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OCF targets industrialized composites processes
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PECIAL
FEATURE
OCF targets industrialized composites processes O w e n s - C o m i n g Fiberglas is the largest producer o f and Wrexham, UK, acquired from Owensglass fibre in the world. In r e i n f o r c i n g fibres it Corning's licensee Pilkington in 1986, produces choppable roving, chopped strands o p e r a t e s plants all over the globe. To maintain this and products for reinforced thermoplastics p o s i t i o n t h e c o m p a n y m a k e s a significant i n v e s t m e n t (RTP). in the R&D o f n e w products and p r o c e s s e s for The recession hit OCF sales badly in 1991 manufacturing c o m p o s i t e s . Amanda Weaver visited with the industrial materials group experithe t e c h n i c a l centre in Battice, Belgium, to find out encing a fall in global sales of 11 Toocompared to 1990; 10% of this decline was in the US more. market. With the textiles market remaining virtually unchanged the majori W of this decline was felt in the reinforcement sector. I n d u s t r i a l materials, which includes Weaknesses in the automotive and pleasure reinforcements, textile yarns and re- boat industries are blamed by OCF. Phillips says t h a t the 1992 market has so sins, makes up some 40% of OwensCorning Fiberglas' net sales. But it accounts far been flatter t h a n expected with sales running only slightly above the 1991 level. for more than 50% of the profits. The firm is the largest producer of glass However, US sales are higher than in the fibre and reinforcement products in the previous year and this recovery should reach world, says manager of the compression Europe in 1993 with stronger growth being moulding marketing division for OCF in experienced, he claims. The compression moulding market for Europe, F. Jackson Phillips. It has over 40% which Phillips is responsible comprises 50% of the global market. There are eight factories in Europe, five of reinforced thermosets such as sheet and bulk which make reinforcement products. Battice moulding compounds (SMC/BMC) and 50% in Belgium, built in 1964-65, was the first reinforced thermoplastics. Both sides of the European plant (see box). L'Ardoise in business are growing, Phillips told us, with France manufactures direct roving, chopped RTP showing the faster growth rate. FIGURE 1: Citroen ZX strand and mat; Falkenberg (Scandinavian In the thermoset area OCF sees growth hatchback moulded Glasfiber) makes continuous roving, mat, potential for injection moulded BMC in using IM-BMC texturized roving and choppable roving; automotive hatchbacks. Some 50% of curtechnology which Birkeland in Norway (Norsk Glasfiber) rent European cars are hatchback models. Owens Corning makes the acid resistant grade ECR glass; The penetration of BMC into car headlamp helped develop. production has probably reached saturation point, however. SMC has the opportunity for growth in parts requiring a class A surface finish. More t h a n 50% of the US SMC market is for such parts but the proportion in Europe is much smaller. The technology is a l r e a d y available in E u r o p e with good compounders and good moulders. With the current trends among car makers to produce niche market models the potential for SMC is excellent. Structural parts made from thermoset composites are also attracting considerable a t t e n t i o n . Original e q u i p m e n t manufacturers (OEM) are reported to be showing interest in this area because of the potential for consolidation of parts combined with weight reductions.
REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1992
0034-3617/92/$3.50 ,~ 1992, Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd.
