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MAN chooses GRP for diesel engine cooler
rp4708pgs4_11.qxd
27/08/2003
14:49
Page 4
applications news
MAN chooses GRP for diesel engine cooler
Lower plenum of the MAN D28 diesel unit charge-air cooler.
ENGINE manufacturer MAN has replaced metal with glass reinforced polyamide (PA) 66 in part of its latest air cooling units. German automotive systems supplier Behr is making the lower plenum of the charge-air cooler out of BASF's Ultramid® A3WG7 compound, which is filled with 35% glass fibre. The parts will be installed
in MAN’s D28 diesel engines. Operating temperatures reach 110°C with pressures up to 2 bar, and BASF says the Ultramid grade has the strength necessary to keep the part working for a long time under these conditions. According to BASF, one of the main reasons why Behr chose Ultramid A3WG7 is
because it required a fast flowing material that would make moulding simple and easy. During manufacture, BASF says it is possible to fill the mould, which is nearly 1 m long, with molten resin from a single injection point without the injection pressure having to be increased as the resin starts to crystallize. The dimensional accuracy of the part allows it to be attached to the cooler's aluminium core with a simple gasket seal, adds the company. Flexibility of design enabled other components to be integrated into the part. Attachment points, a dirt trap and other mountings are all moulded-in. The surface finish is also said to be of a good enough quality for use on visible components, such as cylinder head covers. BASF AG; tel: +49-621-60-0; fax: +49-621-60-2-01-29; website: www.basf.de.
Resin switch improves production CANADIAN hot tub manufacturer Coast Spas says it has improved production and product quality of its composite baths by changing resins. Coast Spas specializes in portable acrylic hot tubs and now produces its 20 different models with Reichhold resins. Each tub starts with an acrylic shell made using vacuum forming, then resin and glass are sprayed on top. Reichhold's Hydrex® 100 (33350) vinyl ester resin is used for the skin coat and Polylite® 33150 low viscosity, low profile resin for bulk laminating. Coast wanted to improve the quality of its hot tubs and
4
REINFORCEDplastics
also make production easier. The company says changing resins has enabled it to achieve both, and although the new products are more expensive, the improvement in quality is worth the extra cost. The hot tub production cycle allows 20 minutes to spray and roll the laminate before it begins to set. Mike Toth, operations manager at Coast, says it was important that the new resins would give a predictable gel-time. Warping, which was a problem before, is now said to be eliminated. In the past, a lot of corrective work was needed to overcome the warping, and Toth says this
September 2003
Coast Spas now uses Reichhold resins.
often led to structural deficiencies in the finished part and heat build-up during cure. Cutting the need for corrective work has also reduced labour costs, he adds. Coast Spas; e-mail: coast@coast spas.com; website: www.coastspas. com; Reichhold; website: www.reichhold.com.
'Stealth' wind turbine blades developed EUROPEAN technology company Qinetiq is to develop a 'stealthy' composite wind turbine blade that will not interfere with radar systems. Qinetiq plans to overcome the problem of unwanted reflected signals showing up on radar screens by modifying the composition of glass reinforced polymer blades so that they absorb radar. Reflected signals from turbine blades can interfere with systems used by the military, air traffic control, marine navigation and systems for monitoring weather. The project team will develop blade materials that are capable of absorbing the wide range of frequencies used by different types of radar systems. Without affecting the structural integrity of the blade, Qinetiq claims the development will significantly reduce or completely eliminate the appearance of spurious radar signals caused by turbine blades. Qinietiq is working together with UK blade manufacturer NOI Scotland Ltd, which uses a resin infusion process to produce glass reinforced plastic blades of all sizes including those for offshore turbines of 2 MW and above. The project is being partly funded by the UK government Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and follows a previous study carried out by Qinetiq to model interactions between wind farms and radar systems. Qinetiq; tel: +44-8700-100942; website: www.qinetiq.com; NOI Scotland; tel: +44-1592653753; fax: +44-1592-654373; website: www.noi.de.
