CAMX 2018 preview: Magnolia Advanced Materials

Magnolia Advanced Materials (Atlanta, GA, US) is exhibiting Magnolia 7035, a new, ultra-low density syntactic foam for core splice applications. Magnolia 7035 is a two-part epoxy paste that can be applied between the honeycomb sheets in the amount needed to bridge the gap. Magnolia 7035 cures at room temperature and can then be processed through a typical cure cycle for the face sheets. The pot life of the mixed resin is 30 minutes, and it develops handling strength in less than 2 hours. The cured density of Magnolia 7035 is comparable to foaming adhesives, but offers favorable mechanical properties up to 250°F. Because it is a syntactic, it is a closed cell foam and this will give the adhesive better environmental resistance than the open cell foaming type. Magnolia notes that typically, splicing honeycomb sandwich panels requires the use of foaming adhesives, which expand during a heat cure to bond the honeycomb sheets. This process can require cutting strips of core slice sheets to size and then placing the strips between the sheets of honeycomb. During the cure, the foam expands to fill the gap and bond the adjacent sheets together. If the cut edge is irregular, then the space may be too large in some areas for the foam to fill and the resulting gaps will compromise the properties of the sandwich panel. Magnolia contends that Magnolia 7035 eliminates these problems while producing a lighter, stronger and more environmentally stable panel. Booth BB13.