JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008 - II

Special JEC Asia - News Expansion of colour compounding capacity The Color Division of specialty compounder RTP Company has expanded its capacity on a number of fronts for the production of masterbatches and precoloured resins. The company offers a 5-day lead time for colour masterbatches and precoloured resins. As sales increase, the only way to continue supplying in a 5-day window is to have a capacity growing at a faster rate so that RTP can stay ahead of the curve. Recent capacity increases include five new extrusion lines at the Winona, Minnesota facility, one of which is dedicated to the manufacture of fluoropolymer colours and compounds. New lines for the colour laboratories and production were also added at the Suzhou (China), Singapore, and Fort Worth (Texas) locations. This year, the company will complete an expansion at the colour laboratory in Beaune, France, in addition to an extrusion line for colour products. Expanding the laboratories allows RTP to provide a wider range of colour solutions for the industry’s ever-changing and ever-challenging needs. www.rtpcolor.com being built in conjunction with the Tianjin Xeda Administrative Committee (Xeda), who helped Hexcel to secure a site with a total floor area of 30,000m², close to the facilities of major wind power customers. The plant building will occupy an area of approximately 8,000m² and manufacture HexPly® epoxy resin prepregs, primarily for wind energy and industrial applications. This year, Hexcel launched its new prepreg for wind energy, HexPly® M19, which is a major step forward in prepregs for wind energy as it cures in 15-20% less time than current prepregs used for the same application. The cycle time savings mean that less energy is required to cure the prepreg and more blades can be produced in a week. Thanks to the shorter cure cycle, savings in mould costs are achievable because less expensive tooling resins and tooling coatings can be used along with a cheaper tooling support system. HexPly® M19 has the same excellent mechanical and handling properties as the established HexPly® M9 prepreg range. It is suitable for the manufacture of shells, spars and the root end of turbine blades and is available with glass and carbon fibre reinforcement. www.hexcel.com and new equipment, the company will be able to continue developing its presence in the Australian market. Situated halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the facility incorporates offices, warehouses and production, enabling the growing team to supply a comprehensive range of composite materials, structural engineering services, and the B3 SmartPac solution to customers across Australia. Nick Boltar now has responsibility for sales in Australia, having spent the last 18 months managing New Zealand accounts from the High Modulus head office in Auckland. Mark Clothier has been appointed managing director of High Modulus (Australia), having spent the previous ten years as managing director of the Australasian branch of safety and survival equipment distributor, RFD. Tony Riek, formerly of Riviera, has been commissioned to manage the set-up of the B3 SmartPac production in Queensland. The B3 SmartPac is a complete composite construction solution, including optimised, practical structural design, and a set of pre-cut reinforcements and core materials. This all-in-one solution enables boat builders to save time and labour in the lamination process, to manufacture a repeatable, high-quality product, to reduce waste to a minimum, and ultimately to improve the bottom line. The B3 SmartPac is available to High Modulus customers around the world. www.high-modulus.com Hexcel builds prepreg production plant in China Hexcel will officially open a new prepreg facility in Tianjin in October 2008 to meet the growing demand for composite materials in China’s wind energy sector. The new plant is High Modulus opens new facility in Australia High Modulus recently announced the opening of its new facility in Australia. With new premises, new management II Special JEC Composites Asia / 2008

http://www.jeccomposites.com http://www.rtpcolor.com http://www.hexcel.com http://www.high-modulus.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008