CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/742140
NOVEMBER 2016 32 CompositesWorld INSIDE MANUFACTURING A Brazilian modular wall system that can deliver affordable homes and schools in days is exported to meet global needs, including for refugee resettlement. » MVC Plasticos began in 1989 as an engineering plastics fabri- cator for the automotive industry. Based in the city of São José dos Pinhais, in the Brazilian state of Paraná, it expanded, opening manufacturing locations in Catalão (GO), Camaçari (BA) and Maceió (AL). Now a composites manufacturer, it supplies a variety of products into not only the automotive but also the wind energy, agribusiness, general industrial and construction markets. "Our philosophy is to use composites to replace traditional materials," notes Erivelto Mussio, MVC's development manager of building products. Using a variety of fibers, resins and other mate- rials, it has expanded its processing repertoire to include contin- uous lamination, vacuum forming, thermoplastic extrusion, resin transfer molding, resin infusion and pultrusion. It is in the field of construction that MVC Plasticos has begun to make its international mark. Building on its experience with continuous lamination and pultrusion, the company began devel- opment of its MVC Wall System in 2003. It is a modular construc- tion system based on industrialized production of composite sandwich panels made from fiberglass-reinforced composite sheets and insulating core, connected at corners and other joints by pultruded profiles. "e original idea was to build affordable houses," explains Mussio. But soon it became clear there were opportunities in many other types of construction, including banks and schools. MVC also has supplied specialty panels for the ceiling of the award-winning Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo, Uruguay. e selling point? Although onsite construction time depends upon the building type and size, once a foundation (typically a concrete slab) is completed, Mussio says assembly and finishing of the wall system proceeds with comparatively "Lego-like" simplicity, taking only 12-15 days for small buildings (e.g., a 70m 2 house) and 60-120 days for larger, more complex structures (e.g., a 3,100m 2 school), or roughly 30% of what conventional construc- tion would require. at's not to suggest, however, that MVC Plas- ticos sells temporary structures. All MVC Wall System components are designed for a minimum 50-year service life. No surprise, then, that the company is negotiating expansion throughout South America and is completing certification as far Fast-build construction with composites By Ginger Gardiner / Senior Editor