S F r a n c e is c u r r e n t l y the largest m a r k e t for r e i n f o r c e m e n t p r o d u c t s for t h e r m o s e t c o m p o sites. In t e r m s of r e i n f o r c e d t h e r m o p l a s t i c s , G e r m a n y is t h e d o m i n a n t market, w i t h the N e t h e r l a n d s also having a s t r o n g RTP comp o u n d i n g industry. Reinforced t h e r m o p l a s t i c s will e x p e r i e n c e g r o w t h in t h r e e p o l y m e r g r o u p s , Phillips believes. Polyamide a l r e a d y a c c o u n t s for 50% of the E u r o p e a n RTP market. This s e c t o r will c o n t i n u e to increase in size. U n d e r b o n n e t a p p l i c a t i o n s for all types of RTPs are increasing with p a r t s such as t h e p o l y a m i d e inlet manifold being developed. I m p r o v e m e n t s in p o l y p r o p y l e n e have led to t h e m a t e r i a l moving from being a c o m m o d i t y plastic to b e c o m i n g a l m o s t an e n g i n e e r i n g plastic; still with a price m o r e akin to a c o m m o d i t y grade. Glass m a t t h e r m o p l a s t i c (GMT) will see f u r t h e r g r o w t h in E u r o p e , Phillips p r e d i c t s , following its successful a p p l i c a t i o n in the f r o n t end of t h e \+%VGolf. Half of r e i n l b r c e m e n t sold in the c o m p r e s sion m o u l d i n g s e c t o r finds its way into some type of t r a n s p o r t use with the o t h e r 50% going into a p p l i a n c e s a n d electrical applications. R e i n f o r c e m e n t s for c o n t a c t m o u l d i n g processes c u r r e n t l y a c c o u n t for a r o u n d 60% of
m Making
OCF's sales. However, growth is occurring at a g r e a t e r r a t e in t h e c o m p r e s s i o n m o u l d i n g s e c t o r a n d t h e f i r m . e x p e c t s to see t h e p o s i t i o n s r e v e r s e d in t h e n e x t few years. Products for hand lay-up and spray-up, including weavers p r o d u c t s for use in h a n d lay-up, c o n s t i t u t e m o r e t h a n 50% of this market. Continuous laminating makes up a n o t h e r 20% + a n d the r e m a i n d e r is reinforcem e n t s for p r o c e s s e s s u c h as p u l t r u s i o n . filament winding a n d casting. H a n d lay-up a n d spray-up will c o n t i n u e to a c c o u n t for a large p e r c e n t a g e of the m a r k e t in the future, says J o s e Puig, Phillips' c o u n t e r p a r t in t h e c o n t a c t m o u l d i n g division. But thc~ p r o c e s s e s will b e c o m e m o r e a u t o m a t e d , for i n s t a n c e r o b o t s wj'll be increasingly used in spray-up. Many applications, such as b o a t building, n e e d the flexibility which only t h e s e p r o c e s s e s can provide. P u l t r u s i o n is a rapidly growing m a r k e t b u t Puig would discourage c o m p a n i e s from moving into it j u s t b e c a u s e it is growing. The growth is largely the result of t h e great job p u l t r u d e r s have d o n e in creating a d e m a n d for specific p r o d u c t s , he says. Only a few c o m p a n i e s are really successful in p u l t r u sion. C o n s t r u c t i o n is t h e biggest m a r k e t for
g l a s s fibre at B
a c c o r d i n g to OCF. The p l a n t was O C F s first in E u r o p e built in 1964-65. The c o n t i n u o u s m a t line is a relatively new activiW having o n l y been in o p e r a t i o n for two years. The line is s u p p l i e d directly by o n e melter. ~ e glass flows o u t of a b u s h i n g a n d f o r m s a continu o u s strand. Raw m a t e r i a l s for glass fibre p r o d u c t i o n , including silica f r o m Belgium, clay from B r i t t a n y a n d lime f r o m France, are s t o r e d in silos. Mixing i s c a r r i e d o u t in two t o n n e lots. The r a w m a t e r i a l s are a u t o m a t i -
ce
f o r e h e a r t h area. This is c a p a b l e of p r o d u c i n g t h o u s a n d s o f filaments. The alloy b o x is h e a t e d electrically a n d k e p t very a c c u r a t e l y to 1250°C. This is o n e of t h e p a r a m e t e r s w h i c h defines t h e d i a m e t e r o f t h e glass fibre
u n d e r t h e b u s h i n g . T h i s is c a p a b l e o f o p e r a t i n g a t up to 200 k m / h o u r . After leaving the b o x t h e glass is cooled r a p i d l y by b l a d e s a t t a c h e d to a cold w a t e r pipe. Within 50-60 cm t h e glass fails from t250'>C to 40-50°C. Size is a d d e d t o t h e glass before it r e a c h e s t h e winder. Up to 15 types of size m a y b e r u n s i m u l t a n e o u s l y o n different cally fed to t h e f u r n a c e o n d e m a n d . This h e l p s b u s h i n g s f r o m t h e s a m e furnace, says p l a n t m a i n t a i n a c o n s t a n t level of glass in ~he t a n k m a n a g e r B e r n a r d Baert. After size h a s b e e n with v a r i a t i o n s c o n f i n e d t o 0.5 ram. The a p p l i e d : t h e f i l a m e n t s a r e g r o u p e d t o g e t h e r n a t u r a l gas h e a t e.d . m - w o u n d into ' . e. l t.e r is k e p t a t a b e f o r e being strait ds. I n t h e acs e + t e m p e r a t u r e of 1600°C, The m o l t e n glass ~s o f t h e w i n d e r we saw in o p e r a t i o n t h r e e covered by a layer o f f o a m t o p r o t e c t it. The g r o u p s o f s ~ f i l a m e n t s w e r e w o u n d t o g e t h e r . glass has a densiW of 2.5 a n d is i n j u r e d w i t h ~ b r e s f r o m 9+17 ~m a r e p r o d u c ~ a t air to e n s u r e p r o p e r circulation. T h e w h o l e Battice. C h o p p e d s t r a n d is p r o d u c e d in 4.5, unit is a u t o m a t i c a l ~ c o n t r o l l ~ . C h a n n e l s 6 a n d 13 m m lengths. It is cut w e t t h e n c u r e d t a k e t h e m o l t e n glass t o t h e b ~ h i n g s . The a n d sieved t o size. ~ a s s t h e n p a s s e s t o an alloy b o x in t h e
REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1992
PECIAL FFATURE
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composites m a d e by open mould processes, followed by chemical industry and corrosion resistant products. Sports, military and aerospace applications a r e also important. Several of t h e m a r k e t s are p r o n e to s u b s t a n t i a l fluctuations. For instance the boat building t r a d e is highly d e p e n d e n t on the economic situation. Pipes for the chemical industry are project orientated and will vary considerably d e p e nd in g on w h e t h e r m a j or projects are currently underway. Reinforced plastic panels for use in th e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y also d e p e nd on the economic situation as well as having considerable competition from new materials. The technical centre at Battice is one of four OCF t e c h n i c a l c e n t r e s a c r os s t h e world. F u n d a m e n t a l r e s e a r c h is c a r r i e d o u t in Granville, Ohio, USA, and in a smaller centre in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Applied research is done at Battice and in Guelph, Canada. Overall some 500 people are employed in research and development (R&D); 40 are based at the Battice Technical Centre. The Centre's role, says its d i r e c t o r Albert B o u r t e m b o u r g , is twofold: p r o d u c t d e v e l o p m e n t and composites s y s tems t e c h n i c a l s u p p o r t . P r o d u c t development covers new products, 'fire-fighting' s u p p o r t for the sales force and technical s u p p o r t for the manufacturing plants. Comp o s i t es systems t e c h n i c a l s u p p o r t is t h e development of composites applications, mainly for the automotive industry. Battice s u p p o r ts the textile and reinforcem e n t division in Europe, in collaboration with Granville. E x p e n d i t u r e on R&D in E ur ope is some $4 million/year with some additional s u p p o r t from the USA. J a c q u e s Gerard, m a n a g e r of c o m p o s i t e .systems technical support, told us t h a t his d e p a r t m e n t was focusing on t hr ee main areas. C o m p o s i t e s p r o c e s s e s such as i m p r o v i n g injection moulding BMC technology; improvem e n t s in SMC technology, p a r t i c u l a r l y in t e r m s of f o r m u l a t i o n s ; and d e v e l o p i n g Owens-Corning's P4 technology for industrial preforming. Injection moulding of BMC is not a new technology. It was used in the early 1980s to produce the h a t c h b a c k for t he Citroen BX model and has subsequently been used on the AX model as well. Much of the early developm e n t on the process was done b y glass m a ke r Vetrotex in conjunction with m oul der Manducher. The latest Citroen model to have a IM BMC hatchback, th e ZX, had a different design imposed by car builder PSA: a two piece h a t c h b ack comprising an o u t e r skin for class A surface a p p e a r a n c e and an inner panel to
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TrmmlIbmer Ma!i~1~~i Mokicarrier provide t he necessary mechanical properties. Both com ponent s are moulded by means of an injection p o r t in t h e split line, OCF engineer Karin Demez told us. Using a single injection port means t h a t the part has fewer welding lines, the cold channel in t he mould can be eliminated, and the moulds are easier to machine. A d i s a d v a n t a g e s is t h a t t h e distance covered by the material increases. In the ZX hat chback some BMC has to flow up to 2 m. This flow length may bring about prepolymerization of the material during the injection process. Given these differences it was not possible to simply transfer the com pounds used to mould the BX and AX parts to the product i on of the ZX. OCF had acquired a good underst andi ng of t he fibre d e g r a d a t i o n in t h e process, says Gerard. This e n a b l e d it to develop a new glass fibre p r o d u c t R63S which doubled the impact performance of the part. However, the formulation and compounding procedures also needed to be developed. The experi m ent s carried out by OCF and Manducher made it possible to highlight a range of p a r a m e t e r s which could be used to improve the flow of the injected material. The degree of filamentization of the glass fibre was found to play an i m p o r t a n t part. The lower the defilamentization t he easier the flow. The degree of filamentization in the c o m p o u n d may be a function of intensity of mixing and may also depend on the type of m i xer used. The type of catalyst used is also important. The catalyst for the AX/BX com pounds was too reactive and caused t he blends to gel before the filling was complete. After carrying out injection in a spiral plate mould and in trials on the ZX hat chback part, OCF and Manducher were able to produce a system suitable to mould the part. The fibre selected is R63SX3 (13 m m 75 t ex). T h i s geometry gives the best results and t he best
REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1992
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FIGURE 2: Lifting device for the P4 system.
