CompositesWorld

JUN 2017

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JUNE 2017 40 CompositesWorld New Products » THERMOSET RESIN & ADHESIVE SYSTEMS Low-temperature epoxy prepreg systems PRF Composite Materials (Poole, Dorset, UK) has launched three new epoxy prepreg systems. Curing at temperatures of 65-120°C, RP442 is a new low-temperature system that offers an outlife of up to 30 days at 20°C. PRF has also developed a winter version of its popular mid- temperature component prepreg. RP542-3 retains similar properties to RP542-1, but has increased tack levels, making it ideal for use in colder workshops. Finally, PRF offers its latest tooling system, RP803. Providing a mid-range solution between RP801 Standard cure and RP802 Overnight cure, this new system has a cure cycle of 12 hours at 60°C, or 6 hours at 70°C, with a tack life of seven days at 20°C. www.prfcomposites.com » VIRTUAL TESTING & SIMULATION SOFTWARE Injection molding simulation, draping analysis combined Moldex3D (Chupei City, Taiwan) has linked its 3D injection molding simulation software to Livermore Software Technology Corp.'s (LSTC, Livermore, CA, US) LS-DYNA draping analysis software to enable multi-component molding simulation. This linking is designed specifically to assist molders who are performing two-step overmolding, which usually includes draping of a fiber prepreg, followed by overmolding via back injection in an injection molding machine. A major challenge here is to effectively predict the product properties that combine these two parts. Moldex3D R14 version has integrated with LS-DYNA's draping analysis to simulate the deforma- tion behavior. The fiber mat orientation of the fiber prepreg after the draping process can be considered in Moldex3D's analysis for the subsequent molding process to obtain a more comprehensive warpage analysis of the composite product. LS-DYNA focuses on analyzing the deformation behavior of a continuous fiber in compres- sion molding. Moldex3D will incorporate LS- DYNA's calculation of prepreg deformation and consider the product geometry and continuous fiber mat orientation analysis as the parameters of a part insert. In Moldex3D's filling analysis, it will consider the prepreg geometry and its material characteristics as the boundary condition. In the subsequent warpage analysis, it will consider the insert as a continuous fiber composite material and perform a deformation analysis of a multi-component part. Through Moldex3D's Multiple Component Molding feature, the fiber mat orientation predictions of a uniaxial prepreg in three directions can be analyzed and the product's strength variation in different directions can be attained. Moldex3D's filling analysis also considers the effect of chopped fiber orientation in the subsequent plastic molding process and reportedly is able to observe the influences of the plastic material and the chopped fiber orientation. www.moldexcomposites.com | www.lstc.com » THERMOSET RESIN & ADHESIVE SYSTEMS Phenolic with ultralow free formaldehyde content Hexion Inc. (Columbus, OH, US) is introducing a new phenolic resin for composites with an ultra-low free formaldehyde (ULEF) content of less than 0.1%. The new, lower volatile organic compound (VOC) Cellobond J2027-X01 resin maintains the Cellobond product line's capability in fire, smoke and toxicity (FST) performance while providing improved safe use and handling. The ULEF resin contains one-tenth the free formaldehyde of previous systems. This results in reduced emissions during composites manufacturing, particularly during open-molding processes, such as hand lay-up. The materials, says Hexion, meet European Fire Safety Standard EN 45545-2. www.hexion.com » FIBER-REINFORCED THERMOPLASTIC COMPOUNDS Two new long-fiber glass/polyamides Solvay (Brussels, Belgium) has launched Omnix LF-4050 and Omnix LF-4060, high-performance polyamides (HPPAs) with long fiberglass content of 50% and 60%, respectively. These materials are designed for applications in which parts are subjected to permanent load or operating conditions where metal is prevalent, particularly where the high temperature or hydrolytic stability performance limits of PA6.6 are reached. The ductility of Omnix LF grades, says Solvay, shows up to 350% greater notched and multiaxial impact strength, yet preserves material stiffness. The company also reports that Omnix LF grades exhibit high property retention under heat and moisture. When compared to standard glass-filled HPPA, the LFT technology is said to offer stiffness improvement of 10-15% at 23°C and 85% at 120°C. Both grades exhibit low warpage and are hot-water moldable. w ww.solvay.com NEW PRODUCTS

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