Boeing to suspend 737 MAX production beginning in January

Longer-than-expected re-certification is forcing Boeing to focus on delivering stored aircraft. No layoffs or furloughs are planned.

The Boeing Co. (Chicago, Ill., U.S.) announced on Dec. 16 that it is suspending production of the 737 MAX aircraft beginning in January 2020. The company cited longer-than-expected re-certification of the aircraft and noted that the suspension will allow it to focus on delivery of stored aircraft. Further, Boeing says no layoffs or furloughs are planned.

The Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle commercial aircraft was grounded in early 2019 following two crashes that exposed flaws in the plane’s automated flight control system. The planemaker has spent most of 2019 developing a fix and working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to get the plane re-certified for service.

In a statement, Boeing says, “Safely returning the 737 MAX to service is our top priority. We know that the process of approving the 737 MAX's return to service, and of determining appropriate training requirements, must be extraordinarily thorough and robust, to ensure that our regulators, customers, and the flying public have confidence in the 737 MAX updates. As we have previously said, the FAA and global regulatory authorities determine the timeline for certification and return to service. We remain fully committed to supporting this process. It is our duty to ensure that every requirement is fulfilled, and every question from our regulators answered.”

Throughout the grounding of the 737 MAX, Boeing has continued to build new airplanes and there are now approximately 400 airplanes in storage. The company has previously stated that it would continually evaluate its production plans should the MAX grounding continue longer than expected. “As a result of this ongoing evaluation,” Boeing says, “we have decided to prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft and temporarily suspend production on the 737 program beginning next month.”

Boeing says it believes this decision is the least disruptive to maintaining long-term production system and supply chain health. Further, it says the decision is driven by a number of factors, including the extension of certification into 2020, uncertainty about the timing and conditions of return to service and global training approvals, and the importance of ensuring that the compay can prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft.

Affected employees will continue 737-related work, or be temporarily assigned to other teams in the company’s Seattle-area manufacturing and assembly facilities. Financial information regarding the production suspension in connection with 4Q 2019 earnings will be released in late January.

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Spaceship Co. attaches feather system to next SpaceShipTwo

Virgin Galactic’s sister company has completed a major milestone in the manufacture of the composites-intensive SpaceShipTwo, which will carry tourists on short-duration space flights.

Space tourism company Virgin Galactic (Mojave, Calif., U.S.) reported on Dec. 15 that sister company The Spaceship Co. (Mojave) has taken a key step on the path to completing the second spaceship in Virgin Galactic’s fleet. The team has attached the structure of SpaceShipTwo’s “feather system” to the wing of the new vehicle, in what is a union of two major components of the airframe. This latest milestone is the final step prior to resting the vehicle’s weight on its wheels. SpaceShipTwo is fabricated with carbon fiber composite materials.

The feather is unique to the SpaceShipTwo flight system, giving the vehicle the capability to change its shape in space to ensure a safe, flight-proven, aerodynamically controlled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere on a repeated basis.

SpaceShipTwo is designed to carry passengers to low-Earth orbit on short-duration trips into weightless space. SpaceShipTwo is initially carried by MotherShipTwo and at a designated altitude SpaceShipTwo detaches from MotherShipTwo and is propelled to low-Earth orbit via rocket. Once the rocket motor burn is completed and the passengers have experienced low-Earth orbit, the pilots extend the feather upward on SpaceShipTwo, which results in the aft wing and tail booms rotating upward to approximately a 60-degree vertical orientation. The feather is what provides stability during re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere. During this phase of spaceflight the vehicle acts like a shuttlecock or birdie, orienting the ship to the proper re-entry attitude. This orientation creates high drag, which slows SpaceShipTwo quickly while high in the atmosphere. This also allows the thermal loads generated from re-entering the atmosphere to spread evenly over the surface area of the vehicle rather than concentrating on a few small points.

Once SpaceShipTwo has re-entered the atmosphere, the feather is rotated back to its original position, which allows the pilots to glide the spaceship back to Earth for a runway landing at Spaceport America, N.M., U.S.

The Virgin Galactic fleet is being built by The Spaceship Co. The build process is based on a modular plan and each part of the spaceship is fabricated separately before final assembly. Virgin Galactic’s first spaceship, VSS Unity, also built by The Spaceship Co., is progressing through its flight test program, with the next two vehicles in production.

George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, says, “Completing this milestone is an important moment in the build of our next spaceship and signals that our fleet is starting to take shape. We have specifically designed our space system with a fundamental focus on safety, customer experience and reusability and the feather mechanism is key to enabling how we do this.”

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Rock West Composites expands filament winding facility

Rock West Composites expands its operation with the acquisition of new winders and ovens, establishes filament winding center of excellence.

Rock West Composites (RWC, Salt Lake City, Utah) recently celebrated the full operational capacity of its new, dedicated filament winding facility. The company expanded into a third manufacturing bay at its Salt Lake City  facility, adding 20,000 square feet of space for staff and new equipment. As the company’s capability in the filament winding arena has grown, the need to consolidate equipment and expertise in a centralized location became essential in fulfilling customer demand for this product.

RWC has aligned several multi-spindle, wet winding and towpreg, and small to large diameter winders. Capability includes manufacturing tubes in a wide variety of dimensions up to 315 inches long and 30 inches in diameter. The company has also deployed a custom resin mixing and dispensing system for precise resin mix ratios to assure mixing accuracy and consistency. Several ovens to accommodate the increased tube production, a new extended length hydraulic mandrel extractor, and mandrel storage are all closely located within the cell to improve efficiency.