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PECIAL ~_~TURE
surface finish, says Demez. No d e t e r m i n i n g criteria could be discovered for t h e selection of b l a d e r o t a t i o n s p e e d for t h e Farrel mixer. This was t h e r e f o r e k e p t at 50 t o n n e s / m i n . The tests were carried out using two c u r r e n t l y available p e r o x i d e s . These h a d gel t i m e s longer t h a n t h a t of t h e T b p B / T b p E H b l e n d u s e d previously, in spite of having gelp e a k values w h i c h were practically t h e same. The final selection of catalyst was m a d e on t h e basis of t h e quality of welding line at t h e end of t h e flow, as no o t h e r significant d i f f e r e n c e s c o u l d be f o u n d b e t w e e n t h e m a t e r i a l s . T h e ZX h a t c h b a c k w e n t i n t o p r o d u c t i o n in mid-1991. Michael J a n d e r ' s w o r k on Owens-Corning's P4 t e c h n o l o g y ( p r o g r a m m a b l e p o w d e r e d
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p r e f o r m pi'ocess) a n d t h e Rq2Vl p r o c e s s was first p r e s e n t e d at J E C in 1991 (see Reinforced Plastics, J u n e 1991). In t h e P4 t e c h n o l o g y t h e m a j o r a r e a of d e v e l o p m e n t has b e e n t h e i m p r o v e m e n t of t h e consistency. A new m o r e c o n t r o l l a b l e b i n d e r delivery system a n d a new press have been installed. A very a c c u r a t e a n d larger r o b o t will replace t h e p r e v i o u s one l a t e r this year. In m a t p r e f o r m i n g OCF has r u n tests in c o n j u n c t i o n with Italian e q u i p m e n t builder Cannon, using a C a n n o n p r e s s f r a m e to hold t h e mats. A line for s t r u c t u r a l r e a c t i o n injection m o u l d i n g (SRIM) has n o w b e e n built. The p r e f o r m is sprayed u p a n d covered with a surface veil. All h e a t i n g a n d cooling is
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S carried out in the press. The screen t h e n moves to a demoulding device. This flips the lower preform screen onto the SRIM tool. To eject the preform from the screen onto the mould the screen is divided into two parts. The central p a r t is first moved up, so t h a t the preform is released from it. Then it moves down to push the preform onto the mould. Three companies, including car m a ke r Ford, are said to be i n t e r e s t e d in p u r c h a s i n g e q u i p m e n t for p r o d u c t i o n n e x t year. Two are interested in RTM and one in SRIM. SRIM is of considerable interest to the automotive industry, says Jander. In the USA for b u m p e r beams and in E ur ope for body panels. Some 15 projects are currently underway. RTM is also of interest for body panels and structural parts, again mainly for the automotive market.
