Plastech Brochure

Jeanneau, one of Europe’sleading boat builders manufacturein excess of 1,000 yachts andmotor cruisers per year ranging insize from 35 to 45 feet. Their boatdesigns and the developmentsthat they have made in theirclosed mould production andprocessing have promoted themto the position of world leaders inthe supply of large marine craftand to the forefront of this 21stcentury composite technology.

Over the last 2 years Jeanneauhave increased the size of theirmain facility in Cholet, CentralFrance to occupy over 17hectares. Their dedicated, state of the art closed mould injectionfacility occupies 5000m2 andconcentrates on the manufacture oflarge hulls and decks. Two furtherfacilities on the same site of 13,500m2

and 10,500m2 provide additionalmanufacturing and assembly productionareas. To service thesenew facilities thenumber of employeeshas now risen to over80, and will increaseagain over the next 2years to between 300and 350.

An example of one oftheir most impressiveclosed moulded parts is a 42ft longyacht deck of 55m2 surface area andcomplex geometry. Over 500 of thesedecks have been moulded to date using

Jeanneau’s own variant of the LightRTM closed mould process. This largecomplex part has precisely positionedlayers of glass fabric and matt combinedwith a host of various shaped coresloaded into the mould cavities prior tovacuum closing and injection. Once the

automatic injection machineis signalled to start, alldetails of resin flow,programmed automatedcatalyst ratio adjustment,temperature, resin volumeand precise cavity injectionpressure are all monitored

and written to data loggingfiles. By recording data of the mouldingprogress in this detailed mannerJeanneau have records of each injectionthereby ensuring a high degree ofquality control from one moulding to the

next. The injection machine’s data files,which are stored on a compact flashmemory card can easily be removed andtransferred to a PC for detailed analysis.

The quality of these large mouldedparts; in thickness control, surface finishand precision laminate placement issecond to none and demonstrates thesuccess brought about by Jeanneau’sattention to detail and their excellentcomposite production engineering. Thecleanliness and efficiency of the closedmould production plant is a fine exampleto all production moulders, and isreflected in the company’s position asmarket leaders.

Plastech are honoured to be suppliersof injection equipment and ancillaries toJeanneau, and are dedicated toresponding to their particular machinedesign requirements.

RTMtoday

8

A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E A T U R E

Winter 2005 © Plastech Thermoset Tectonics Ltd. © Plastech Thermoset Tectonics Ltd.

Winter 2005 Issue 17


Inside this issue � 72,000 litre Fish Farm Tanks – 2 � The Gloves are off! – 3 � Light RTM - A review of process problems – 4 & 5 � Workshop Vacuum Supply – 6 � Monovac – 7 � PVSensor Accuracy – 7

Jeanneau’s closed mould production puts windin their sails

www.plastech.co.uk

Date Location

Plastech Light RTM Training Course 1st & 2nd February 2006. Arrival Cornwall, UK. Contact Kim on on the 31st pm January Tel: +44 (0) 1822 832621,

[email protected] for further details

ICERP 2006 23rd – 25th February 2006 Chennai, India

JEC Composites Show 2006 28th – 30th March 2006 Hall 1, Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, France

Plastech Light RTM Training Course Spring/Summer 2006 UK, contact Kim, details above

Event

Head Office Plastech T.T. Ltd, MTC, Chilsworthy Beam, Gunnislake, Cornwall, PL18 9AT U.K. Tel: +44 (0) 1822 832621 Fax: +44 (0) 1822 833999E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.plastech.co.ukContact: Roger Waddington

Spain & Central/ South America EFA 2000, S.L.Tel: +34 91 815 1172 Fax: +34 91 815 1477E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.composites-rtm.comContact name: Eckard F. Arlt

Japan FRP Services & Co. Osaka/JapanTel: +81 6 65350797 Fax: +81 6 65355190E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.frpservices.com Contact: T. Hamada

France DiatexTel: +33 4 78 86 85 00 Fax: +33 4 78 51 26 38E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.diatex.comContact: Bernard de Mulatier

Benelux Brands Structural Products b.v.Tel: +31 187 492611 Fax: +31 187 493139E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.brandscomposiet.nlContact: Leen Schipper

S.E. Asia Polymer Technologies Pte. LtdTel: +65 68638225 Fax: +65 68638219E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.polymertec.comContact: Walter Sng

