than traditional fibers, which can give them unique mechanical properties.
High specific strength: Spread tow fibres have a very high specific strength, meaning that they are extremely strong for their size.
Low weight: Because spread tow fibres are thin and lightweight, they can be used to create composite materials with a lower overall weight than traditional materials.
High specific stiffness: Spread tow fibres also have a very high specific stiffness, meaning that they are very stiff for their size.
Improved impact resistance: The thin and flat nature of spread tow fibres can also give composite materials made with them improved impact resistance compared to materials made with traditional fibres.
It boils down to physics. Heavier, thicker cones have more mass, which requires more energy from the voice coil to move. Heavier cones also have more inertia, they cannot start and stop moving quickly.
If you have a car, It is exactly like accelerating and pushing down the brakes. A car with shorter acceleration and braking capabilities are well-regarded in the automotive industry to have ‘exceptional handling’. That’s why car chassis are now made with lighter, stronger materials, so the engine doesn’t have to work as hard, while keeping passengers safe.
Similarly….
Spread tow materials are used in the manufacturing of speaker cones due to their high specific stiffness, which allows them to retain their shape under high loads. This characteristic can be beneficial in a speaker cone, as the speaker cone is subject to high stress due to their continuous back-and-forth movement in producing sound.
In addition, spread tow materials are lightweight, which is an advantage for a speaker cone as it helps to reduce the overall weight of the cone, leading to tighter transient response due to reduced drag.
It is worth noting that there are many factors to consider when selecting loudspeaker drivers with specific speaker cones and the suitability of spread tow materials will depend on the specific requirements and design constraints of the speaker system.
SB Acoustics is backed by over 40-years of transducers manufacturing experience, producing highly acclaimed drivers used in high-end loudspeakers, manufactured with a wide range of cone materials.
We at Artisan Acoustics use SB Acoustics drivers for our customers' builds. Ask us if you need help choosing the right drivers for your dream DIY speaker build today!