CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/866813
SEPTEMBER 2017 40 CompositesWorld SHOW PREVIEW Core materials: Balsa and thermoplastic foams CoreLite (Miami, FL, US) is emphasizing the performance, availability, traceability and support for its advanced balsa wood and foam core materials. CoreLite's product range includes a full line of core materials: BALSASUD Core, end-grain balsa core, approved by DNV GL and Lloyd's Register; CoreLite Board, high-density PVC foam board for areas that require extra stiffness and good screw retention; CoreLite PET, next-generation PET foam core with enhanced mechanical proper- ties; CoreLite PVC, closed-cell, crosslinked polymer PVC foam core formulated for durability, strength, and high processing temperatures; Custom Kits, based on CAD drawings. Booth C10. www.corelitecomposites.com Epoxy resin curing agents and more Dixie Chemical Co. Inc. (Pasadena, TX, US), a producer of curing agents for epoxy resin systems and specialty chemicals for the thermoset and composite markets, offers a range of anhydride curing agents, reactive diluents, tougheners, resins and bio-based raw materials. Dixie has developed a proprietary pre-catalyzed anhydride tech- nology, leading to novel anhydride curing agents such as ECA 607 and NMA 407 for epoxy. These products allow for epoxy formulations with low viscosities, long pot lives, fast cures and high glass transition temperatures (T g ) making them well suited for high-speed pultrusion processes to produce cost-efficient, advanced composite components. In collaboration with Professor Giuseppe Palmese's polymer and composites research group at Drexel University, Dixie says it is devel- oping a line of new tougheners for thermosets. The first among these is DRX R82, tailored for vinyl ester and unsaturated polyester resins, which enhances toughness and impact resistance with a minimal effect on the resin viscosity and the cured resin T g . Dixie reports that it also has partnered with industry experts to design a lightweight composite panel for highly damage-tolerant construction applications. It was developed using an epoxy-anhydride resin system and combining different composites concepts, such as syntactic foam and resin-infused structural skins. This panel has a synergistic combination of reinforcements using carbon and glass fibers, along with hollow macro- and microspheres. Booth Q22. www.dixiechemical.com Robots & robot programming services DUO Robotic Solutions Inc. (Sterling Heights, MI, US) is introducing its DUO-Trim line, which offers robot selections for fixed and rotary tables, air and electric spindles, cold and ultrasonic knives, traditional and high-volume vacuum solutions and others. DUO-Trim is specifically designed to trim plastic, wood, carbon fiber-reinforced and other composite parts. DUO-Trim is compatible with waterjet cutting, router trimming, laser cutting and knife trimming (cold knife or ultrasonic blade) processes. DUO offers programming services for ABB and Fanuc robots, including cycle time and path optimization. Booth R56. www.duorobot.com Honeycomb-cored sandwich panel processing EconCore (Leuven, Belgium) is featuring its technology for the continuous production of honeycomb sandwich materials in Booth D74. Reportedly fast and efficient, the process is said to be ideal for compa- nies that operate in cost-sensitive applications, including automotive and transportation, industrial packaging and building and construction. The EconCore process is capable of producing honeycombs from a range of thermoplastics with inline integrated lamination of skin materials of various types. At CAMX, EconCore is supporting one of its recent US-based licensees — truck and trailer body manufacturer Wabash National Corp. — and its Mexican licensee Fynotej, which makes fibers, yarns and nonwoven products. EconCore also is presenting light- weighting options via several sandwich material combinations enabled by its honeycomb technology. The applications in heavy-duty trans- portation include roofing and walls of trucks and trailers, aerodynamic elements, cladding of vans as well as solutions for logistics and storage. EconCore is highlighting its development of high performance thermo- plastic core materials made from high-end polyamides, FST-compliant formulations, among other high heat polymers. EconCore also is devel- oping technology for converting recycled mass-market thermoplastics to high-performance core materials by controlling the thermodynamics that influence material performance. Finally, the company is spotlighting its award-winning lightweight polymer solar panel, which is one-third the weight of a standard glass solar panel and more rugged and resistant to damage than standard panels. Within EconCore's tech- nology, the honeycomb core is made in a fast, continuous process from thermoplastic material base and the composite skins are inline laminated onto the core as it is being made. The sandwich panel is then offline- laminated with the photovoltaic cells. www.econcore.com Precision-cut fibers for pelletized thermoplastic and more Engineered Fibers Technology LLC (EFT, Shelton, CT, US) is showing a range of its precision short-cut fibers with lengths of 0.10 mm to several centimeters. EFT provides fibers tailored to a customer's engineering application. Available short-cut fibers include carbon fibers, nickel- and metal-coated carbon fibers, quartz, S-2 glass, basalt, stainless steel and ceramic fibers. Polymeric short-cut fibers include PEEK, PEI (Ultem), PPS, aramid (para and meta), PTFE, Vectran LCP, cellulosic (trademarked