Australia & New Zealand Huntsman CompositesTel: +61 2 9672 7383 Mobile: 0414 350081E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.huntsmancomposites.com Contact: Glenn Rapson

Finland, Norway & Sweden KG Enterprise OYTel: +358 9 282 660 Fax: +358 9 282 616E-mail: [email protected] Contact: Kenny Gauffin

Greece Costas Chronis S.A.Tel: +30 210 2828402 Fax: +30 210 2835431E-mail: [email protected] Contact: Costas Chronis

Italy Resintex Technology SRLTel: +39 0775 89 83 25 Fax: +39 0775 83 74 01E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.resintex.it Contact: Fabi Laura

Russia Composite TradeTel: +7 812 446 10 96 Fax: +7 812 446 52 21E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.composite.ruContact: Andrey Nazarenkov

North America Nida-Core Corporation Tel: (1) 772 343 7300 Fax: (1) 772 343 9700 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.nida-core.com Contact Name: Tim Johnson

Thailand Neotech Inspection & Chemical Co. LtdTel: 662-939-0919 Fax: 662-939-0859Email: [email protected]: Nattawut Chaiyakunapruk

India M/s Marketing InternationalTel: 9122 5660 5711 /12/13/14 Fax: 9122 2491 1262Email: [email protected] Website: www.resadh.comContact: R. Raghavan

Jeanneau’s production team - committed to closed mould excellence

The Sun Odyssey 42 DS

RTMtoday

2


Winter 2005 © Plastech Thermoset Tectonics Ltd.

RTMtoday

3


© Plastech Thermoset Tectonics Ltd. Winter 2005

Mr Mandiola, chief of MandiolaComposites S.L. in Bilbao, Spain, hassuccessfully met the challenge set byhis clients, Orrua Itsaondo Arraiak S.A.who presented him with the task ofmoulding large 72,000 litre fish farmtanks using the Light RTM method andinstalling them on site. Orrua neededthe tanks to fit within their existingpremises without undue disruption toproduction. This meant that Mandiolahad to design the tanks to be freestanding and strong enough towithstand the 72 tonnes of water wheninstalled. The tanks were designed tobe made in sections to allow efficient onsite installation.

The assembled tank's designcomprised four basic quadrant LRTMmouldings, each weighing 530kg andneeding 350kg of Scott Bader'sorthophthalic, low viscosity injectionresin. Multi layers of Pentacore MAT450WR 800PP125 from Glasscom wereused. For further laminate stiffness

10mm Nida-Plast honeycomb fromNida-Core and 40kg/m3 densityPolyurethane foam was moulded induring each injection to form thestructural ribs on the outside of thetank.

Mr. Mandiola attended one of severalsuccessful Light RTM training schoolsheld in Spain, organised by Eckard Arltof Equipamiento Formacion Y Asesoria(EFA), Plastech's representative forSpain, Portugal and South America.This was followed up with furtherspecialist training and consultancy atPlastech which enabled him toconfidently build the large injectionmoulds in house at his Bilbao facility.

Once themould setswerecompletehe set uptheproductionunit using 2MegajectSSBSprintermachines intandem anda third as astandby.Thesemachineswere fittedwith thePVSensor

system from Plastech, which gives theoperator precise barometric pressurecontrol over the machines output.

Due to the complexity of themoulded-in core structures which taperin towards the centre of each quadrant,Mandiola used 16 vacuum vent pointsto ensure total fill by the 392 litres ofinjected resin. All Machines, mouldancillaries, seals, ejectors and injectionvalves were supplied by Plastech.

This year Mandiola have successfullycompleted the production of 27 fullyassembled tanks using the Light RTMprocess, with an overall compositeweight of 58 tonnes. His tank designallows for additional sections to beinstalled between the quadrants,thereby increasing the volume of thetanks as required. Orrua have plans toextend the capacity of their fish farmwith orders for two similar tank systemsfor Mandiola expected in 2006.

Challenge successfully met !72,000 litre fish farm tanks

The gloves are off ! – A simple and effective approach to moulding in metal insertsA question often asked by clients

attending our training courses is; howdo you mould metal inserts into thecomposite part when moulding byvacuum with Light RTM? Naturally, themain concern of many is sealing themould in a robust enough mannerwhen using a mould insert location andholding device.