27/08/2003
14:49
Page 4
applications news
MAN chooses GRP for diesel engine cooler
Lower plenum of the MAN D28 diesel unit charge-air cooler.
ENGINE manufacturer MAN has replaced metal with glass reinforced polyamide (PA) 66 in part of its latest air cooling units. German automotive systems supplier Behr is making the lower plenum of the charge-air cooler out of BASF's Ultramid® A3WG7 compound, which is filled with 35% glass fibre. The parts will be installed
in MAN’s D28 diesel engines. Operating temperatures reach 110°C with pressures up to 2 bar, and BASF says the Ultramid grade has the strength necessary to keep the part working for a long time under these conditions. According to BASF, one of the main reasons why Behr chose Ultramid A3WG7 is
because it required a fast flowing material that would make moulding simple and easy. During manufacture, BASF says it is possible to fill the mould, which is nearly 1 m long, with molten resin from a single injection point without the injection pressure having to be increased as the resin starts to crystallize. The dimensional accuracy of the part allows it to be attached to the cooler's aluminium core with a simple gasket seal, adds the company. Flexibility of design enabled other components to be integrated into the part. Attachment points, a dirt trap and other mountings are all moulded-in. The surface finish is also said to be of a good enough quality for use on visible components, such as cylinder head covers. BASF AG; tel: +49-621-60-0; fax: +49-621-60-2-01-29; website: www.basf.de.
Resin switch improves production CANADIAN hot tub manufacturer Coast Spas says it has improved production and product quality of its composite baths by changing resins. Coast Spas specializes in portable acrylic hot tubs and now produces its 20 different models with Reichhold resins. Each tub starts with an acrylic shell made using vacuum forming, then resin and glass are sprayed on top. Reichhold's Hydrex® 100 (33350) vinyl ester resin is used for the skin coat and Polylite® 33150 low viscosity, low profile resin for bulk laminating. Coast wanted to improve the quality of its hot tubs and
4
REINFORCEDplastics
also make production easier. The company says changing resins has enabled it to achieve both, and although the new products are more expensive, the improvement in quality is worth the extra cost. The hot tub production cycle allows 20 minutes to spray and roll the laminate before it begins to set. Mike Toth, operations manager at Coast, says it was important that the new resins would give a predictable gel-time. Warping, which was a problem before, is now said to be eliminated. In the past, a lot of corrective work was needed to overcome the warping, and Toth says this
September 2003
Coast Spas now uses Reichhold resins.
often led to structural deficiencies in the finished part and heat build-up during cure. Cutting the need for corrective work has also reduced labour costs, he adds. Coast Spas; e-mail: coast@coast spas.com; website: www.coastspas. com; Reichhold; website: www.reichhold.com.
'Stealth' wind turbine blades developed EUROPEAN technology company Qinetiq is to develop a 'stealthy' composite wind turbine blade that will not interfere with radar systems. Qinetiq plans to overcome the problem of unwanted reflected signals showing up on radar screens by modifying the composition of glass reinforced polymer blades so that they absorb radar. Reflected signals from turbine blades can interfere with systems used by the military, air traffic control, marine navigation and systems for monitoring weather. The project team will develop blade materials that are capable of absorbing the wide range of frequencies used by different types of radar systems. Without affecting the structural integrity of the blade, Qinetiq claims the development will significantly reduce or completely eliminate the appearance of spurious radar signals caused by turbine blades. Qinietiq is working together with UK blade manufacturer NOI Scotland Ltd, which uses a resin infusion process to produce glass reinforced plastic blades of all sizes including those for offshore turbines of 2 MW and above. The project is being partly funded by the UK government Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and follows a previous study carried out by Qinetiq to model interactions between wind farms and radar systems. Qinetiq; tel: +44-8700-100942; website: www.qinetiq.com; NOI Scotland; tel: +44-1592653753; fax: +44-1592-654373; website: www.noi.de.