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Blow moulding FRP makes stronger parts
EQUIPMJ Outsourcing service saves time and m o n e y A FIBRE reinforced plastic (FRP) distributor is helping its boat builder customers improve quality and c u t costs by providing a laminate outsourcing service. During the recent boating industry recession, companies looked towards r u n n i n g their production operations efficiently. One way of doing this is to outs o u r c e some of t h e i r p r o d u c t i o n tasks. FRP distributor Mahogany Co is offering such a service for one of t h e m o r e costly and time-consuming production tasks: rei n f o r c e m e n t and core materials patterning and cutting. A l t h o u g h t h e idea has taken off primarily with its boat builder customers, Mahogany says that the service has potential for any application requiring uniform, volume patterning and cutting of laminate sections. The firm has already received several enquiries from fabricators working with resin
transfer moulding (RTM) processes w h o see the value of the service in helping them meet tight tolerances. Instead of measuring, layering and cutting their own composite materials in-house, customers outsource this task to Mahogany's staff of experts. W o r k i n g closely w i t h the boat builder, Mahogany creates patterns for each c o m p o n e n t , puts t o g e t h e r the specified combination of laminate materials, cuts the laminate patterns to size, and puts each section into a p r o d u c t i o n - r e a d y kit complete with application instructions. Mahogany then inventories the kit until needed by the customer. By using this service, the customers have more space for other production tasks, t h e y d o n ' t have to inventory materials, and they don't need to e m p l o y p e o p l e to measure and cut laminates. According to Mahogany, the kits can save
Laminate sections are cut to size in Mahogany Co "s cutting area. Completed kits are then packaged and stored until needed by the customer.
up to several days' production time on every boat. W h e n t h e y are ready to lay-up a boat, the customers just call and order the kit for that particular model. The kits are p u t together in numbered sect i o n s , in p r o d u c t i o n order, so the first piece out of the box is the first piece that goes on. Mahogany's Bob Hamilton points out that the company maintains solid long-term relation-
Blow moulding FRP makes stronger parts A MACHINE has b e e n designed for blow moulding long-glass fibre reinforced thermoplastics (FRP) into technical hollow articles by Krupp K a u t e x in c o o p e r a t i o n with Krupp Entwicklungszentrum GmbH, of Essen, Germany. Because t h e blow mouldings have no seams they are stronger than welded versions. Using the m a c h i n e , average fibre lengths of approximately 8 mm
Easy dispensing with Big Willie model
have b e e n achieved in the finished state. Long glass fibres increase rigidity, modulus of elasticity and heat deflection temperature. They also increase dimensional stability thanks to their lower coefficient of t h e r m a l expansion, reports P l a s t i c s I n d u s t r y News. K r u p p K a u t e x Maschin e n b a u ; tel: + 4 9 - 2 2 8 489-0; fax: + 49-228489-414.
Reinforced Plastics December 1994
ships with raw materials suppliers to further support the quality and uniformity of the kits. For example, it buys fibre glass from Vetrotex CertainTeed so it can assure its boat builder customers that the laminate they get in the prototype will be the same in every kit for that boat model. B o b H a m i l t o n , Mah o g a n y Co; tel: + 1609-625-8101; f a x : + 1-609-625-8209.
A HIGH-volume dispensing unit for high-viscosity polyester putties and adhesives is available from GS Manufacturing. The Model BWX Big Willie polyester extrusion unit transfers material dir e c t l y f r o m d r u m s to the required parts with virtually no waste. It can hold over 200 litres and is capable of p u m p i n g up to 9 kg/minute. A GSdesigned MEKP slave system meters the flow of
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catalyst accurately with no pulsation, says the firm. The Big Willie w i t h its u l t r a - h i g h o u t p u t valve/nozzle assembly p r o d u c e s material that is completely mixed, yet it is easy to clean using t h e GS t h r e e - w a y airsolvent purge assembly. The machine costs $9995. L y n n Sours, GS M a n u f a c t u r i n g ; tel: + 1- 7146 4 2 - 1 5 0 0 ; f a x : + 1-714631-6770.
transfer moulding (RTM) processes w h o see the value of the service in helping them meet tight tolerances. Instead of measuring, layering and cutting their own composite materials in-house, customers outsource this task to Mahogany's staff of experts. W o r k i n g closely w i t h the boat builder, Mahogany creates patterns for each c o m p o n e n t , puts t o g e t h e r the specified combination of laminate materials, cuts the laminate patterns to size, and puts each section into a p r o d u c t i o n - r e a d y kit complete with application instructions. Mahogany then inventories the kit until needed by the customer. By using this service, the customers have more space for other production tasks, t h e y d o n ' t have to inventory materials, and they don't need to e m p l o y p e o p l e to measure and cut laminates. According to Mahogany, the kits can save
Laminate sections are cut to size in Mahogany Co "s cutting area. Completed kits are then packaged and stored until needed by the customer.
up to several days' production time on every boat. W h e n t h e y are ready to lay-up a boat, the customers just call and order the kit for that particular model. The kits are p u t together in numbered sect i o n s , in p r o d u c t i o n order, so the first piece out of the box is the first piece that goes on. Mahogany's Bob Hamilton points out that the company maintains solid long-term relation-
Blow moulding FRP makes stronger parts A MACHINE has b e e n designed for blow moulding long-glass fibre reinforced thermoplastics (FRP) into technical hollow articles by Krupp K a u t e x in c o o p e r a t i o n with Krupp Entwicklungszentrum GmbH, of Essen, Germany. Because t h e blow mouldings have no seams they are stronger than welded versions. Using the m a c h i n e , average fibre lengths of approximately 8 mm
Easy dispensing with Big Willie model
have b e e n achieved in the finished state. Long glass fibres increase rigidity, modulus of elasticity and heat deflection temperature. They also increase dimensional stability thanks to their lower coefficient of t h e r m a l expansion, reports P l a s t i c s I n d u s t r y News. K r u p p K a u t e x Maschin e n b a u ; tel: + 4 9 - 2 2 8 489-0; fax: + 49-228489-414.
Reinforced Plastics December 1994
ships with raw materials suppliers to further support the quality and uniformity of the kits. For example, it buys fibre glass from Vetrotex CertainTeed so it can assure its boat builder customers that the laminate they get in the prototype will be the same in every kit for that boat model. B o b H a m i l t o n , Mah o g a n y Co; tel: + 1609-625-8101; f a x : + 1-609-625-8209.
A HIGH-volume dispensing unit for high-viscosity polyester putties and adhesives is available from GS Manufacturing. The Model BWX Big Willie polyester extrusion unit transfers material dir e c t l y f r o m d r u m s to the required parts with virtually no waste. It can hold over 200 litres and is capable of p u m p i n g up to 9 kg/minute. A GSdesigned MEKP slave system meters the flow of
]6
catalyst accurately with no pulsation, says the firm. The Big Willie w i t h its u l t r a - h i g h o u t p u t valve/nozzle assembly p r o d u c e s material that is completely mixed, yet it is easy to clean using t h e GS t h r e e - w a y airsolvent purge assembly. The machine costs $9995. L y n n Sours, GS M a n u f a c t u r i n g ; tel: + 1- 7146 4 2 - 1 5 0 0 ; f a x : + 1-714631-6770.