CompositesWorld
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CompositesWorld.com 41 New Products » INJECTION MOLDING SYSTEMS & ACCESSORIES Portable chiller line expanded Mokon (Buffalo, NY, US) has expanded its Iceman SC Series line of portable chillers. Mokon's new ASL and WSL portable chillers have the same features of the Iceman SC but provide a lower temperature range. Currently, the Iceman SC Series line offers 0.5- to 40-ton chillers and has a fluid temperature range of -7°C to 18°C. The new ASL and WSL chiller line will have a fluid temperature range of -15°C to -1°C and a capacity of 1.5-7.5 tons. Other features include air-cooled or water-cooled condensing, scroll compressor, efficient brazed plate evaporator, microprocessor-based controller, insulated nonferrous plumbing and components, and heavy-duty insulated plastic tank with sight glass. www.mokon.com » ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS New resins for additive manufacturing SABIC (Pittsfield, MA, US) has launched six new filaments for fused deposition modeling (FDM) and a new family of reinforced compounds for large-format additive manufacturing. The first product family is based on technology that enables laser sintering of polycarbonate (PC) materials with good mechanical properties and part densities greater than 96%. These materials might provide an alternative to polyamide 12 (PA 12) and can be processed using commercially available printers. Second, EXTEM polyimide (PI) filaments are designed for high-temper- ature solutions for additive manufacturing and offer performance greater than the company's ULTEM polyetherimide (PEI) filaments. Finally, high-impact-strength PC filaments offer improved impact resistance compared to other commercially available PC filaments, and can be processed at standard PC conditions. Potential advantages include reduced part damage in secondary operations, and higher levels of performance in end-use applications. www.sabic-ip.com » MOLDMAKING MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT Elastomeric tooling system for high-temperature molding Rubbercraft (Long Beach, CA, US) introduced at the recent SAMPE Seattle 2017 show a new impermeable elastomeric tooling system. Now commercially available, the new flexible tooling product was developed by Rubbercraft for high-temperature molding of complex structural aircraft composite parts where a bladder or reusable vacuum bag is required, to provide higher surface quality and improve productivity. This innovative new 'tri-layer' flexible tooling technology improves part quality by reducing leaks and avoiding surface porosity. It also provides an extra layer of security against leaks due to punctures or manufacturing defects. Because the tri-layer tooling system has an integrated breather layer, it can be used as an elastomeric reusable vacuum bag to infuse complex parts where it is not possible to use an internal breather. Additional benefits include: 1) reduced profile, improved fit and superior surface finish on part inner surfaces; and 2) easier and more accurate leakage checking by simply applying a vacuum to the breather layer, with no need to use a specialized test station. According to the company, the elastomeric tooling's fully integrated central breather layer protects the surface of a molded FRP composite part form unwanted contact with gasses during production, even at high pressures and temperatures. Further, the breather layer not only enables removal of trapped air between the part and the tool but also acts as a gas barrier, countering the inherent permeability of elastomers, such as Viton or silicone, on the high-pressure side, while removing unwanted air or volatiles on the part side. Read a technical white paper about the technology online | www.rubbercraft.com » POLYMER RESIN ADDITIVES & MODIFIERS New silicone additive reduces FR additive loading Dow Corning Corp.'s (Midland, MI, US) new Dow Corning 43-821 additive is an advanced silicone technology formulated to resolve mechanical performance degradation and corrosivity issues typically caused by high loadings of organic phosphorous-based flame-retar- dant (FR) additives in polyamide (PA) compounds. Although many compounders and their customers prefer halogen-free FR solutions for their sustainability, those who use organic phosphorous addi- tives (e.g., aluminum phosphinate, often blended with melamine polyphosphate) must use them at loadings as high as 20% to meet regulatory requirements. Such high phosphorous content in PA compounds can degrade mechanical properties (impact, elongation and maximum force at traction) and present high corrosivity. Dow Corning 43-821 used at low levels (1-2%) reduces the loading of organic phosphorous additive needed in PA6 and PA6.6 compounds by 40%, while still providing high levels of FR performance. And, it reportedly restores key mechanical properties of PA resin, minimizes corrosion of metallic parts that contact the formulation, and also reduces compound cost by 10% or more. Thus, users can benefit from halogen-free organic phosphorous FR additives without the downsides. The new product's synergistic effects on PA resin yield desired FR properties, including char formation, anti-dripping and reduced heat generation. Tests indicate that 30% glass-filled PA compounds incorporating 13 wt% of aluminum phosphinate and 2 wt% of Dow Corning 43-821 additive met the requirements for UL-94 V-0 at 1 mm. Further, 43-821, supplied in powder form for easy blending with leading aluminum phosphinate additives, are stable at the high processing temperatures needed for glass/PA. www.dowcorning.com NEW PRODUCTS