PECIAL FEATURE
J a n d e r says t h a t his t eam is working on consistency of glass distribution and preform weight variation. The process is now quite good, he says, and a p p l i c a t i o n s in areas outside RTM and SRIM could be considered. Owens-Coming, like fellow glass p r o d u c e r Vetrotex (profiled in Reinforced Plastics, S e p t e m b e r 1992), is investing significant sums in developing and improving composites processes and applications. Many of these projects are too large for one com pany to h a n d l e alone, it says, a c o l l a b o r a t i o n between materials suppliers, moulders and OEMs is needed. Without doubt the glass fibre manufacturers are playing an i m p o r t a n t role in advanci ng t h e c o m p o s i t e s i n d u s t r y in Europe. •
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REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1992
PECIAL
FEATURE
OCF targets industrialized composites processes O w e n s - C o m i n g Fiberglas is the largest producer o f and Wrexham, UK, acquired from Owensglass fibre in the world. In r e i n f o r c i n g fibres it Corning's licensee Pilkington in 1986, produces choppable roving, chopped strands o p e r a t e s plants all over the globe. To maintain this and products for reinforced thermoplastics p o s i t i o n t h e c o m p a n y m a k e s a significant i n v e s t m e n t (RTP). in the R&D o f n e w products and p r o c e s s e s for The recession hit OCF sales badly in 1991 manufacturing c o m p o s i t e s . Amanda Weaver visited with the industrial materials group experithe t e c h n i c a l centre in Battice, Belgium, to find out encing a fall in global sales of 11 Toocompared to 1990; 10% of this decline was in the US more. market. With the textiles market remaining virtually unchanged the majori W of this decline was felt in the reinforcement sector. I n d u s t r i a l materials, which includes Weaknesses in the automotive and pleasure reinforcements, textile yarns and re- boat industries are blamed by OCF. Phillips says t h a t the 1992 market has so sins, makes up some 40% of OwensCorning Fiberglas' net sales. But it accounts far been flatter t h a n expected with sales running only slightly above the 1991 level. for more than 50% of the profits. The firm is the largest producer of glass However, US sales are higher than in the fibre and reinforcement products in the previous year and this recovery should reach world, says manager of the compression Europe in 1993 with stronger growth being moulding marketing division for OCF in experienced, he claims. The compression moulding market for Europe, F. Jackson Phillips. It has over 40% which Phillips is responsible comprises 50% of the global market. There are eight factories in Europe, five of reinforced thermosets such as sheet and bulk which make reinforcement products. Battice moulding compounds (SMC/BMC) and 50% in Belgium, built in 1964-65, was the first reinforced thermoplastics. Both sides of the European plant (see box). L'Ardoise in business are growing, Phillips told us, with France manufactures direct roving, chopped RTP showing the faster growth rate. FIGURE 1: Citroen ZX strand and mat; Falkenberg (Scandinavian In the thermoset area OCF sees growth hatchback moulded Glasfiber) makes continuous roving, mat, potential for injection moulded BMC in using IM-BMC texturized roving and choppable roving; automotive hatchbacks. Some 50% of curtechnology which Birkeland in Norway (Norsk Glasfiber) rent European cars are hatchback models. Owens Corning makes the acid resistant grade ECR glass; The penetration of BMC into car headlamp helped develop. production has probably reached saturation point, however. SMC has the opportunity for growth in parts requiring a class A surface finish. More t h a n 50% of the US SMC market is for such parts but the proportion in Europe is much smaller. The technology is a l r e a d y available in E u r o p e with good compounders and good moulders. With the current trends among car makers to produce niche market models the potential for SMC is excellent. Structural parts made from thermoset composites are also attracting considerable a t t e n t i o n . Original e q u i p m e n t manufacturers (OEM) are reported to be showing interest in this area because of the potential for consolidation of parts combined with weight reductions.
REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1992
0034-3617/92/$3.50 ,~ 1992, Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd.
