Huntsman Advanced Materials embraces future-oriented solutions

At Composites Engineering 2012, Huntsman Advanced Materials will showcase its latest developments in epoxy resins, composites tooling and speciality chemical building blocks, focusing on the added value its systems offer in enabling significant growth momentum in the global composites market.

Enhancing formulation performance
Huntsman has recently added new materials to its range of proven and qualified building blocks in the drive to enable market differentiation for the formulators of adhesives and composites, focused on delivering mechanical and thermal performance improvements.

The company will showcase different classes of products, with highlights including di-tri-tetra functional epoxies designed to improve the thermal, mechanical and processing properties of formulated composite and adhesive systems as well as tougheners, flexibilizers, epoxy hardeners and benzoxazine resins.

Tooling systems for composite moulds
Huntsman offers tooling materials for the construction of high quality, lightweight, heatable composite moulds, which can be used for wet lay-up, resin infusion and high temperature prepreg applications.

Product highlights include:
Styling and modelling boards (RenShape® BM 5108, RenShape® BM
5025, RenShape® BM 5185)
Seamless modelling pastes (RenPaste® 4666 / Ren 4666)
Machining (RenShape® BM 5055)
Gelcoat systems (RenGel® SW 18 / HY 5159)
Coupling layers (RenGel® P99 / HY 5159)
Laminating systems (RenLam® LY 113 / Ren HY 98, Araldite® LY 3297 /
Aradur 3298 / 3299)
Infusion systems (Araldite® LY 8615 / Aradur 8615, Araldite® LY 8615 /
XB 5173)

As well as the infusion systems mentioned above, Huntsman has recently launched a new hot curing epoxy system (RenLam® LY 120 / Ren HY 99) which has primarily been developed for the large-scale tooling and composite production of wind rotor blades and large marine components.

Combining a low viscosity with a long pot life and high temperature resistance (150°C), due to its excellent handling behaviour this system is suitable for various production processes.

Enabling fast curing in the automotive market for composites
Meeting the automotive industry’s growing demands for faster processing and shorter production cycles, Huntsman will highlight its latest epoxy resin systems for out-of-autoclave processes such as ‘high pressure’ resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM), which enable parts production cycles as short as five minutes.

Other fast curing epoxy systems, such as expandable epoxy systems (EES), which are suitable for wet compression moulding and allow the easy and exact moulding of complicated shapes and short cycle times between 45-60 seconds at 145-160°C will also be highlighted during the show.

The ultimate performance in structural bonding
Huntsman’s rapid development of adhesive systems heralds a new era in structural adhesives for composites, focused on enhanced performance and the long term durability of high end applications.

The company’s expertise spans the three main modern day structural adhesive categories, including epoxy, polyurethane and methylmethacrylate-based adhesives.

Recent development work on adhesives for composite bonding focuses on high-end applications for composite to composite bonding and for bonding composite structures to other substrates.

Composite bonders Araldite® AW 4858 / Hardener HW 4858 and Araldite® AW 4859 / Hardener HW 4859 are the latest additions to the Huntsman range. Offering high strength, Araldite® AW 4859 / Hardener HW 4859 has the added benefit of being suited to environments exposed to high temperatures without any significant changes to its toughened properties.