Composites featuring yarns manufactured from high performance fibers have application in light weight components for transportation and vehicle construction. Components for light weight or light gage products are typically sandwich constructions with fabric inserts. Fabrics are woven from untwisted multifilament yarns of glass, carbon, para-aramid, and high tenacity polyethylene terephthalate fibers. Spun yarns are used where a matrix is incorporated in the yarn. Sulzer Textil's rapier and projectile looms achieve the economic production of woven fabric substrates. The rapier loom processes delicate and open end yarns in fabrics widths of up to 360 centimeters. The projectile loom manufactures heavier or wider fabrics.