“RWC has extensive experience working with carbon fiber and glass fiber materials. The expansion of our filament winding operation is a natural extension of the work we have been engaged in for years,” says Dave Erickson, general manager of Rock West Composites’ Utah operation. “We are always seeking ways to increase efficiency, reduce cost, improve product quality, and shorten schedule. This center of excellence will enable us to deliver on our promise to make our customers more competitive.”

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Composite resins price change report

CW’s running summary of resin price change announcements from major material suppliers that serve the composites manufacturing industry.

Dec. 10, 2019

Hexion Inc. has announced a price increase of $0.03 per pound for off-list prices in North and South America, affecting its EPON liquid epoxy resin and EPON solid epoxy resin.

Effective Jan. 6, 2020, or as contracts allow.

Dec. 6, 2019

AOC Aliancys has announced price increases for all products sold in the Americas, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Latin America. The increase will be $0.05 per pound for all resins, and 5% for gelcoat, pigment dispersions and specialty products.

Effective Jan. 15, 2020.

April 22, 2019

Ashland Global Holdings Inc. has announced price increases for all products in North America, including the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The increases are as follows:

• Ortho-phthalic resins: $0.06/lb
• All other unsaturated polyester resins: $0.04/lb
• Vinyl ester, fire retardant and specialty resins: $0.05/lb
• Chlorendic based resins: $0.09/lb
• All gelcoats and pigments: $0.05/lb

Increases are effective April 22, 2019 or as contracts allow.

March 26, 2019
Polynt Composites, all unsaturated polyester resubs, vinyl esters and gel coats sold in Europe, Middle East and Africa, increase of €80/MT. Effective April 1, 2019.

March 21, 2019

AOC Aliancys has announced price increases for all products sold in the Americas, including the US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America.  The increases are as follows: 

• Polyester and Vinyl Ester Resins: 3%
• Gelcoats: 3-5% (Depending on the product)
• Pigment Dispersions: 5%

Increases are effective for all shipments on or after April 14, 2019, or as contracts allow.

Aug. 28, 2018

Ashland, all resins and gelcoats for North America, increase by up to $0.05/lb, effective Sept. 12, 2018 or as contracts allow.

Aug. 22, 2018

AOC Aliancys, price increase of $0.04/lb. for the US and CND $0.115/Kg for Canada for all polyester resins, gel coats and pigments; effective for all shipments on or after September 8, 2018.

Aug. 22, 2018

AOC Aliancys, price increase of US$0.04/lb. for all polyester resins, gel coats and pigments sold in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America. Effective for all shipments on or after September 8, 2018.

Aug, 19, 2018

AOC Aliancys, price increase of €100/MT for all products sold in Europe, Middle East and India. Effective for all new deliveries after Sept. 1, 2018.

June 27, 2018

Polynt Composites USA Inc., all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, gel coats and related products increase by US$0.06/lb. Effective July 16, 2018. 

June 22, 2018

AOC, price increase of US $0.06/lb. for the USA and CND $0.175/Kg for Canada for all products, effective for all orders shipped on or after July 1, 2018.

June 22, 2018

AOC, price increase of US$0.06/lb for all products sold in Latin America, including Mexico and the Caribbean, effective for all orders shipped on or after July 10, 2018.

May 24, 2018
Ashland, maleic anhydride increase of $0.06/lb for North America. Effective June 7, 2018, or as contracts allow.

April 3, 2018
AOC, all vinyl ester containing products increase of US$0.15/kg for Asia.  Effective for all shipments after April 17, 2018.

March 29, 2018
AOC, all vinyl ester containing products increase of US$0.10/lb. for Latin America, including Mexico and the Caribbean.  Effective for all shipments after April 10, 2018.

March 27, 2018
AOC, all vinyl ester containing products increase of €200/MT for Europe.  Effective for all shipments after April 2, 2018.

March 19, 2018
AOC, all vinyl ester containing products increase of US $0.10/lb. for the US and CND $0.275/Kg for Canada.  Effective April 7, 2018, or as contracts allow; includes all list and off-list/supported prices.

March 16, 2018
Ashland, AME, Derakane and Hetron resins, as well as various other epoxy vinyl ester and specialty resins in North America, increase of $0.08-$0.12/lb depending on grade. Other Ashland branded specialty grade resin prices will increase by $0.06/lb. Effective April 1, 2018, or as contracts allow.

March 7, 2018
Hexion Inc., increase in off-list pricing for materials sold in North America: Bisphenol A increase of $0.07/lb., EPON Liquid Epoxy Resin increase of $0.10/lb., EPON Solid Epoxy Resin increase of $0.10/lb., EPIKOTE Resin Solutions increase of $0.09/lb. Effective April 1, 2018, or as contracts allow.

Feb. 27, 2018
Aliancys, all products sold in Europe, Middle East and India, increase of €150/MT. Effective for all shipments on or after March 1, 2018.

Feb. 5, 2018
AOC, all products sold in Latin America, increase of US$0.05/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 20, 2018.

Feb. 5, 2018
Ashland, maleic anhydride sold in North America, increase of $0.04/lb. Effective Feb. 19, 2018, or as contracts and price agreements allow.

Feb. 1, 2018
Polynt Composites, all unsaturated polyesters, vinyl esters and gel coats sold in Europe, increase of €100/MT. Effective Feb. 15, 2018.