In former times of normal RTMproduction tooling it was common tohave through mould, insert fixingdevices; however there is a highchance that such designs would causevacuum leakage when applying similardevices to the Light RTMprocess.Wherever possible Plastech tryto share their methodology and do sohere for the location and sealing ofinserts. This system simply removesany need for through hole fixing andsealing. Silicone gloves are designed toencapsulate the insert, and specialpockets are built into the appropriatemould face to take the glove.

Below we give two examples of thistechnology. In both cases the insert hasthe additional complication of notaligning with the mould’s opening axis.

Case 1First we look at a Stainless Steel

tongue to be moulded on the reverseside of a boat hatch cover. The rearmould is made with additional pocketspace to take a silicone glove whichcan easily be inserted over the metaltongue bracket. This covers the tonguesufficiently to leave only the exposedtongue’s foot which is wrapped inreinforcement before the mould isclosed. To ensure the dry assemblydoes not fall off the contra mould as itis turned and lowered onto the fibre

pack, the back of the silicone glove issmeared with silicone grease. Thisprovides sufficient greasy adhesion tohold the glove in the mould pocket.

After cure and opening of the mould,the silicone pocket is massaged off themetal tongue ready for reuse in thenext moulding cycle.

As a safeguard, the silicone gloveshave their own mould so further glovescan be accurately reproduced.

Case 2The second case study describes

the moulding in of a standard threadedmetal stud that is in common usage inour industry and supplied by "BigheadBonding Fasteners Ltd."

Here we show an M8 stud whichmust be kept free of resin during themoulding cycle and which is mouldedoff axis to the mould’s opening by atleast 40 degrees.

The silicone pocket in this case ismade in a conical form which asillustrated not only shrouds the maleinsert thread but holds it accurately atits design axis and position relative tothe moulding geometry.

It will be appreciated that suchdesigns eliminate any chance ofvacuum leak and are easy to use whilstoffering good location accuracy, andexcellent sealing around the exposedinsert or bracket.A whole range of shapes and sizes ofmetal inserts, brackets, or complex nutholders can just as simply beaccurately moulded in duringproduction in this manner.

Examples can be seen beingdemonstrated at Plastech’s next LightRTM Training Course to be held on 1st& 2nd February 2006, or their‘Introduction to Closed mouldTechnology’ - 1 day seminar in theSpring of 2006.

In this instance aluminium cones are shown,however silicone is a more user and mouldfriendly material

Scophthalmus maximus

Finished tank sections ready for installation

Transportation of tank section

Tanks fully installed

Assembled tank

Insert gloves - Plastech innovation at work

RTMtoday

5


RTMtoday

4


© Plastech Thermoset Tectonics Ltd. Winter 2005Winter 2005 © Plastech Thermoset Tectonics Ltd.

counterpart and therefore has a localcorner thickness greater than thedesired main cavity thickness. Apartfrom scrapping the contra mould andrebuilding the inaccurate mould half, itmay sometimes be appropriate tocompensate for the unintentional overthickness by applying extra glass stripsin these thicker corner areas to preventthe product cracking.

Cracks in flat zonesCracks observed within large flat

areas of the moulded part are causedby over thickness of the part. It ispossible for the Light RTM process tobe abused by the operator’s inadequatecontrol, or their lack of understanding ofthe control needed with mould fillspeed. Too fast a fill can inflate themould cavity, if this is followed by rapidcure before the mould has a chance torelax back to the set cavity thicknessthen this can result in high exothermicreaction (from the excess of trappedresin) and cracking of the moulded part.In extreme cases this might even resultin irreparable cracking of the mouldface itself.

Catchpot overfillMany moulders still feel that a large

catchpot is necessary to accommodatethe anticipated volume of vented resinbefore cure. This is basically anadmission of their failure to accuratelycontrol the mould fill. When the mould isfilled too quickly it is almost impossibleto judge when to stop the injection,because if it is stopped when the resinis seen to witness the catchpot then itshould not be a surprise to see that anexcessive amount of resin flows into thecatchpot as the over inflated mouldrelaxes to its original dimension. Toovercome the likelihood of thishappening, the catchpot should bereplaced with a larger catchpot toprevent the resin filling the catchpot andflowing up the catchpot vacuum line. Allwould agree this represents anunnecessary waste of expensive resinin what should be a controlled process.

