JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008 - 23

tanks, pipes, scrubbers and linings, and high-performance FRPs. PS-type low profile additives are commonly used in pigmented SMC/BMC, while PVAC is used in automotive and Class A SMC parts. Again, the leading manufacturer is Swancor. Epoxy is the main matrix resin used in PCBs, tennis rackets, golf shafts, fishing rods, etc. Bisphenol A resin was introduced to Taiwan in 1980. Nan Ya is currently the main epoxy resin producer in Taiwan with a capacity of 220,000 tons/ year. The total production capacity is 350,000 tons/ year. Characteristics of the FRP industry in Taiwan The FRP industry in Taiwan has two main characteristics: (1) most of the companies are small- or medium-sized, 50% of them having a capital investment below US$300,000, and (2) large companies have been investing US$10~20 million (sometimes even up to US$100 million) to install complete production lines covering the production of raw materials to end products. This trend is accelerating very rapidly. High performance composites Fibers The fibres used by the local industry are S-glass, carbon, aramid, boron, etc. In terms of resins, modified epoxy, polyamide, PPS, PEEK, PSF PES, PEI, , and LCP were introduced in Taiwan several years ago and the demand is increasing very significantly. New commercial products such as bicycle frames, textile parts, robot arms, etc. have been developed recently. Since the offset of the “Boeing, Douglas purchasing project”, a special team has been created to investigate the feasibility of manufacturing aircraft parts in Taiwan. Composite materials have also been used in the secondary striation of military aircraft for many years, and new parts will be installed in the newly developed F-5E helicopter and jet fighter. Property test and design Most testing procedures and product specifications follow the Chinese National Standard (CNS) methods, which are comparable to JIS, ASTM, DIN and ISO. The tests and quality control procedures cover physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, and ageing testing of raw materials, additives, prepregs, laminates and end products. Non-destructive testing methods (NTD), such as acoustic emission, x-ray, ultrasonic-C scanning, thermal imaging, etc. have been utilized by R&D institutes. In the field of design, structural analysis, fracture mechanics and CAD/CAM/CAE are becoming attractive to research institutes and the industry. Tab. 2: Total consumption of GF/UP in Taiwan FRTP Although the commodity plastics market has reached a plateau, the growth rate of engineering plastics and fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (FRTP) is very high. For the past few years, the FRTP industry has enjoyed an average growth rate of 20%. In 2006, the total consumption was 118,700 tons, including nylon, PET/PBT, ABS, PC, MPPO, PPO, and PP matrices. For the past years, about 50% of FRTP was imported but this percentage has decreased significantly thanks to the R&D of local companies. FRP and composite organisations, research institutes and their activities RP/C, ROC Created in 1976, the Society of RP/C, R.O.C., is the largest and the most active composite society in Taiwan. Its membership consists of 200 companies and 30 individuals. Its activities include technical services to industry, SMC & BMC Both SMC and BMC technologies were launched in 1977 in Taiwan. There are now 12 manufacturers in this sector. The main products are chairs, bathtubs, washers, cooling towers, electronics, electrical applications, and automotive parts. Research projects are focusing on Class A surface finishes, low profile resins, high flow properties, fast curing, etc. Categories Boat(Yacht) and Watercraft Construction & Building Industrial application & Public works Mechanical & Electrical Transportation and Automobile Sporting Goods and Leisure Other Total 4,000 (11.41%) 8,000 (19.85%) 15,500 (38.46%) 6,000 (14.89%) 2,500 (6.20%) 700 (1.74%) 3,000 (7.44%) 40,300 (100%) 4,000 (9.72%) 10,200 (24.75%) 16,000 (38.83%) 5,500 (13.35%) 1,800 (4.37%) 700 (1.70%) 3,000 (7.28%) 41,200 (100%) 4,500 (9.81%) 12,200 (26.61%) 18,200 (39.69%) 5,500 (12.00%) 2,100 (4.58%) 700 (1.53%) 2,650 (5.78%) 45,850 (100%) 6,000 (12.00%) 12,500 (25.00%) 20,000 (40.00%) 5,000 (10.00%) 2,000 (4.00%) 500 (1.00%) 4,000 (8.00%) 50,000 (100%) 5,500 (11.00%) 13,000 (26.00%) 19,000 (38.00%) 5,000 (10.00%) 2,200 (4.00%) 500 (1.00%) 5,000 (10.00%) 50,200 (100%) Processing techniques Hand lay-up used to be one of the most popular processes in Taiwan. However, due to the high labour costs and the requirement for automation and highquality products, spray-up, prepregs, pultrusion, filament winding, RTM, SMC and BMC technologies have taken the lead, while hand lay-up is less than 30% in the GF/UP field. No39 March - April 2008 / JEC Composites Magazine
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008

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