JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008 - 66

SPECIAL JEC COMPOSITES 2008 Description: The VW T5 design was completely revamped. Today’s ambulances are usually based on commercial models that are more or less adapted, giving rise not only to heavier structures and high maintenance costs, but also to poor human engineering for health workers and vehicles that do not hold the road well. This new concept makes generous use of composites and thermoformed plastics, and stands out for its comfort, good human engineering, large interior and low maintenance costs. Everything behind the driver has been redesigned. The loadcarrying monocoque structure has doors and hatchback in RTMmoulded glass-fibre-reinforced polyester, with use of structural bonding. The lower panels are in thermoformed ABS/PMMA. Nominee: Jacob Composite GmbH (Germany) Partnership Network: BMW M GmbH (Germany) Car manufacturer and part customer, Bond Laminates (Germany) Material supplier Name of Product or Process: Rear-seat structure for the M3 BMW car. Description: The rear seat structure is made from a sandwich material that combines PP honeycomb with two woven glass/PP skins. Steel bearings are built in the structure. A one-step moulding process combining low-pressure and high-pressure forming was developed specifically for the project. Nominee: OCV (USA) An Owens Cor ning subsidiar y; production of reinforcement fibres. Developed the Shieldstrand high-strength ballistic protection fibre and integrated the fibre in composite materials Partnership Network: Composix Company (USA) Designer and manufacturer of ballistic protection panels using the Shieldstrand fibre, BAE Systems (USA) Full-scale blast testing of the protective panels; integration on the vehicle, panel attachment system Name of Product or Process: Shieldstrand fibre and panels for ballistic and blast protection applications. Description: A specific type of glass fibre was used to produce composite armour panels for the ballistic protection of armoured vehicles. Several types of matrices can be used (polyester, epoxy, and phenolic thermoset resins, or thermoplastic resins) with different production technologies (pultrusion, press moulding, infusion, etc.) to meet a variety of needs. Nominee: Composieten Team BV / FiberCore Europe BV (Netherlands) Engineering office, specializes in str uctural composite applications for the civil engineering (bridges) and automotive markets. Partnership Network: KVE Composites Group BV (Netherlands) Structural panel manufacturer (RTM), prototype manufacturing, manufacturing support, Terberg Specials BV (Netherlands) Vehicle development, final assembly and marketing, Deen Polyester Constructies (Netherlands) Mould builder and structural composite parts manufacturer. Plus other partners that contributed not to the composite solution itself, but to the other body parts used along with the composite parts in the assembly. Name of Product or Process: Ambulance based on the design of a commercial vehicle (VW T5), and built at the request of Holland’s Regional Ambulance Service. SPORTS & LEISURE Winner: Yamaha Watercraft Group (USA) Sales of personal watercraft and boats Partnership Network: Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corp (USA) Manufacturer of the WaveRunner personal watercraft Interplastic Corporation (USA) Raw material supplier Name of Product or Process: This 2008 version of the WaveRunner SHO and HO personal watercraft uses the lightweight NanoXcel composite material in place of standard SMC materials. Description: Standard SMC materials are replaced with NanoXcel material, a new generation of low-density SMC. The new material is processed using the existing equipment and a slightly modified SMC technology. The parts concerned are the hull, deck and liner. NanoXcel uses expanded nanoclay materials to replace calcium carbonate in a composite material with a urethane hybrid matrix. According to the competing company, the new material constitutes a significant advance, since the other weight-saving solutions considered did not offer the required durability and strength. Advantages or Salient Features: In terms of processing, the new formulation has an improved moulding flow capability, thus improving surface finish, reducing defects in the painted parts, and minimizing subsequent rework. The final parts offer improved surface finish, 25% weight saving without using microspheres, and increased strength. The weight saving contributes to a better-performing craft, with faster speed and acceleration, and lower fuel consumption. State of Development: The material is fully developed and already used in these models. The length of the development period was not specified by the applicant. The material could be used in other watercraft and boat products. JEC Composites Magazine / No39 March-April 2008

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

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