JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #73 - June 2012 - 34

innovations

JEC Innovation Report
Raw materials
Armacell is introducing the new family of foam cores, ArmaFOrM PET Fr, designed for applications that have to meet flame, smoke and toxicity (FST) requirements. These foams are certified according to the FST standards relevant for the train industry: NF F16-101 and dIN 5510. Test results show that important technical characteristics such as mechanical properties and damage tolerance remain at the usual high level. ArmaFOrM PET Fr offers the best-in-class fire properties in the thermoplastic foam cores market. www.armacell-core-foams.com
other sectors other sectors other sectors

Fire-retardant structural PET foam core

> I.C.S. Wind

> Booth C20 UP foam resin technique: low weight and cost-efficiency

SAERTEX® thermoplastics

> Booth D11

The lightweight construction trend recently received a new boost. At the same time, cost-efficiency considerations are getting into the spotlight more than ever. Foam resin technology based on UP resin as foaming matrix for fibre-reinforced plastics combines lightweight construction as well as material- and cost-savings. Thanks to the foaming matrix, weight and material savings of 20 to 25% can be achieved in comparison to parts with a compact UP matrix. Moreover, the costs of fibre-reinforced plastics can be kept low using rather basic mould and processing technologies. Simple 2-sided moulds and the option of both manual and machine processing provide a large flexibility for an efficient tailor-made production. The industrial applications of UP foam resin technology in Europe range from vehicle components such as roof modules, sleeping alcoves, side wall panels and rear modules of caravans, structural parts for the truck and bus market up to covering panels for the medical engineering sector. The flammability of the UP foam resin is modified with flame retardants, an interesting and innovative feature, particularly for the railway industry. Keeping all this in mind along with the growing production volume and quality requirements, this technology is of great interest in Asia as a complement to SMC and an efficient alternative to hand lay-up and even rTM. www.ruehl-ag.com

SAErTEX®, a global leader in the production of noncrimp fabrics (NCF) and special solutions, introduces its new continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic materials. The combination of glass and carbon fibre NCFs with thermoplastic resins (such as PA6, PA66, PP) establishes new applications for composites. These materials are mouldable under heat. Therefore, the well-proven advantages of NCFs are being matched with new technologies such as injection moulding and stamping. In addition to the weight reduction at high mechanical resistance, additional advantages include crash resistance, shorter cycle times and the recyclability of thermoplastics. At the same time, a full range of multiaxial reinforcements are available – which leads to an ideal load-carrying construction for lightweight parts. The company’s organic sheet product portfolio is well diversified, ranging from dry NCFs for TP applications to partly or fully consolidated organic sheets, from thermoplastic prepregs to pressed plates. The products are sold on rolls or as cut plates. SAErTEX® thermoplastic sandwich structures with NCF-PP surface layers and honeycomb core offer additional applications in compressive environments. A long-time experience in the composite industry enables SAErTEX® to optimize part characteristics by using the most appropriate material. SAErTEX® offers first-class technical solutions using both thermoplastic and thermoset resins.
www.saertex.com

34 jec composites magazine / No73 June 2012
http://www.armacell-core-foams.com http://www.ruehl-ag.com http://www.saertex.com
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #73 - June 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #73 - June 2012