S F r a n c e is c u r r e n t l y the largest m a r k e t for r e i n f o r c e m e n t p r o d u c t s for t h e r m o s e t c o m p o sites. In t e r m s of r e i n f o r c e d t h e r m o p l a s t i c s , G e r m a n y is t h e d o m i n a n t market, w i t h the N e t h e r l a n d s also having a s t r o n g RTP comp o u n d i n g industry. Reinforced t h e r m o p l a s t i c s will e x p e r i e n c e g r o w t h in t h r e e p o l y m e r g r o u p s , Phillips believes. Polyamide a l r e a d y a c c o u n t s for 50% of the E u r o p e a n RTP market. This s e c t o r will c o n t i n u e to increase in size. U n d e r b o n n e t a p p l i c a t i o n s for all types of RTPs are increasing with p a r t s such as t h e p o l y a m i d e inlet manifold being developed. I m p r o v e m e n t s in p o l y p r o p y l e n e have led to t h e m a t e r i a l moving from being a c o m m o d i t y plastic to b e c o m i n g a l m o s t an e n g i n e e r i n g plastic; still with a price m o r e akin to a c o m m o d i t y grade. Glass m a t t h e r m o p l a s t i c (GMT) will see f u r t h e r g r o w t h in E u r o p e , Phillips p r e d i c t s , following its successful a p p l i c a t i o n in the f r o n t end of t h e \+%VGolf. Half of r e i n l b r c e m e n t sold in the c o m p r e s sion m o u l d i n g s e c t o r finds its way into some type of t r a n s p o r t use with the o t h e r 50% going into a p p l i a n c e s a n d electrical applications. R e i n f o r c e m e n t s for c o n t a c t m o u l d i n g processes c u r r e n t l y a c c o u n t for a r o u n d 60% of
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OCF's sales. However, growth is occurring at a g r e a t e r r a t e in t h e c o m p r e s s i o n m o u l d i n g s e c t o r a n d t h e f i r m . e x p e c t s to see t h e p o s i t i o n s r e v e r s e d in t h e n e x t few years. Products for hand lay-up and spray-up, including weavers p r o d u c t s for use in h a n d lay-up, c o n s t i t u t e m o r e t h a n 50% of this market. Continuous laminating makes up a n o t h e r 20% + a n d the r e m a i n d e r is reinforcem e n t s for p r o c e s s e s s u c h as p u l t r u s i o n . filament winding a n d casting. H a n d lay-up a n d spray-up will c o n t i n u e to a c c o u n t for a large p e r c e n t a g e of the m a r k e t in the future, says J o s e Puig, Phillips' c o u n t e r p a r t in t h e c o n t a c t m o u l d i n g division. But thc~ p r o c e s s e s will b e c o m e m o r e a u t o m a t e d , for i n s t a n c e r o b o t s wj'll be increasingly used in spray-up. Many applications, such as b o a t building, n e e d the flexibility which only t h e s e p r o c e s s e s can provide. P u l t r u s i o n is a rapidly growing m a r k e t b u t Puig would discourage c o m p a n i e s from moving into it j u s t b e c a u s e it is growing. The growth is largely the result of t h e great job p u l t r u d e r s have d o n e in creating a d e m a n d for specific p r o d u c t s , he says. Only a few c o m p a n i e s are really successful in p u l t r u sion. C o n s t r u c t i o n is t h e biggest m a r k e t for
g l a s s fibre at B
a c c o r d i n g to OCF. The p l a n t was O C F s first in E u r o p e built in 1964-65. The c o n t i n u o u s m a t line is a relatively new activiW having o n l y been in o p e r a t i o n for two years. The line is s u p p l i e d directly by o n e melter. ~ e glass flows o u t of a b u s h i n g a n d f o r m s a continu o u s strand. Raw m a t e r i a l s for glass fibre p r o d u c t i o n , including silica f r o m Belgium, clay from B r i t t a n y a n d lime f r o m France, are s t o r e d in silos. Mixing i s c a r r i e d o u t in two t o n n e lots. The r a w m a t e r i a l s are a u t o m a t i -
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f o r e h e a r t h area. This is c a p a b l e of p r o d u c i n g t h o u s a n d s o f filaments. The alloy b o x is h e a t e d electrically a n d k e p t very a c c u r a t e l y to 1250°C. This is o n e of t h e p a r a m e t e r s w h i c h defines t h e d i a m e t e r o f t h e glass fibre
u n d e r t h e b u s h i n g . T h i s is c a p a b l e o f o p e r a t i n g a t up to 200 k m / h o u r . After leaving the b o x t h e glass is cooled r a p i d l y by b l a d e s a t t a c h e d to a cold w a t e r pipe. Within 50-60 cm t h e glass fails from t250'>C to 40-50°C. Size is a d d e d t o t h e glass before it r e a c h e s t h e winder. Up to 15 types of size m a y b e r u n s i m u l t a n e o u s l y o n different cally fed to t h e f u r n a c e o n d e m a n d . This h e l p s b u s h i n g s f r o m t h e s a m e furnace, says p l a n t m a i n t a i n a c o n s t a n t level of glass in ~he t a n k m a n a g e r B e r n a r d Baert. After size h a s b e e n with v a r i a t i o n s c o n f i n e d t o 0.5 ram. The a p p l i e d : t h e f i l a m e n t s a r e g r o u p e d t o g e t h e r n a t u r a l gas h e a t e.d . m - w o u n d into ' . e. l t.e r is k e p t a t a b e f o r e being strait ds. I n t h e acs e + t e m p e r a t u r e of 1600°C, The m o l t e n glass ~s o f t h e w i n d e r we saw in o p e r a t i o n t h r e e covered by a layer o f f o a m t o p r o t e c t it. The g r o u p s o f s ~ f i l a m e n t s w e r e w o u n d t o g e t h e r . glass has a densiW of 2.5 a n d is i n j u r e d w i t h ~ b r e s f r o m 9+17 ~m a r e p r o d u c ~ a t air to e n s u r e p r o p e r circulation. T h e w h o l e Battice. C h o p p e d s t r a n d is p r o d u c e d in 4.5, unit is a u t o m a t i c a l ~ c o n t r o l l ~ . C h a n n e l s 6 a n d 13 m m lengths. It is cut w e t t h e n c u r e d t a k e t h e m o l t e n glass t o t h e b ~ h i n g s . The a n d sieved t o size. ~ a s s t h e n p a s s e s t o an alloy b o x in t h e
REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1992
PECIAL FFATURE
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composites m a d e by open mould processes, followed by chemical industry and corrosion resistant products. Sports, military and aerospace applications a r e also important. Several of t h e m a r k e t s are p r o n e to s u b s t a n t i a l fluctuations. For instance the boat building t r a d e is highly d e p e n d e n t on the economic situation. Pipes for the chemical industry are project orientated and will vary considerably d e p e nd in g on w h e t h e r m a j or projects are currently underway. Reinforced plastic panels for use in th e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y also d e p e nd on the economic situation as well as having considerable competition from new materials. The technical centre at Battice is one of four OCF t e c h n i c a l c e n t r e s a c r os s t h e world. F u n d a m e n t a l r e s e a r c h is c a r r i e d o u t in Granville, Ohio, USA, and in a smaller centre in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Applied research is done at Battice and in Guelph, Canada. Overall some 500 people are employed in research and development (R&D); 40 are based at the Battice Technical Centre. The Centre's role, says its d i r e c t o r Albert B o u r t e m b o u r g , is twofold: p r o d u c t d e v e l o p m e n t and composites s y s tems t e c h n i c a l s u p p o r t . P r o d u c t development covers new products, 'fire-fighting' s u p p o r t for the sales force and technical s u p p o r t for the manufacturing plants. Comp o s i t es systems t e c h n i c a l s u p p o r t is t h e development of composites applications, mainly for the automotive industry. Battice s u p p o r ts the textile and reinforcem e n t division in Europe, in collaboration with Granville. E x p e n d i t u r e on R&D in E ur ope is some $4 million/year with some additional s u p p o r t from the USA. J a c q u e s Gerard, m a n a g e r of c o m p o s i t e .systems technical support, told us t h a t his d e p a r t m e n t was focusing on t hr ee main areas. C o m p o s i t e s p r o c e s s e s such as i m p r o v i n g injection moulding BMC technology; improvem e n t s in SMC technology, p a r t i c u l a r l y in t e r m s of f o r m u l a t i o n s ; and d e v e l o p i n g Owens-Corning's P4 technology for industrial preforming. Injection moulding of BMC is not a new technology. It was used in the early 1980s to produce the h a t c h b a c k for t he Citroen BX model and has subsequently been used on the AX model as well. Much of the early developm e n t on the process was done b y glass m a ke r Vetrotex in conjunction with m oul der Manducher. The latest Citroen model to have a IM BMC hatchback, th e ZX, had a different design imposed by car builder PSA: a two piece h a t c h b ack comprising an o u t e r skin for class A surface a p p e a r a n c e and an inner panel to
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PECIAL FEATURE
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TrmmlIbmer Ma!i~1~~i Mokicarrier provide t he necessary mechanical properties. Both com ponent s are moulded by means of an injection p o r t in t h e split line, OCF engineer Karin Demez told us. Using a single injection port means t h a t the part has fewer welding lines, the cold channel in t he mould can be eliminated, and the moulds are easier to machine. A d i s a d v a n t a g e s is t h a t t h e distance covered by the material increases. In the ZX hat chback some BMC has to flow up to 2 m. This flow length may bring about prepolymerization of the material during the injection process. Given these differences it was not possible to simply transfer the com pounds used to mould the BX and AX parts to the product i on of the ZX. OCF had acquired a good underst andi ng of t he fibre d e g r a d a t i o n in t h e process, says Gerard. This e n a b l e d it to develop a new glass fibre p r o d u c t R63S which doubled the impact performance of the part. However, the formulation and compounding procedures also needed to be developed. The experi m ent s carried out by OCF and Manducher made it possible to highlight a range of p a r a m e t e r s which could be used to improve the flow of the injected material. The degree of filamentization of the glass fibre was found to play an i m p o r t a n t part. The lower the defilamentization t he easier the flow. The degree of filamentization in the c o m p o u n d may be a function of intensity of mixing and may also depend on the type of m i xer used. The type of catalyst used is also important. The catalyst for the AX/BX com pounds was too reactive and caused t he blends to gel before the filling was complete. After carrying out injection in a spiral plate mould and in trials on the ZX hat chback part, OCF and Manducher were able to produce a system suitable to mould the part. The fibre selected is R63SX3 (13 m m 75 t ex). T h i s geometry gives the best results and t he best
REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1992
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FIGURE 2: Lifting device for the P4 system.
