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Improves control of fibre coating and quality of finished product, control of volatile organics in the working environment to conform with air quality regulations, more accurate.
About
What is the problem? Pultrusion is a widely used method for producing composite sections with applications across a wide range of industries such as construction, electrical and consumer goods. Part of the current manufacturing method involves immersing fibres in a bath to saturate the tows with resin. Resin is currently mixed in a open “pot” and fibres are immersed a pulled through a die. Resin waste rates can be high, clean down is expensive it may be difficult to conform to environmental regulations. Our new Solution? Researchers have developed a method of applying resin through a new applicator that mixes resin as required and impregnates the fibres close to the die. Benefits of the new technology Improves control of fibre coating and quality of the finished product, allows control of volatile organics in the working environment to conform with air quality regulation, allows use of fast curing resins in filament winding, accurate mixing of amine hardener and resin. Background Pultrusion is a continuous manufacturing technique for the production of fibre reinforced composite materials of predefined dimensions. However there are some problems with the method that limit its use. These can be overcome by using new technology that we have developed. This new method ensures that fibres are spread within the bundle in the optimal way to maximise resin impregnation and ensure voids are not produced in the section. Fibre spreading is carried out in a controlled manner to maximise the degree of filament spreading and minimise the fracture of the filaments. The fibres are then impregnated by a specially designed dispensing system the mixes the resin components using precision gear pumps and a static mixer. This allows the use of fast-curing resin systems, that cannot be used in conventional batch mixed resin baths. These improvements will allow faster production rates and reduced energy usage. By mixing resin on demand it is easier to control environmental solvent levels, improve the air quality for workers and reduce odours in the vicinity of the plant. There are also additional environmental benefits, clean down is easier at the end of the work as there is no resin bath to empty and clean and there is less waste resin to dispose of.