JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #46 - January/February 2009 - 22

INNOVATIONS INNOVATIONS Prepregs for aerospace applications Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG) manufactures a range of aircraft interior prepreg materials which are qualified to Airbus specifications. The range includes epoxy, phenolic, and bismaleimide (BMI) resin systems that are supplied in a number of different formats, and fibre reinforcements such as carbon, E-, R- and S-glass. For aircraft interior applications, ACG's prepreg materials exhibit excellent fire performance characteristics that enable components to meet mandatory regulations, such as the Federal Aviation Authority's FAR25.853 and Airbus ABD0031 directives. The prepregs are widely used in passenger cabin interior applications for components such as sidewall and ceiling panels, partitions, and modular fittings, including lavatories, galleys, wardrobes and overhead luggage bins, where they offer remarkable stiffness even at minimal weight. This is particularly true for honeycomb-cored parts. The materials exhibit low heat release, as well as minimal emission of smoke and toxic gasses. ACG also offers prepreg materials exclusively manufactured for other interior fittings, such as seat outer shells and inner structures, air ducting and mixers, cabin and cargo flooring, and cargo liners. The range includes hightack adhesive epoxies, high-servicetemperature BMI and phenolics. www.advanced-composites.com requirements, reduced weight, design flexibility and lower cost compared with machine compounds. LubriOne compounds are used in a wide variety of industries, including transportation, healthcare, appliance, and electrical & electronics. Applications range from fuel pumps and drug-metering pumps to automated teller machines, paper shredders and printer gears. www.polyone.com PA & PBT compounds for food contact BASF has been offering several new foodcontact grades in its European range of engineering plastics since the beginning of August 2008, when the European Union’s GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) regulations for materials that come into contact with food products went into effect. These are PA 6.6 grades, e.g. Ultramid A3EG6 FC, and compounded PBT grades that include the glassfibre-reinforced Ultradur B4300 G6 FC. polyurethane foams and other porous machinable substrates. It supports rapid prototyping of masters and/or production of a limited number of parts. Applied by roller or brush to a clean, dust-free surface, QuickSkin cures in minutes at room temperature. Two to 6 coats may be needed, depending on porosity. Cure time between coats is only 15 minutes. Cured film is usable up to 135°C and can be repaired if damaged. No sanding or post-curing is required. QuickSkin can be used as a topcoat to provide a uniform pinhole-free surface to protect against atmospheric exposure. www.zyvax.com New water-based mould release for BMC/SMC MoldWiz 985JB, a concentrated waterbased mould release from Axel Plastics Research Laboratories (Woodside, NY), is providing value while reducing hazardous volatile emissions in SMC/BMC moulding operations. The proprietary mould release formula from Axel is an easy-wetting, quickdrying solution that is 36% active. It can be diluted with plain tap water and minimal agitation, permitting the moulder to fashion an economical and effective mould release while avoiding storage and handling of hazardous and flammable solvents. Once diluted, the mould release will remain fully emulsified, and does not require constant agitation. Wear-resistant compounds PolyOne Corporation introduces its newly rebranded LubriOne™ wearresistant compounds. These materials are now available globally under the LubriOne brand name. The compounds, which combine the unique benefits of internal lubricants with a wide array of reinforcements and base engineering resins, are self-lubricating, offering low friction coefficients and improved wear resistance properties. Other benefits include reduced noise and vibration, easier processing, lower power As stipulated in the GMP regulations, there is now a requirement for an enlarged quality-assurance and processcontrol system. Specifically, the new regulation demands that plastics manufacturers make further efforts to carefully choose and qualify materials, provide even more comprehensive documentation, and apply enhanced quality control. BASF issues EU conformity certificates to its customers. www.basf.de New sealer for porous mould surfaces Zyvax developed QuickSkin for use in making moulds or parts from machinable tooling blocks of any density, 22 jec composites magazine / No46 January-February 2009

http://www.polyone.com http://www.zyvax.com http://www.advanced-composites.com http://www.basf.de

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #46 - January/February 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #46 - January/February 2009