The simple answer to avoid thesesituations is to know what volume ofresin mix the mould needs and to injectjust sufficient to fill and spill into thecatchpot by just a few millilitres. Forlarger moulds it is not sufficient toassume that each mould fill will be ofexactly the same volume, so anotherapproach should be considered. Toremove any doubt it is best to optimise

fill volume by adding precise pressurecontrol to the process thereby removingthe necessity for the operator toconstantly make blind judgements. Theuse of in mould pressure readings thatprovide accurate machine control at, orjust below atmospheric pressure mouldfill, provides a far more qualified methodof mould fill and negates the need forcatchpots of ever bigger volume.

We have found that such a systemwill without doubt give consistentlycomplete mould fill with overfill ofbetween 10 and 100cc per injection –clearly demonstrating that providingpressure control keeps wastage to aminimum and profits up.

Resin in the mould flangevacuum area

The presence of resin leaking inbetween the two outer mould seals canstem from one or more of the following: � Ineffective primary seal.

Leakage due to poor seal cavityaccuracy is especially likely in areaswhere the primary seal follows a nonhorizontal path. Often when the mouldflange has changes of plane theprimary seal can be less effective in theconvex curve sections and thus lead toineffective sealing. In these zones theseal needs to be repositioned to trace apath that will create greatercompression on the seal.

A better solution to having simple,passive primary seals such asmushroom profile seal, is to install adynamic seal which offers a morecompliant seal for moulds with complexflange paths. These seals can be gentlyinflated when the mould is closed andthus engage and seal even when thereare mould flange inaccuracies. -Plastech offer the most extensive rangeof mould seals available and will bepleased to recommend the ideal sealfor your particular application.� If when placing fibre into the mouldsome is positioned incorrectly or is nottrimmed back sufficiently, so that fibresare not kept within the confines of themould cavity thus interfering with theprimary seal path, then this willundoubtedly result in resin leakage. It istherefore most important to check thefibre loading before each injection cycleto correct any misplaced reinforcement.� Another common error which resultsin seal resin leakage can be put firmlyat the door of over pressurising themould fill channel whilst injecting. TheLight RTM mould is only kept closed

with atmospheric pressure however,resin injection machines are able tocreate much higher pressures than thatactually needed for the process.Without sensitive and accurate pressurecontrol it is left to the operator to judgehow fast, and thus how much pressurethe mould will take. Mistakes are oftenmade, whereby resin leaks so profuselythat it finds a path into the flangevacuum connection and vacuumsystem. This also leads to loss of flangevacuum and disastrous leaks from themould edge and an aborted moulding.

By using the Plastech PVSensorsystem - which provides the injectionmachine with the necessary finepressure control - this hazard can beeliminated and any guesswork by theoperator removed. � Finally it must be said that the loss offlange vacuum, either over prolongedperiods or even momentarily, maycause a leakage. It is essentialtherefore not to have other mouldsbeing operated on the same vacuumsystem, as this will cause majorvacuum decrease as the systemgathers vacuum to lock additionalmoulds closed. A simple, automaticvacuum lock valve in the vacuum flangeline will reduce this danger and shouldbe seriously considered.

As written at the outset, this article isnot claiming to be a definitive list of theproblems and remedies that can beencountered, however it is hoped tohave highlighted the most commonlikely occurrences, and from wellfounded experience to give best advicefor their elimination.

All seals and vacuum ancillaries andmachine control systems can be seenon Plastech’s new web site www.Plastech.co.uk

Light RTM is now firmly establishedas a major closed mould manufacturingprocess; however, like all technologies itdoes have common problems andinherent weaknesses. Here we reviewthe process and provide solutions andremedies to some of these perceivedshortcomings based upon our longexperience of the manufacture of LRTMtooling and the operation of Plastech’sinhouse test moulds and our clientsproduction moulds.

Light RTM, or RTM Light is aprocess employing two lightweightmatched composite mould facesbetween which dry reinforcement ispositioned before the two halves areclamped together with vacuum, therebylocking the mould set closed prior to theresin being introduced. Resin is theninjected into the peripheral cavity to fillthe dry reinforcement within the mould.Two sets of mould seals are employed;one to exclude atmospheric air and theother to ensure that no resin leaks fromthe mould cavity during mould fill.

