Sep 1 2014
Armacell Benelux features its structural PET foam core product family and two technical presentations at CAMX 2014. Visit the company’s exhibit at booth 4267.
Exhibiting at booth 4267, Armacell will be showcasing its environmentally friendly structural PET foam core product family: ArmaFORM PET. These are polyethylene therephthalate-based structural foam cores used in sandwich constructions for the building and construction, rail and road transportation, and marine and wind turbine markets.
Business Development Manager B&C Henri Chapelle will present “PET core materials for structural sandwich application in building and construction”. General Manager Technical Service Stefan Reuterlov will present “Development of durable train floor concept compliant with EN 45545.”
Key to the success of ArmaFORM PET is a combination of excellent fatigue properties, very good temperature stability compared with most other foam cores, as well as excellent compatibility with all resins and manufacturing methods. The basic properties of ArmaFORM PET foam core being thermoplastic enable wider processing possibilities for both thermoset but also thermoplastic resins. This also allows ArmaFORM PET to be easily thermoformed without degrading its properties in case of grid scoring and adding weight and costs because of corresponding resin intake. Additional key benefits of ArmaFORM PET are its closed cell structure which ensures minimal humidity absorption, and it reduces the risk of physical degradation. The recyclability makes ArmaFORM PET very attractive for applications with a focus on ‘green aspects’. In theory, PET foam cores can be recycled at the end of their lifetime, similar to the recycling of PET beverage bottles.
The ArmaFORM PET product family comprises three grades, each of them with specific characteristics: the standard grade PET AC; the flame-retardant PET FR and PET GR for highly ecological concepts.
All Armacell PET foam cores are manufactured according to an energy and resource-optimised production process (100% re-use of material loss, no ozone-depleting HFH or CFC blowing agents), are fully recyclable and thus are considered as an environmentally sensitive solution in the composite industry. But Armacell did not stop there and has again made a significant contribution to sustainable growth in the composite industry. Scientists of the global R&D Team have spent several years in the development of a technology that enables the production of PET foam boards with consistent, reliable qualities made from 100% post-consumer PET materials: ArmaFORM PET GR. The basis comes from the beverage bottles: billions of which are in circulation all over the world. Compared to the standard PET foams using virgin PET resin, the foaming process of ArmaFORM PET GR leads to the excellent result of a 30% lower carbon footprint, the greenhouse effect is reduced by 34% and energy consumption is lowered by 40%. The improvement is again enlarged when comparing it to other core foams like PVC, SAN, PUR or XPS.
For more information about Armacell Benelux, visit armacell-core-foams.com.