Resins

Thermoplastics 1 Apr 2013

Chevy Volt battery pack: Rugged but precise

GM and partners engineer composites for this complex assembly with an accent on repeatability.

Marine 1 Feb 2013

Paddleboard productivity: Adhesively bonded hull/deck is key

Dragonfly Boatworks LLC's (Vero Beach, Fla.) new standup paddleboard for fly fishing is built without fasteners, with the aid of SG200-40 methacrylate adhesive from SCIGRIP Smarter Adhesive Solutions (Durham, N.C.).

Prepregs 1 Feb 2013

Deep draw: Unique laminate architecture enables bus part

For a major mass-transit manufacturer, Amtech LLC (Wapato, Wash.) successfully thermoforms a luggage cover with a remarkably deep draw of 40 inches (1,016 mm), using a laminate architecture that includes a top layer of 0.180-inch/4.5-mm gauge Grade 4800 thermoplastic sheet, supplied by Boltaron (Newcomerstown, Ohio).

Thermoplastics 1 Feb 2013

Cure for cratering: Gel coat perfected with design of experiments software

Resin manufacturer Interplastic Corp. – Thermoset Resins Div. (St. Paul, Minn.), a major gel coat producer, recently developed a new gel coat with the aid of Design-Expert design of experiments software from Stat-Ease Inc. (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Prepregs 18 Jan 2013

TenCate's acquisition of Amber Composites a sensible surprise

TenCate, known for years as a thermoplastics specialist, is signaling more and more that it wants to move into new markets with new materials.

Sustainability 30 Nov 2012

Cured in place pipe: Trenchless trends

A variety of CIPP products are enabling the rehabilitation, rather than excavation and replacement, of underground pipe for wastewater and drinking water.

Weaving 1 Oct 2012

Industrial corrosion control: Huge opportunities

Fiber-reinforced plastic is the ideal but still widely ignored option in environments that eat away at most metal alloys. Opportunities abound, but the key is still education.