| Technology and Materials |
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| TCT has the exclusive rights for the MonoPan sandwich panel system and the Envirocomp material processing technologies for Australia, South East Asia, New Zealand and South Africa. Both these technologies have been developed specifically for the processing of reinforced thermoplastics. |
| Background |
| In 1988 a co mingling process was patented for manufacture of continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic yarns. This technology allows thermoplastic composite rovings to be manufactured in high volume and low cost. |
| The process can be applied to PE, PP, PBT and PET and in varying glass to thermoplastic ratios allowing variable strength and stiffness of the laminate. |
| The main advantage of thermoplastic composites is that they can be formed into a rigid homogeneous material under the application of heat and pressure. |
| Why Reinforced Thermoplastics? |
| In excess of 4,000,000 tonnes of fibre reinforced plastic ("FRP") products are moulded per annum in Europe, North America and Australia. 70-80% of these products use thermosetting resins such as polyester. |
| These materials are regarded as hazardous substances requiring careful precaution for the storage, handling and use. In particular styrene vapour from the laying up of FRP resin structures using contact moulding process is subject to set strict limits. |
| The FRP industry is constantly looking at ways to overcome the styrene emission problem, by way of new resins, extraction systems, closed moulding techniques. All of these still involve thermosetting resins - the other option considered for some time has been thermoplastics (early 1980's). |
| In most cases the use of thermoplastics has been confronted by either high tooling costs, high moulding pressures, cost etc. In 1988 St Gobain developed (in cooperation with EPL) a patented new range of thermoplastic composite materials. Since 1988 EPL in conjunction with St Gobain have further developed the material specification and in particular the processing techniques, manufacturing methods, tooling concepts and product applications. |
| Today the TCT MonoPan Sandwich Panels and Thermotex moulded products are manufactured using these reinforced thermoplastic composite materials and processing technologies. |
