UD, 3K ,12K ,18K are just three different weaving types of carbon fibers that are widely used for manufacturing carbon products.
All the fibers are parallel so no weave pattern visible. Unidirectional carbon fiber is comprised of bundles (tows) of carbon filaments all oriented in the same direction. There is no apparent weave to this style of fabric.
WOVEN FABRIC:
Normal woven fabric have 3k, 12k and 18k. The number refers to the number of fibers in each tow of the weave (3000, 12000, 15000, 18000). Carbon fiber is measured by the width of the weave. For instance, a 3K weave will be approximate 3mm in width while a 12K weave will be much larger at approximately 12mm and so forth.
Performance: All the carbon weave performance is same.
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