This operating principle is simple andis the main reason why the process hasattracted so many production mouldersto adopt it as their preferred closedmould, moulding method. However,aborted or scrap mouldingsoccasionally occur, often due to theoperator’s general misconception thatthe process is totally robust and needslittle attention paid to mouldmaintenance regimes or correctmanufacturing procedures.

Without doubt, air entrapment in theguise of incomplete fill, dry patches, orvoids is the most common fault. Toprovide a definitive listing of reasons forthese phenomena would alone occupyseveral pages, therefore we providebelow a review of the most commoncauses and solutions.

Air voidsThe use of vacuum - in other words

sub atmospheric pressure - inherentlycreates a major cause for potential airvoids, or bubbles in the finishedmoulded part. During the mouldingprocess, air at atmospheric pressure iseagerly attempting to enter the mouldand as it is some 17,000 times lessviscous than resin it can do so withremarkable ease through even the

smallest of holes. Even when the mouldis completely filled with resin it stillremains under a vacuum conditionbefore gelling and curing.

It may be surprising to learn thatleaky mould vacuum seals are not, aswould be expected, the reason for airvoids. The mould fittings, inserts andpipe connections, or cracked mouldsare however the usual source of suchleaks. As described earlier, Light RTMmould technology uses two seals; oneseal preventing resin from leaking out ofthe mould and the other, set furtheraway on the edge of the mould flange,sealing against the ingress ofatmospheric pressure. A high vacuumsource is connected to the flange areabetween these two seals which act as avacuum security fence around themould cavity. Any small outer seal leakwill simply be scavenged by this highvacuum barrier whilst the vacuum levelmaintained within the cavity is held at alower level.

It is without doubt that resin inletconnections - whether simple pipefittings, or the more sophisticated resininjection valve inlet are the main sourceof leaks. This can be due to damaged Oring seals, or incorrectly installed orbadly fitting seals. In fact anysupposedly sealed holes or inserts inthe resin cavity of the mould shouldalways be rigorously checked for leaks -including the catchpot/s and cavityvacuum vents.

A more obscure cause of voids in themoulded part can be due to a smallcrack in either the mould face or contramould skin. This can cause majorproblems with voids in the mouldedpart, and in these cases the source ofthe leak can be notoriously difficult todetect.

These voids rarely manifestthemselves on the inner surface of themould in exactly the same position asthe micro crack/leak appears on theouter surface of the mould. - Air leaksinto the cavity have been known totravel some distance through the mouldlaminate before entering into the mouldcavity via the mould’s cracked gel coat.

A coat of catalysed resin washapplied to the mould’s outer surfacewhilst the mould is NOT on vacuum,can quickly remedy this phenomena. - If

this repair work is carried out whilst themould is under vacuum, then the leakwill simply suck the repair resin throughthe leak path often making such repairsnon effective.

Dry patchesThe discovery in a filled mould of

patches of dry glass that consistentlyappear in the same area is in the maincaused by mould cavity inaccuracy.This inaccuracy during mouldcalibration will result in significantlyinconsistent cavity thickness within amould cavity supposedly designed to beof a constant thickness. In this scenario,resin will, given the choice, always flowmore easily and preferentially throughthe thicker cavity areas, assuming ofcourse that the same weight of glass isplaced throughout the cavity at theoutset.

In addition to the problems causedby poor calibration, the cause of partsbeing inaccurately moulded in a mouldthat has perfect calibration can often betraced back to the matched mould setnot aligning or not being lockedtogether correctly. When closed thelocation of the mould’s x and y axes isnormally established by side mounteddowels - These are especially importantfor moulds with flat or shallow draftcavities. Without the use of correctlyaligned location dowels each closing ofthe mould could be out of the designedalignment, thereby causingunpredictable and changing mould fillcharacteristics and dry glass patches toappear from one moulding cycle to thenext.

Another reason for dry patches,especially near, but not at thevent/catchpot is basically due to theincorrect positioning of the catchpotpoint. Either this point can be relocated,or alternatively another can be retrofitted in the area of dry glass to ‘mopup’ the last vestiges of trapped air

Corner cracksCracks in the gel coat of a moulded

part - usually observed in external radii- demonstrates a classic problemassociated with resin rich areas, andcan again be traced back to inaccuratemould build, whereby the second mouldhalf does not faithfully follow its

Light RTM - A review of processproblems and their remedies

In the first few months of 2006,Plastech will be running some oneday courses that will specificallytarget LRTM production bestpractise. These informative sessionsare ideal for those already using theprocess as well as those consideringa move to the closed mouldtechnology.