Jan. 30, 2018
Aliancys, unsaturated polyester resin product portfolio sold in Europe, Middle East and India, increase of €100/MT. Effective for all new deliveries after Feb. 1, 2018.

Jan. 26, 2018
AOC, all vinyl ester products outside the US and Canada, increase of $0.10/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 3, 2018. 

Jan. 24, 2018
Aliancys, all vinyl ester and specialty resins sold in Europe, the Middle East and India, increase of €150/MT. Effective for all new deliveries after Feb. 1, 2018.

Jan. 18, 2018
AOC, all vinyl ester products sold in the US and Canada, increase of US$0.10/lb for the US and CND$0.275/kg for Canada. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 3, 2018, or as contracts allow; includes all list and off-list/supported prices.

Jan. 18, 2018
Ashland, AME, Derakane and Hetron resins, and other epoxy vinyl ester and specialty resins sold in North America, increase by US$0.10/lb. Effective Feb. 1, 2018, or as contracts allow.

Jan. 3, 2018
Chinese glass fiber manufacturer CTG is implementing initiatives mandated by the Chinese government that will result in improving both its Chinese and global environment. As part of that effort, CTG has and will continue to incur increased costs associated with this endeavor. Therefore, due to increased costs associated with energy and raw materials, along with costs that the company will incur implementing the aforementioned initiatives, it may need to pass along some of those costs to its customers during 2018.

Jan. 3, 2018
AOC, all products sold in Europe, increase of €100/MT. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Jan. 15, 2018.

Dec. 20, 2017
AOC, all unsaturated polyester resins, gel coat and pigment products in the US and Canada, increase of USD$0.04/lb and CND$0.115/kg; all vinyl ester resins in the USA and Canada, increase of USD$0.07/lb and CND$0.20/kg; all products sold in Latin America, increase of US$0.05/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Jan. 14, 2018.

Dec. 14, 2017
Polynt Composites, all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and gel coats sold into Europe, increase of €150/MT. Effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Dec. 8, 2017
AOC, all vinyl ester resins sold in Asia, increase of US$0.17/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Dec. 17, 2017.

Dec. 7, 2017
Ashland, materials sold in North America, increase of US$0.07/lb for epoxy vinyl ester; US$0.05/lb for unsaturated polyester; US$0.04/lb for isophthalic-based unsaturated polyester; and US$0.04/lb for gelcoats and pigments. Effective Jan. 1, 2018, or as contracts allow. 

Sept. 12, 2017
AOC, all products sold in Europe, increase of €100/MT. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Sept. 18, 2017.

Sept. 6, 2017
Aliancys, all unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, the Middle East and India, increase of €100/MT. Effective for all new deliveries after Sept. 15, 2017.

Sept. 6, 2017
Interplastic Corp., all CoREZYN and Silmar brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gelcoats, colorants and bonding compounds, increasy of US$0.07/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Sept. 16, 2017.

Sept. 6, 2017
AOC, all products sold in the USA, increase of US$0.07/lb. All products sold in Canada, increase of CND$0.19/kg. Effective for all shipments on or after Sept. 9, 2017, or as contracts allow; includes all list and off-list/supported prices.

Sept. 5, 2017
AOC, all products made in Mexico, increase of US$0.10/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Sept. 11, 2017.

Sept. 1, 2017
Polynt Composites, all unsaturated polyesters, vinyl esters and gelcoats sold in Europe, increase of €130/MT. Effective Sept. 1, 2017.

Aug. 1, 2017
Ashland, all gelcoats sold in North America, increase of US$0.05/lb on white colors and US$0.04/lb on all other colors. Effective Aug. 15, 2017.

Aug. 1, 2017
AOC, LLC, all gel coats and pigments, increase of US$0.05/lb (in US) and CND$0.14/kg (in Canada). Effective for all shipments after Sept. 1, 2017.

April 11, 2017
SCIGRIP, all structural adhesives sold in Europe, increase by 8%. Effective May 1, 2107.

March 10, 2017
AOC, all products sold in Latin America, including Mexico and the Caribbean, increase by US$0.06/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after March 20, 2017.

March 8, 2017
Aliancys, all unsaturated polyester, vinyl ester and isophthalic-based resins sold in Europe, the Middle East and India, increase by €100/MT. Effective for all new deliveries after March 15, 2017. 

March 1, 2017
Molding Products LLC, all polyester-based sheet molding compound (SMC) formulations, increase by US$0.04/lb; all vinyl ester-based SMC formulations, increase by US$0.06/lb. Effective for all material shipped on or after April 1, 2017. 

Feb. 21, 2017
Poliya, all composite resins and gelcoats sold in Europe and the Middle East, increase by US$50-75/MT. Effective for all new deliveries after April 1, 2017

Feb. 21, 2017
Polynt Composites, all unsaturated polyester resins sold in Europe, increase by €200/MT. Effective March 1, 2017. 

Feb. 20, 2017
AOC, all products and all orders shipped in the United States and Canada, increase by US$0.07/lb and CND$0.20/kg, respectively, including list prices. Effective for orders shipped on or after March 4, 2017.

Feb. 20, 2017
Ashland, maleic anhydride sold in North America, increase by US$0.04/lb. Effective March 15, 2017, or as contracts allow.

Feb. 17, 2017
Interplastic Corp., CoREZYN and Silmar brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel coats, colorants and bonding compounds, increase by US$0.08/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after March 3, 2017. 

