Poly/Vinyl Esters
The matrix (2015)
The matrix binds the fiber reinforcement, gives the composite component its shape and determines its surface quality. A composite matrix may be a polymer, ceramic, metal or carbon. Here's a guide to selection.
Read MoreStyrene & cobalt: Headed for the exit?
Fair or not, styrene and cobalt are now considered harmful to humans. Here's an update on the impact this issue poses for the composites industry and what resin and additive manufacturers are doing about it.
Read MoreInspection: 30-year-old fiberglass pipeline stands test of time
Examined after three decades in service (half its predicted service life), this filament wound fiberglass pipe showed no signs of degradation.
Read MoreThe positive consequences of regulating styrene
In 1859, Thomas Austin imported 24 wild rabbits from England and released them into the Victoria, Australia, countryside to provide animals for sport hunting.
Read MoreCure for cratering: Gel coat perfected with design of experiments software
Resin manufacturer Interplastic Corp. – Thermoset Resins Div. (St. Paul, Minn.), a major gel coat producer, recently developed a new gel coat with the aid of Design-Expert design of experiments software from Stat-Ease Inc. (Minneapolis, Minn.).
Read MoreStyrene: Issues and implications
The facts (such as they are) behind the furor surrounding this vital crosslinking chemical’s listing in the 12th RoC.
Read MoreThe styrene puzzle
CT editor-in-chief outlines two major challenges posed by the recent listing of styrene in the U.S. National Toxicology Program's 12th Report on Carcinogens.
Read MoreConcert hall composites: Acoustic alchemy
Massive composite acoustic structures will reflect and diffuse sound to heighten audio quality in a new high-profile performance space.
Read MoreGreen resins: Growing up
High hurdles remain, but the push for sustainable sources of resin monomers is gaining momentum.
Read MoreHHS styrene ruling: Bad science, bad for the composites industry
Tom Hedger, president of Magnum Venus Plastech (Clearwater, Fla.) and a board member of the the American Composites Manufacturers Assn. (ACMA, Arlington, Va.) joins the chorus of disapprovval that has greeted U.S Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' approval of styrene's classification as a likely carcinogen.
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