Optimising mould fill throughprecise pressure control will also becovered.

For further details and datescontact Kim Harper on

01822 832621

The NEW Monovac System fromPlastech is a simple technique forcomposite closed moulding. As its nameimplies it features the use of only onemoderate level vacuum source and canbe described as an introductory processto composite closed moulding.

The system only requires aninexpensive, moderate vacuum sourceand does not require the use of anymeter mix injection equipment andtherefore has an extremely low start upprice tag for a closed mould technology.

If like many, you are a productionmoulder with limited resources butwould dearly like to enter the field ofclosed moulding, then the MonovacSystem is the ideal low cost technologyfor you.

The global composites industry isnow applying the Light RTM closedmould technique with great success,however there are still a great manytraditional hand lay manufacturers whoare reluctant to use LRTM due toconcerns over the perceived costsinvolved and the level of technicalexpertise required, although the

experience of many who haveintroduced LRTM into their workshopshas dispelled these misplacedperceptions. The Monovac Systemoffers first time users the opportunity tolearn, understand and use the benefitsof closed mould technology at a verylow entry cost.

Essentially the Monovac Systemuses a matched composite mould setwith a resin inlet and vacuumconnection. Sealing on the edge of themould is employed for vacuum securityand resin containment.

Once the mould has been closedand a vacuum applied, the resin mix issimply funnelled into the mould and leftto fill and cure. One of Plastech’s clientsuses the Monovac System to mouldover 100 riding helmets per 8 hour shiftemploying just one operator. For a morerapid cure the mould can be watertemperature controlled.

Currently the technology is bestapplied to relatively small mouldings.Examples being: motorcycle cowlings,helmets, sports goods or any mouldingin the range of up to 2-3 kg.

Size is not a limiting factor howeverparts over 0.5m2 (5ft/sq) can take a longtime to fill and might be more suited tothe Light RTM process.

High fibre volume fraction isachievable, with the process reachingaerospace specification, however amoderate 30 - 50% fibre weight is morecommon.

Plastech have developed theMonovac System and are the solesuppliers of technical data and buildmanuals, along with supplies of therecommended injection, vent andvacuum inserts, seals and latch clamps.

Full packages of specialist mouldbuild kits are also available, providingthe first time user with an easy entryinto this economic closed mouldtechnology.

Easy to understand instructionmanuals can be purchased directly fromPlastech’s web site www.plastech.co.uk- Technical backup and mould buildancillaries are also available fromPlastech’s specialist mould buildingteam on +44 (0)1822 832621

RTMtoday

6


Winter 2005 © Plastech Thermoset Tectonics Ltd.

RTMtoday

7


© Plastech Thermoset Tectonics Ltd. Winter 2005

PVSensor AccuracySince the

successful introductionof Plastech’s low costPVSensor system foraccurately measuringresin pressure inclosed Light RTM

moulds, there are now over 250 sensorsin service in the composites industry.

The system basically providesmoulders with a precise reading of theresin pressure inside the mould, thusallowing the safe optimisation of mouldfill when using a high pressure meter mixmachine, whilst at the same timepreventing the over pressurisation of themould.

Some sceptics question the accuracyof this sensor based mainly on theirmisconception concerning the fact thatthe sensor employs a small column of

compressible air between the sensor’smeasuring face and the resin surface.This appears to have led some to thinkthat as air is compressible it cannotaccurately transfer the precise resinpressure. Air is compressible, however itdoes compress to a point where itspressure precisely equals the systempressure compressing it - in this case themould resin pressure.

In the case of the PVSensor, the airvoid below the sensor’s highly accuratesilica diaphragm is a mere 1cc and isthus compressed instantly to the resinpressure within the coned PTFE sensortube. In many ways the PVSensor canclaim greater accuracy than the moreexpensive stainless steel diaphragmsensors, due to the fact that there is noneed with the PVSensor to distort a thin,yet slightly more rigid than air stainless

steel diaphragm and thus it requires zeroeffort to reach the electronic diaphragmand as such can be considered moreprecise than second hand pressurereadings via the conventional secondarymetal diaphragm type sensors.