Feb. 17, 2017
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl esters sold in the United States and Canada, increase by US$0.08/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after March 3, 2017.

Feb. 16, 2017
Ashland, all composite resins and gelcoats sold in North America, increase by US$0.08/lb. Effective Feb. 27, 2017, or as contracts allow. 

Feb. 15, 2017
Polynt Composites USA Inc., all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, gel coats and related products sold in North America, increase by US$0.08/lb. Effective for all shipments made on or after March 1, 2017. 

Feb. 8, 2017
AOC, all products sold in Latin America, including Mexico and the Caribbean, increase of US$0.07/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 20, 2017.

Feb. 7, 2017
Aliancys, all unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, Middle East and India, increase of €100/MT. Effective for all new deliveries after Feb. 15, 2017. 

Feb. 2, 2017
AOC, all products sold in Europe, increase of €150/MT. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Feb. 20, 2017. 

Feb. 1, 2017
Polynt Composites, all products sold in Europe, increase of €200/MT. Effective Feb. 1, 2017.

Jan. 31, 2017
Interplastic Corp., isophthalic acid-based polyester resins and vinyl ester resins, increase of US$0.07/lb; all other unsaturated polyester resins, gel coats, bonding compounds and colorants, increase of US$0.05/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 15, 2017.

Jan. 30, 2017
AOC, all resins containing isophthalic acid, including, but not limited to, corrosion resins, cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) resins, pultrusion resins, and certain casting, polymer concrete, and SMC/BMC resins. Increase of US$0.06/lb. in the US, and CND$0.18/kg in Canada, or as contracts allow. Also, for gelcoats, pigments, and all other resin products, increase of US$0.04/lb. in the USA, and CDN$0.12/kg in Canada, or as contracts allow. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Feb. 12, 2017

Jan. 27, 2017
Ashland, isophthalic acid-based unsaturated polyester resins sold in North America, increase of US$0.06/lb; gelcoats sold in North America, increase of US$0.04/lb; unsaturated polyester resins (not including isophthalic) sold in North America, increase of US$0.03/lb; vinyl ester resins sold in the North America, increase of US$0.07/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Feb. 15, 2017, or as contracts allow.

Jan. 27, 2017
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester, vinyl esters resins and gelcoat products sold in Europe, increase of €150/MT. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Feb. 15, 2017.

Jan. 9, 2017
Polynt Composites, all unsaturated polyester resins sold in Europe, increase of €100/MT. Effective Jan. 10, 2017.

Jan. 5, 2017
AOC, all products sold in Asia, increase of $0.13/kg. Effective immediately.

Jan. 5, 2017
AOC, all products sold in Europe, increase of €50/MT. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Feb. 1, 2017.

Jan. 4, 2017
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, increase of €50/MT; all gelcoat products sold in Europe, increase of €100/MT. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Feb. 1, 2017.

Jan. 3, 2017
Aliancys, unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, Middle East and India, increase of €60-80/MT. Effective for all new deliveries after Jan. 15, 2017. 

Dec. 20, 2016
Reichhold, unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl esters sold in the United States and Canada, increase of US$0.05/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Jan. 16, 2017. 

Dec. 16, 2016
Ashland, multiple prices increases in North America, effective Jan. 1, 2017, or as contracts allow:

• Unsaturated polyester resins, sold under the brands of Aropol, Arotran, Envirez and Polaris, increase of $0.05/lb.
• Epoxy vinyl ester resins and other specialty resins, sold under the brands of Derakane, Hetron, Modar, AME and Neulon, increase of $0.05/lb
• Gelcoats, sold under the brands of Maxguard and Enguard, increase of $0.06/lb.

Dec. 5, 2016
Polynt Composites, all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl esters and gelcoats sold in Europe, increase of €100/MT. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Jan. 1, 2017. 

Dec. 2, 2016
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl esters and gelcoats sold in Europe, increase of €100/MT. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Dec. 15, 2016. 

Dec. 2, 2016
Huber Carbonates LLC, all industrial calcium carbonates, increase of 5-10%, depending on product and packaging. Effective Jan. 1, 2017, or as contracts allow. 

Nov. 30, 2016
Aliancys, all unsaturated polyesters and vinyl esters sold in Europe, the Middle East and India, increase of €80-100/MT. Effective for all new deliveries after Jan. 1, 2017. 

July 11, 2016
Interplastic Corp., all gelcoats and colorants, increase of up to $0.06/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after July 23, 2016. 

June 24, 2016
AOC LLC, all gelcoats and pigments sold in the US and Canada, increase of up to US$0.06/lb and to CND$0.175/kg, depending on application and color. Effective for all shipments after July 9, 2016. 

June 22, 2016
Ashland Performance Materials, all gelcoats sold in North America, increase by $0.04-$0.06/lb, depending on technology and color. Effective July 1, 2016, or as contracts allow. 

May 10, 2016
AOC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €40/metric ton. Effective for all orders shipped on or after June 1, 2016.

April 29, 2016
Reichhold, all gelcoat products sold in Europe, increase by €70/metric ton. Effective for all orders shipped on or after June 1, 2016. 

April 23, 2016
Aliancys, unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, Middle East and India, increase by €75/metric ton. Effective for all new deliveries after May 15,  2016.

April 1, 2016
Ashland Performance Materials, all unsaturated polyester resins, epoxy vinyl esters and gelcoats sold in North America, increase by US$0.04/lb. Effective April 15, 2016, or as contracts allow. 

