Dieffenbacher offers long fibre RTP process options

PROCESS fi G w &w In brief

AOC pushes ahead in pultrusion TO

SERVE

the

pultrusion has installed

in a new pul-

laboratory

Valparaiso,

Indiana,

pultruder

provide the

and

new pultrusion

pultrusion

one AOC

and AOC

tion-size

parts.

produc-

reduced

tion 12.7

cm. load

5400 of

system

has a

impregnation

capability

of

kg and

4.6

a top

cm

per

enhanced

unit’s control

and data acqui-

technology

applications

as sea walls, marine infrastructure.

peers and

will

Higher

truder

has eight zones of tem-

require

control

“Because

AOC

of the

we can

Tedesco,

“Using

the

tions,

for

P&tar

to

we can optimize

formulation

objectives

reduce

the

cycle

developing

are to: time

and

the

for processabili-

Corp

ing equipment

for

has

actest-

manufacturer

on the metals,

aero-

automotive

segLocated

City, Pennsylvania, systems

composites,

advanced

used to

and

other

materials.

The

advanced

materials

resins;

opti-

and processes

department

and

solve

UK

organization

cus-

TWI

processing

AOC

and help new

test

qualifying

or

Intwo

Satec, a materials

Satec makes

pulttuders

research

has taken

applications

ry

Tederco, fim AOC Pultrusion Laboratory; tel: +I-219-465-4398; fax: +l219-465-4337.

press.

Supplied

by

Machinery

Cambridge,

the machine to support

increasing posites

of

laborato-

Rotherwood be used

at

delivery

its first customized

and markets.

condi-

Instron quired

in Grove

primary

develop

unit

production

lation to another. The

from

(BSI). Another

in the USA.

tomers;

AOC.

Standards

ments

to

one trial formu-

problems

pultrusion

leader

the

and

new pultrusion

manager

materi-

available

space

mize

suppliers,”

laboratory

simulate

work

additive,

filler and catalyst explains

is

of composite

focused

of the new laboratory

resin

and shear

the way ahead, he says. It also

two

cooling.

with our customer’s

line resin

and

one component

line

developments.

is

from

process

at current

injection

switch

new pul-

flexural

British

by com-

are expected within six months.

and lower

The

Jim

he adds.

resin

drafted tensile,

als, are now

For

requirements.

ably not be enough sion capacity

efficiencies

emissions

die.

it easier and faster

tions take off there will probpulttu-

process

covering

stitution

by resin injection

pultrusion

makes

formulation

If all applica-

the new

be accomplished

in the

standards

testing

development

only

in areas such

with

Four NPL,

pression,

resin

laboratory

next

company’s

the

to meet

zones of controlled

The

will

says

exclusively

speed

minute.

Strongwell

double

for the process

speeds

Tedesco unit

value.

new for-

for the customer.”

cm by

The

with

is significantly

is 25.4

forecasts

goal is to expand

speeds,

The

envelope

and

time

mulations

perature

the

Start-up

produc-

resins,

over

years.

man-

ty, performance is

to process

mould

growth

few

says Mike

pult-

Strongwell

designed

sition

of the fastest business

closed

digit

develop

industries,

Dettre,

it for

P&tar

from

pull

resins.

Historically

ager,

help

support

industry

has been

its

site.

will

technical

growing

at

new

ruder

size pultru-

sion machine trusion

The

AOC

a state-of-the-

art, production

The

growing

industry

Ltd, will

TWI’s

activity

in com-

research.

Dieffenbacher offers long fibre RTP process options NEW

processing

methods

for lightweight

mouldings

with high material

character-

istics values were being

high-

lighted

by J. Dieffenbacher

GmbH

at K98.

The

any says the process ments the

are being

driven

automotive

demands

compdevelopby

industry’s

for more

its

Melt

cost effi-

ogy to develop variants

is using

(MCM)

for production

parts.

The

(long

fibre)

direct

processing

and

option

thermoplastics

appropriate

extrudet

two

lines

and an engine

encapsulation

part

German

Fibron

which

to make

Menzolit-

are being

front-ends

a year

Passat.

scheduled

for

A third

moulders

is

in the

1999.

Other

are also reported lines

which

for the

offers

to make

for a Skoda

for

a

model

the struc-

by

car

Polymers

joint

venture

(see

Industry

News). Ernst

savs

that

a

trial

December

Dieffenbacher developing

is also

A

(long

fibre

granulate)

and LFG processes.

where

fibre

rein-

is

com-

GMT

thermoplastic

pounds

as well as granulated

and recycled

GMT

materials

currently

to switch

tion

one

tural parts with considerable

screw

exttuder

into

substantial

cost savings

able

plasticized

This

process

mat

(GMT). on

thermoplastics

Ernst

says that tests

a Mercedes

dashboard

showed

system

sure was requited

that

MCM-LFT

material

in

GMT.

Other

40% process parts

suitable spare

for wheel

less pres-

ment

panels

the

trays.

An

for

already

than

already

with

is likely parts and

LFG

been

as

insttubattery

system sold

the material

German

to be

such

covers,

using

mould-

materials.

for

has use

to be pro-

Ernst

Mercedes to

of

which cost mouldet

also carrying

for the spare

the LFT The part

made

but

processes

glass

Class

process forced

set

make

cover in both

in a single-

with

is to

Mercedes wheel

a MCM-LFG

Owens

Automotive

are pro-cessed

compared

the

Corning/DSM

In addition,

maker.

the

line

for delivery of

via an

step

used

300 000 structural

in a plasticized one

at

installed

duced

the

in mid-1999

resulting

a

MCM-

front-end

of

offers

the

include

set for launch

opportunity

of rovings

for

process

has already

of

MCM-LFT

LFT

pany

process

composite

confirmed

Rein-

told

forced lYastics that the com-

to be ordering

technol-

a number

thermoplastic

Ernst

middle

Compression

Moulding

Dieffenbachet’s

Heinrich

VW

cient part manufacture. Dieffenbacher

process.

from expects produc-

the

new

will

offer

savings. Mitras

is

out trials of the

LFG process.

Heinrich EUUt, Diefenbacher GmbH & Co; tel: +49-7262-65-O; fax: +49-7262-65-297; e-mail: dse@dieffen bacber. de. Reinforced

Plastics December

1998