This innovative breakthrough in thedesign of the PVSensor - as heralded inthe October 2005 publication of Eurekamagazine - not only provides highlyaccurate pressure readings fromabsolute zero to 2000mb but is availablefrom Plastech at less than half the priceof conventional sensors. Furthermore,being designed specifically for use in thecomposites industry it is unaffected byresin or normal exothermictemperatures, and its robust designmake it almost indestructible with normaluse and handling in the compositeworkshop.

Monovac - The new system for easyentry into closed moulding technology

The continued success of the LightRTM process which employs vacuumas the main mould clamping force andinfusion power, has led to a greaterneed for moulders to seek larger factoryvacuum systems designed specificallyfor this process.

Plastech now offera complete VacuumStation which hasbeen designed togive high vacuumsecurity andoptimised energysavings.

Based upon twoindividual vacuumpumps, one for highvacuum and theother for mediumvacuum use, the unitbrings unparalleledfeatures to theinfusion and Light

RTM moulding industry.Housed in a rugged, trolley mounted

stainless steel cabinet; the controlsfeature digital vacuum level indicationand precise vacuum set points. Normalover load protection and fuses areincorporated requiring just a simple plugand use operation from a standard13amp single phase outlet. To ensureexceptionally low running costs, bothvacuum pumps switch off once vacuumis reached, thereby extending motorand pump service life. Built in, in-linefilters prevent plant debris from entering

the precision pump vanes thusproviding high vacuum quality at alltimes. Individual on/off switching issupplied with power on indicationfeatures on the control cabinet’s fasciapanel.

The standard system’s pumpsprovide quality vacuum control usingtwo 17m3/hour vacuum delivery units,although higher output pump capacitiesare also available housed withincabinets of the same size.

Plastech consider that the oftenonerous and costly task for the newuser of having to source and paycontractors to install workshop vacuumpipes and fittings, needs to beaddressed, and we now offer a simpleand low cost solution which can beeasily installed by the client themselves.To this end the new Vacuum Stationsystem can be supplied with all of thepipes and fittings needed for anaverage moulding shop installation.Simple one screw wall pipe fixings andthe continuous, vacuum secure flexible

reinforced pipe provide a mosteconomic vacuum plant installation. Theuse of these low cost, rapid to connect,vacuum tight push in fittings greatlyreduce the time needed to install thesystem.

Full details of the vacuum pipe, pipefittings and fixings required to install avacuum ring main in your workshop areavailable from the Plastech website.

Nida-Core Corporation of Florida, USA,have recently reached an agreementwhereby they have become soledistributors of Plastech’s RTM and LightRTM injection machinery, consumables,and technology in North America.

Eight of Nida-Core’s technical salesconsultants have successfully completedPlastech’s specialist, Light RTM technicaland practical training course in theconstruction and operation of Light RTM,closed mould tooling.

Nida-Core are now in a position to offerAmerican moulders the most up to dateEuropean technology available from asingle, long established and highlyreputable source. Prospective and existingcustomers are offered a full range of

mould build materials and consumables;comprehensive training in the design andfabrication of LRTM tooling, together withPlastech’s wide range of resin injectionequipment.

Plastech are the world’s foremostinnovators in closed mould technology,and the unique suppliers of precisionmould control equipment designed tooptimise the injection speed of LRTMmoulds. This technology has up until nowbeen unavailable in the U.S., however, asfrom January 2006 this is now obtainablesolely through Nida-Core Corporation.

Nida-Core will also be offering fromstock, all major serviceable parts forexisting and future owners of Plastech/Nida-Core resin injection equipment within

North America. These are availablethrough their two main warehouses forimmediate despatch.

Plastech’s resin injection machineryoffers across the range systems, from thebasic Megaject SSB, manual injectionmachine, to the fully automated injectionsystem offered by the latest MegajectRTM-Pro using Allen and Bradleyprogrammable logic control.

For further information please contact:Nida-Core Corporation Tel: (1) 772 343 7300 Fax: (1) 772 343 9700 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.nida-core.com Contact Name: Tim Johnson

Workshop Vacuum Supply – Nowavailable with simple DIY installation

Nida-Core, Plastech’s New North American Distributors

Instant, vacuum tight push in fittingsFlexible vacuum ring main provides swingingoverhead supply

Secure wallmounted outletswith isolationvalves

Innovative vacuum station - Needs no vacuumreservoir

Plastech Brochure

Documents

Transcript of Plastech Brochure