March 28, 2016
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl ester resins sold in the United States and Canada, increase by US$0.04/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after April 15, 2016.

March 23, 2016
AOC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €80/metric ton. Effective for all orders shipped on or after April 1, 2016.

March 16, 2016
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and ancillary products, increase by €80/metric ton. Effective for all new deliveries shipped on or after April 1, 2016.

March 14, 2016
Polynt, all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, gel coats and related products, increase by €80/metric ton. Effective for all new deliveries shipped on or after April 1, 2016.

March 14, 2016
Aliancys, all unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, the Middle East and India, increase by €80/metric ton. Effective for all new deliveries after April 1, 2016. 

June 26, 2015
AOC LLC, all brominated fire-retardant resins, increase by US$0.06-$0.11/lb. Effective for sales shipped on or after Aug. 1, 2015.

July 15, 2015
Reichhold LLC, all bromine-containing flame-retardant resins sold in the US and Canada, increase by US$0.05-$0.10/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Aug. 15, 2015. June 3, 2015
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €80/metric ton. Effective for all orders shipped on or after June 15, 2015.

May 27, 2015
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and ancillary products, in Europe, increase by €80/metric ton. Effective for all orders shipped on or after June 8, 2015.

May 26, 2015
DSM Composite Resins, unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins, in Europe, the Middle East and India, increase by €100/metric ton. Effective for all new deliveries after June 1, 2015.

May 7, 2015
DSM, Akulon and Novamid polyamide 6 polymers, in North and South America, increase by $0.05/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after June 1, 2015, where contracts allow.

May 5, 2015
Polynt, all unsaturated polyesters, vinyl esters, gel coats and related products, in Europe, increase by €100/metric ton. Effective for all new deliveries shipped on or after June 1, 2015.

April 2, 2015
Polynt Composites, unsaturated polyesters, vinyl esters and gelcoats sold in Europe, increase by €150/metric ton. Effective for all new deliveries shipped on or after April 7, 2015. 

March 24, 2015
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €150-€200/metric ton. Effective for all orders shipped on or after April 1, 2015.

March 18, 2015
DSM Composite Resins, unsaturated polyesters and vinyl esters sold in Europe, the Middle East and India, increase by €150-200/metric ton (depending on product and resin chemistry). Effective for all new deliveries after April 1, 2015. 

March 16, 2015
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyesters, vinyl esters and ancillary products sold in Europe, increase by €150/metric ton. Effective for all orders shipped on or after April 1, 2015.

Oct. 15, 2014
Teijin Aramid, all Twaron products, increase by 7 percent as existing contracts allow. This is the first time since 2008 the company has announced a general price increase. 

Oct. 10, 2014
DSM Composite Resins, all unsaturated polyester/vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, the Middle East and India, increase by €50/metric ton to €75/metric ton (depending on product and resin chemistry). Effective for all new deliveries after Oct. 15, 2014.

Sept. 1, 2014
CTG International (North America) Inc., all fiberglass products, increase by 6 percent. Effective Oct. 1, 2014.

Aug. 28, 2014
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €50/metric ton. Effective Sept. 15, 2014.

Aug. 4, 2014
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and ancillary products sold in Europe, increase by €50/metric ton. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Sept. 1, 2014. 

July 3, 2014
Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc., increase in the Americas: Bisphenol A by $0.08/lb; increase EPON liquid epoxy resins, EPON solid epoxy resins, EPON specialty liquid epoxy resins, EPON resin blends, EPON high-performance resins by $0.06/lb; increase EPON resin solutions, EPON brominated resin solutions by $0.04/lb. Effective July 15, 2014, or as contracts allow.

July 2, 2014
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €90/metric ton. Effective July 15, 2014.

July 1, 2014
DSM Composite Resins, all resins sold in Europe, Middle East and India, increase by €75 to €100/metric tsons, depending on product and resin chemistry. Effective for all new deliveries after July 1, 2014. 

July 1, 2014
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and ancillary products sold in Europe, increase by €90/metric tons. Effective July 14, 2014. 

June 10, 2014
CTG International (North America) Inc., all glass fiber reinforcement products, increase by 5 percent. Effective for all orders shipped on or after July 1, 2014.

May 30, 2014
Jushi USA, all glass fiber reinforcement products, increase by 6 percent. Effective for all shipments delivered on or after July 1, 2014.

March 10, 2014
Molding Products LLC, sheet molding compound (SMC) products, increase by $0.02/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after April 15, 2014. 

March 7, 2014
Reichhold, PIA (purified isophtalic acid) and DCPD (dicyclopentadiene), in Europe, price increase of unspecified amount. Effective April 1, 2014.

Feb. 17, 2014
Ashland Performance Materials, DERAKANE epoxy vinyl ester resins, unsaturated polyester resins and gel coats portfolio sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, increase by €50/ton. Effective March 1, 2014. 

Feb. 11, 2014
Ashland Performance Materials, AME, AROTOOL, DERAKANE and HETRON branded products sold in North America, increase by $0.07/lb; unsaturated polyester resins and gel coats, increase by $0.04/lb. Effective Feb. 17, 2014, or as contracts allow.

Jan. 29, 2014
AOC LLC, all polyester resin, gel coat and pigment products sold in Mexico, increase $0.04/lb (USD); all vinyl ester products sold in Mexico, increase $0.06/lb (USD). Effective for all products shipped on or after Feb. 24, 2014.  