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PECIAL ~_~TURE
surface finish, says Demez. No d e t e r m i n i n g criteria could be discovered for t h e selection of b l a d e r o t a t i o n s p e e d for t h e Farrel mixer. This was t h e r e f o r e k e p t at 50 t o n n e s / m i n . The tests were carried out using two c u r r e n t l y available p e r o x i d e s . These h a d gel t i m e s longer t h a n t h a t of t h e T b p B / T b p E H b l e n d u s e d previously, in spite of having gelp e a k values w h i c h were practically t h e same. The final selection of catalyst was m a d e on t h e basis of t h e quality of welding line at t h e end of t h e flow, as no o t h e r significant d i f f e r e n c e s c o u l d be f o u n d b e t w e e n t h e m a t e r i a l s . T h e ZX h a t c h b a c k w e n t i n t o p r o d u c t i o n in mid-1991. Michael J a n d e r ' s w o r k on Owens-Corning's P4 t e c h n o l o g y ( p r o g r a m m a b l e p o w d e r e d
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p r e f o r m pi'ocess) a n d t h e Rq2Vl p r o c e s s was first p r e s e n t e d at J E C in 1991 (see Reinforced Plastics, J u n e 1991). In t h e P4 t e c h n o l o g y t h e m a j o r a r e a of d e v e l o p m e n t has b e e n t h e i m p r o v e m e n t of t h e consistency. A new m o r e c o n t r o l l a b l e b i n d e r delivery system a n d a new press have been installed. A very a c c u r a t e a n d larger r o b o t will replace t h e p r e v i o u s one l a t e r this year. In m a t p r e f o r m i n g OCF has r u n tests in c o n j u n c t i o n with Italian e q u i p m e n t builder Cannon, using a C a n n o n p r e s s f r a m e to hold t h e mats. A line for s t r u c t u r a l r e a c t i o n injection m o u l d i n g (SRIM) has n o w b e e n built. The p r e f o r m is sprayed u p a n d covered with a surface veil. All h e a t i n g a n d cooling is
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S carried out in the press. The screen t h e n moves to a demoulding device. This flips the lower preform screen onto the SRIM tool. To eject the preform from the screen onto the mould the screen is divided into two parts. The central p a r t is first moved up, so t h a t the preform is released from it. Then it moves down to push the preform onto the mould. Three companies, including car m a ke r Ford, are said to be i n t e r e s t e d in p u r c h a s i n g e q u i p m e n t for p r o d u c t i o n n e x t year. Two are interested in RTM and one in SRIM. SRIM is of considerable interest to the automotive industry, says Jander. In the USA for b u m p e r beams and in E ur ope for body panels. Some 15 projects are currently underway. RTM is also of interest for body panels and structural parts, again mainly for the automotive market.
PECIAL FEATURE
J a n d e r says t h a t his t eam is working on consistency of glass distribution and preform weight variation. The process is now quite good, he says, and a p p l i c a t i o n s in areas outside RTM and SRIM could be considered. Owens-Coming, like fellow glass p r o d u c e r Vetrotex (profiled in Reinforced Plastics, S e p t e m b e r 1992), is investing significant sums in developing and improving composites processes and applications. Many of these projects are too large for one com pany to h a n d l e alone, it says, a c o l l a b o r a t i o n between materials suppliers, moulders and OEMs is needed. Without doubt the glass fibre manufacturers are playing an i m p o r t a n t role in advanci ng t h e c o m p o s i t e s i n d u s t r y in Europe. •
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REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1992