The company will demonstrate how its track record in innovation continues to enable new design freedom through optimising the mechanical properties of composites and supporting faster, more cost effective processes which are making a significant contribution to increased growth in the high performance composites market. In mass-market vehicle manufacturing, the use of epoxy composites is now widespread. While aerospace-derived prepreg materials for autoclave cure were most frequently used within the racing and high-value sectors of the industry, for composites to be effectively applied in mass production, the manufacturing processes and resin systems needed to be adapted. Huntsman says it is meeting manufacturers’ demands for faster processing and shorter production cycles with its epoxy resin systems for high pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM). As the first qualified supplier of an epoxy resin system designed to meet the needs of the industry’s initial commercial application for the mass production of structural parts, Huntsman will showcase the latest Araldite system to enable five-minute production cycles. In comparison to first generation HP-RTM, this equates to a 30% time saving. The company will also highlight other fast curing epoxy resin systems including those that enable less complex compression moulding and the production of parts in less than three minutes. It will also show its proven solutions for the filament winding process as well as expandable epoxy systems (EES) which complete the company’s offering in allowing the easy and exact moulding of complicated shapes and very short cycle times of 45-60 seconds at 145-160°C. As a leading supplier of high performance building blocks for composites and adhesive formulators, maintaining or increasing thermal resistance without affecting the advanced properties of its speciality chemicals is a high priority for Huntsman. During the show, Huntsman will focus on the epoxy resins, hardeners and accelerators it has designed to help formulators and prepreggers enhance the mechanical properties and overall quality of their systems. Tactix 742 and Tactix 556 are two resins that respectively offer the highest glass transition temperatures and the lowest water sensitivity achievable among all the epoxy resin systems that are commercially available today. Other examples of building blocks from Huntsman include Araldite MY 9721 and Araldite MY 0610; epoxy resins that combine high thermal resistance and a high modulus with easier processing, thanks to their low viscosities. Hardeners and accelerators including Aradur 3123, Aradur 1167 and other recently developed DDS-modified curing agents complete the line-up, providing formulators with new tools to adapt curing kinetics of their systems while providing high thermal resistance. Adhesive bonding enables the most efficient use of composites, maximising the long-term potential of high-end composite structures while optimising manufacturing methods with easy handling and processing. Huntsman’s epoxy adhesives, which combine high toughness with lap shear strengths greater than 35MPa, are already proven in numerous challenging applications. Araldite AW 4858 / Hardener HW 4858 for example, is suitable for bonding composite to composite or composite to dissimilar materials and is recognised for maintaining high strength even under harsh environmental conditions. Araldite AW 4859/Hardener HW 4859 is another epoxy adhesive that will be on show. Sharing similar mechanical properties as the former, this adhesive is ideal for bonding structures that will be exposed to temperatures exceeding 80°C during their work-life, for example in racing car, aerospace or in general transportation applications. Huntsman will also show its fast curing methacrylate based adhesives Araldite 2047-1 and Araldite 2048, which have been designed respectively for composite bonding with limited surface preparation and for the creation of flexible joints with a 90% elongation at break. These most recent additions are already proving their value in helping customers to find an efficient way of joining dissimilar materials while the fast curing properties create time and cost savings. www.huntsman.com/advanced_materials