Jan. 23, 2014
AOC LLC, in the U.S. and Canada, all polyester resin, gel coat and pigment products, increase of (USD) $0.04/lb in the U.S. and (CDN) $0.09/kg in Canada; all vinyl ester products, increase of (USD) $0.06/lb in the U.S. and (CDN) $0.13/kg in Canada. Effective for all products shipped on or after Feb. 21, 2014.  

Jan. 22, 2014
Reichhold Inc., in the U.S., all Dion, Norpol and Hydrex resins, increase of $0.07/lb; all unsaturated polyester resins, increase $0.04/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Feb. 19, 2014. 

Jan. 17, 2014
Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc., all acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic and other polymers used in the adhesives, textiles, nonwovens and other specialty markets, sold in the USA and Canada, increase by $0.05 to $0.07/wet lb (USD). Effective Feb. 15, 2014, or as contracts allow. 

Jan. 2, 2014
Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc., price increases in the Americas as followed: Allyl chloride, epichlorohydrin ($0.05/lb); EPON resin solutions, EPON brominated resins ($0.06/lb); bisphenol A, EPON liquid epoxies, EPON solid epoxies, EPON specialty liquid epoxies, EPON resin blends, EPON high-performance resins ($0.08/lb). Effective Feb. 1, or as contracts allow.  

Oct. 3, 2013
Ashland Performance Materials, epoxy vinyl ester resins, unsaturated polyester resins, gelcoats and additives sold in North America, increase by $0.06/lb. Effective Oct. 14, 2013, or as contracts allow.

Sept. 16, 2013
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €80 to €100/metric ton. Effective Oct. 1, 2013.  

Sept. 13, 2013
Interplastic Corp., CoREZYN and Silmar brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel coats, colorants and putties, increase by $0.06/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Oct. 5, 2013.

Sept. 12, 2013
DSM Composite Resins, all resins sold in Europe, Middle East and India, increase by €80 to €100/metric ton (depending on product and resin chemistry). Effective for all new deliveries after Oct. 1, 2013.

Sept. 9, 2013
AOC LLC, all products shipped to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America, increase by USD$0.06/lb. Effective for products shipped on or after Oct. 1, 2013.

Sept. 5, 2013
Scott Bader Europe, Crystic range of unsaturated polyester, vinyl ester, DCPD, plus all other manufactured composite products, increase by €70 to €90/metric ton, dependent on product type. Effective Oct.1, 2013, subject to existing customer contracts. 

Sept. 3, 2013
AOC LLC, all resin and gelcoat products in the U.S. and Canada, increase by USD$0.06/lb in the U.S. and CDN$0.13/kilo in Canada. Effective for products shipped on or after Oct. 1, 2013.

March 15, 2013
Interplastic Corp.’s Thermoset Resins Division, CoREZYN brand vinyl ester resins, increase by $0.06/lb. Effective on all shipments on or after March 23, 2013.

March 1, 2013
AkzoNobel Functional Chemicals, the following formulations sold in the Americas: Trigonox 17, 29, BPIC, K80, K90, T; Perkadox 14, 16, 24, 26, SE10; all peroxide mixtures. Increase by 5 to 10 percent. Effective April 1, 2013, or as contracts allow.

March 1, 2013
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €100/metric ton. Effective March 15, 2013.

Feb. 26, 2013
AOC LLC, all vinyl ester products sold in the U.S. and Canada, increase $0.06/lb (USD) in the U.S. and $0.14/kilo (CDN) in Canada. Effective for all products shipped on or after March 16, 2013.

Feb. 26, 2013
DSM Composite Resins, all resins sold in Europe, increase by €100/metric ton. Effective for all new orders after March 1, 2013.

Jan. 17, 2013
AOC LLC, all products sold in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, increase by $0.04/lb (USD). Effective for all products shipped on or after Feb. 7, 2013.

Jan. 15, 2013
Interplastic Corp.’s Thermoset Resins Division, CoREZYN and Silmar brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel coats, colorants and putties, increase by $0.06/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 9, 2013.

Jan. 8, 2013
AOC LLC, all products sold in the U.S. and Canada, increase by $0.06/lb (USD) in the U.S. and $0.13/kg (CDN) in Canada. Effective for all products shipped on or after Feb. 9, 2013.

Nov. 9, 2012
Reichhold Inc., all unsaturated polyester, vinyl ester and flame-retardant resins sold in North America, increase by $0.06/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after Dec. 3, 2012.

Nov. 9, 2012
Interplastic Corp.’s Thermoset Resins Division, CoREZYN and Silmar brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel coats, colorants and putties, increase by $0.06/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Dec. 1, 2012.

Nov. 9, 2012
AOC LLC, all products sold in the U.S. and Canada, increase of $0.07/lb (USD). Effective for all products shipped on or after Dec. 1, 2012.

Nov. 7, 2012
AOC LLC, all products sold in Mexico, increase of $0.05/lb (USD). Effective Nov. 13, 2012.

Oct. 3, 2012
DSM Composite Resins, complete portfolio of resins sold in Europe, increase by €100/metric ton. Effective Oct. 15, 2012.

Sept. 20, 2012
Interplastic Corp.’s Molding Products Division (MPD), sheet molding compound (SMC) products, increase by $0.03/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Oct. 15, 2012.

Sept. 19, 2012
AOC LLC, all products sold in Caribbian, Central America and South America, increase by $0.04/lb. Effective Oct. 19, 2012.

