MOSCOW (MRC) -- To expand its current offer to the composites industry, Arkema, a France-based chemical manufacturer, is launching the Polystrand range of products in Europe, featuring a full range of glass-reinforced thermoplastic tapes and prepregs, as per the company's press release.
These high performance materials are giving access to lightweight, recyclable and structural composites, for the automotive, transportation, energy, consumer and construction markets.
Arkema is willing to bring ready-to-use materials to Composites molders, such as reactive thermoplastic resin for RTM and Infusion (Elium), structural adhesives for composite-composite and metal-composite assembly (AEC Polymers) and now thermoplastic tapes and prepregs for thermo-compression, thermo-stamping and lamination (Polystrand).
Polystrand tapes are continuous glass fibers impregnated by various polymers, such as polypropylene, polyamides and fluoropolymers. These tapes have outstanding properties in terms of stiffness, strength and impact resistance, as compared to traditional compounds. They can be laminated or laid up ply per ply in the load direction, in order to bring glass fiber properties where they are needed. The X-ply prepregs are similar to impregnated fabrics but present the advantage of higher mechanical performances due to the absence of weave formation. These materials are already used in many applications in North America, for example in the automotive industry to reinforce front ends. Over-molding with short-fiber compound is possible to integrate functions to the composite part or to locally reinforce short-fiber composites. These continuous fiber materials bring endless opportunities to manufacture structural thermoplastic composite parts.
As MRC wrote before, Arkema has recently developed a new grade of Kynar PVDF resin that provides a whole new set of properties for PVDF. Kynar UHM resin has a high flexural modulus, heat deflection temperature, abrasion resistance, tensile strength, pressure capability and, at the same time, offers excellent creep resistance.
Arkema with annual revenue of EUR7.6 billion is a leading European supplier of chlorochemicals and PVC. Kynar and Kynar Flex are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc.
MRC