Sept. 18, 2012
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €100/metric ton. Effective Oct. 1, 2012.

Aug. 28, 2012
AOC LLC, all products sold in Mexico, increase by $0.04/lb. Effective Sept. 10, 2012.

Aug. 23, 2012
Scott Bader Europe, Crystic range of unsaturated polyester, vinyl ester, DCPD and all other manufactured composite products, increase by €75/metric ton. Effective Sept. 17, 2012, subject to existing customer contracts.

Aug. 23, 2012
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €80/metric ton. Effective Sept. 3, 2012.

Aug. 15, 2012
Interplastic Corp.’s Thermoset Resins Division, CoREZYN and Silmar brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel coats, colorants and putties, increase by $0.05/lb. Effective on all shipments on or after Sept. 1, 2012.

Aug. 14, 2012
Reichhold, all unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, increase by €80/tonne for all orders shipped on or after Sept. 1, 2012.

Aug. 13, 2012
Huber Engineered Materials, industrial calcium carbonate products manufactured at its Marble Hill, Ga., operation, increase 5 to 8 percent, depending on product grade and packaging. Effective Sept. 1, 2012, or as current contracts allow.

Aug. 6, 2012
AOC LLC, all products, increase by $0.05/lb (USD) in the U.S. and $0.11/kg (CDN) in Canada. All shipments on or after Sept. 3, 2012.

June 1, 2012
PPG Industries, fiber glass products, increase by 5 percent, as allowed by contract, across all products in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

May 15, 2012
DSM Composite Resins, unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, increase by €10/tonne. Effective June 1, 2012.

March 16, 2012
DSM Composite Resins, unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl ester resins sold in Europe, increase by €110/tonne. Effective April 2, 2012.

March 1, 2012
Ashland Performance Materials, Derakane epoxy vinyl ester resins, unsaturated polyester resins (UPRs) and gelcoats sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), increase by €100/tonne. Effective immediately or at the earliest possible time depending on customer contracts.

Feb. 28, 2012
Interplastic Corp.’s Thermoset Resins Division, CoREZYN and Silmar brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel coats, colorants and putties, increase $0.06/lb. Effective on all shipments on or after March 17, 2012.

Feb. 27, 2012
AOC LLC, all products, increase $0.06/lb (USD) in the U.S. and $0.135/kg (CDN) in Canada for all products. Effective for shipments on and after March 16, 2012.

Feb. 24, 2012
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase by €100/tonne. Effective immediately.

Feb. 17, 2012
AOC LLC, all polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, gel coats and pigments, increase $0.06/lb for all shipments within Mexico. Effective March 15, 2012.

Feb. 17, 2012
Reichhold Inc., all unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and flame retardant resins sold in North America, increase $0.06/lb. Effective for all orders shipped on or after March 15.

Jan. 18, 2012
Interplastic Corp. Thermoset Resins Division, CoREZYN and Silmar brand polyester and vinyl ester resins, gel coats, colorants and putties, increase $0.07/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 11, 2012.

Jan. 18, 2012
Interplastic Corp. Molding Products Division, sheet molding compound (SMC) products, increase $0.03/lb to $0.05/lb. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 15, 2012.

Jan. 17, 2012
AOC LLC, all products sold in Europe, increase €100/tonne. Effective Feb. 1, 2012.

Jan. 17, 2012
AOC LLC, all polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, gelcoats and pigments, increase $0.05/lb (USD) for all shipments to Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America. Effective Feb. 1, 2012.

Jan. 17, 2012
AOC LLC, all vinyl ester and unsaturated polyester resins, increase $0.07/lb (USD) in the U.S. and $0.155/kg (CDN) in Canada; in addition, gelcoats and pigments, increase by up to $0.07/lb (USD) in the U.S. and up to $0.155/kg (CDN) in Canada. Effective for shipments on and after Feb. 13, 2012.

Jan. 16, 2012
Reichhold, all polyester and vinyl ester resins, increase €100/metric ton in Europe; all gelcoat and bonding paste resins, increase €150/metric ton in Europe. Effective for all shipments on or after Feb. 1, 2012. 

Dec. 2, 2011
Huber Engineered Materials, alumina trihydrate (ATH), magnesium hydroxide (MDH) and cast polymer products, increase 3 to 8 percent, depending on product grade, packaging and freight terms, effective Jan. 1, 2012 or as current contracts allow.

Sept. 19, 2011
Scott Bader, Crystic gelcoats and pigments, increase by €100/tonne, effective for all order invoiced on or after Sept. 19, 2011.

Sept. 19, 2011
Reichhold, white gelcoat resins, increase by €200/metric ton; pastel colored gelcoat resins, increase by €100/metric ton; dark colored gelcoat resins, increase by €50/metric ton; effective for all orders in Europe shipped on or after Oct. 1, 2011.

Aug. 25, 2011
Interplastic Corp.'s Thermoset Resins Div., all gel coats, increase by $0.10/lb; select polyester colorants, increase by $0.25/lb; effective for all shipments on or after Sept. 10, 2011.

Aug. 25, 2011
CCP Composites, all white, off-white, beige, tan, gray and pastel colored gel coats, increase by $0.10/lb, effective for all shipments on or after Sept. 11, 2011.

Aug. 12, 2011
AOC, select white, off-white, beige, tan, gray and other pigmented gel coats, increase by $0.10/lb; and similar color ranges of liquid pigment dispersions, up to $0.25/lb. Increase depends on formulation components. Effective for all shipments after Aug. 31, 2011.

July 13, 2011
Scott Bader, Crystic gelcoats and pigments, increase by €100/tonne, effective for all orders invoiced on or after Aug. 1, 2011.

July 6, 2011
AOC, all fire retardant products for global delivery, increase by up to $0.75/lb, effective for all shipments on or after Aug. 1, 2011.

June 16, 2011
Ashland Performance Materials, gelcoats and derivatives portfolio, for delivery in Europe, Middle East and Africa, increase by €100/tonne, effective July 1, 2011.

June 16, 2011
Reichhold Inc., increase by $0.05/lb for unsaturated polyester resins, $0.07/lb for vinyl ester and modified vinyl ester resins, and up to $0.75/lb depending on the specific formulation for flame retardant resins; sold in North America, for shipments on or after July 5, 2011.

June 13, 2011
Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP), all unsaturated polyester resins and gel coats, increase by $0.07/lb, for shipments on or after June 29, 2011.

June 8, 2011
AOC, all products for delivery to the U.S. and Canada, increase $0.07/lb USD (CN$0.155/kg), for shipments on and after June 22, 2011.

June 1, 2011
AGY, E-glass yarn products for global delivery, increase by 5 percent, for shipments on or after July 1, 2011.

May 26, 2011
Interplastic Corp., CoREZYN vinyl ester products for global delivery, increase $0.08/lb, for shipments on or after June 11, 2011.

May 23, 2011
Jushi Group, all fiberglass reinforcements for global delivery, increase 10 percent to 14 percent, effective July 1, 2011.

May 12, 2011
Gibson Fiberglass/Jushi USA, all fiberglass reinforcements, including direct and multi-end roving products, chopped strands for BMC and thermoplastics, chopped strand mat, woven roving and all other roll goods, increase by 6 percent/lb, effective for shipments delivered on or after July 1, 2011.

April 29, 2011
AOC, all resins for delivery to Mexico, Latin America and Caribbean, increase by $0.08/lb, effective May 16, 2011.

April 27, 2011
AOC, all resins for delivery to the U.S. and Canada, increase by $0.08/lb (CN$0.17/kg), effective May 14, 2011.

April 26, 2011
Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP), all unsaturated polyesters, vinyl esters, gel coats and cleaners, increase by $0.08/lb, effective May 16, 2011.

April 20, 2011
Reichhold, unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins for delivery in North America, increase $0.08 per pound, effective May 16, 2011.

April 19, 2011
Reichhold, polyester and vinyl ester resins for delivery in Europe, increase €100 per tonne; gelcoats and bonding paste, €150 per tonne; for shipments on or after May 1, 2011.

April 15, 2011
Scott Bader Composites, Crystic UP, DCPD, VE and Crestapol resins, Crystic bonding paste and Crystic Crestomer adhesives, for delivery in Europe, increase €100/tonne; Crystic gelcoats and pigments, increase €150 per tonne; effective May 1, 2011.

April 15, 2011
BYK Additives & Instruments, wax, paint, plastics and industrial application additives, increase 5 to 9 percent, effective May 15, 2011.

April 7, 2011
AOC, all resins for delivery to Europe, increase €100 per ton, effective immediately.

April 6, 2011
DSM Composite Resins, unsaturated polyester resins for delivery in Europe, increase €100 per ton, effective immediately.

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University of Kentucky receives grant to turn coal pitch into carbon fiber

University researchers will work with industry partners to convert coal tar into carbon fiber for use in high-performance composite applications.

The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER; Lexington, Ky., U.S.) has received a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant supporting its efforts to transform coal tar pitch into carbon fiber for use in aircraft, automobiles, sporting goods and other high-performance materials. The $1.8 million project includes DOE funding and industry and university cost-share.

CAER researchers and partners will be converting coal tar — a byproduct from coke production for the steel industry — into mesophase pitch, a liquid crystal, which can then be spun and thermally converted to carbon fiber. If successful, the University of Kentucky claims this new carbon fiber product could increase the value of coal tar pitch by five to 55 times its current value, and be used in high-stiffness, low-weight composite applications such as passenger cars and light duty trucks.

The grant will support development of simplified, multi-filament melt spinning of the produced mesophase pitch into “green” (not yet carbonized) fibers, followed by continuous thermal processing, or oxidization, of those green fibers. The CAER team will then create woven preforms from the fibers for composites manufacture, as well as chopped carbon fiber for filled thermoplastics suitable for injection molding.

As part of the project, CAER researchers will be working with industry partners Koppers Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.) and Materials Sciences LLC (Horsham, Pa., U.S.).

“Being able to efficiently upgrade a coal byproduct into high-value carbon fiber for composites would be a terrific benefit to Kentucky’s and the nation’s manufacturers,” says Matt Weisenberger, associate director for materials technologies at CAER and principal investigator on the award. “It would add significantly to the coal value chain, further establishing Kentucky as a global leader in carbon fiber research and development.”

“We are excited to be at the forefront of developing coal as a valued precursor for products,” says Rodney Andrews, CAER director.

The University of Kentucky says its Center for Applied Energy Research is home to the largest carbon fiber spinline facility in a North American academic institution, and its carbon fiber research, development and innovation includes vehicle lightweighting projects such as hollow carbon fiber development for pressure vessels for on-board hydrogen storage.

Read more about other projects focused on developing carbon fiber from coal.