MACHINERY | THERMOFORMING
power module, the cockpit is one of the three most important elements of the sailboat.
Above: The SP80, which has a polycar- bonate cockpit, will attempt a world speed record next year
The company has validated the mechanical, fire safety performance and manufacturability of both resins in EV battery applications with complex geometries – both in its labs and with customers. The materials allow the replacement of sheet metal or thermosets in final applications – and can be used to create prototypes to determine the feasibility of investing in injection moulding tools.
Speed record A speedboat powered only by the wind – which glides across the water at 80 knots – is hoping to break a world record next year. Weight and safety play a major role in achieving
speed records on the SP80 speedboat. The cockpit is made of 12mm-thick solid polycarbonate sheets from Exolon that are thermoformed by French company Vitalo/Starplast. The transparent sheets provide optimum visibility thanks to their high optical quality, are resistant to environmental conditions, and are impact resistant and lightweight. They can be hot and cold formed, so can be adapted optimally to the aerodynamic requirements of the boat. The SP80 is 10.5m long and 7.5m wide and has space for two pilots. Together with the sail and the
Three concepts SML says that it offers all three main extrusion concepts for producing PET sheet – giving custom- ers more choice of an optimum solution. The company offers single screw extrusion (which it calls ClassicPET), twin screw extrusion (FlexiPET) and recycling extrusion (RecyPET). All three line concepts can be supplied with an EFSA/ FDA food-approval package. “The extrusion system plays a crucial role in PET sheet manufacturing, as practically all production processes depend on how the raw materials are treated in the extruder,” said Martin Kastner, R&D engineer at SML. Its single screw extrusion system is for customers
that are focused on manufacturing PET sheet in a wide thickness range, such as for thermoforming applications. The concept stands for constant production stability through the production process, and is easy to adjust. Changeover times from one sheet type to another are short. Virgin and recycled granules can both be processed. The FlexiPET conical twin-screw extruder concept boasts high energy efficiency. Its main application is for flakes, though it also handles virgin granules. lt can be optimised for dusty material streams. Switch-over times from one type of raw material to another are also short. RecyPET is aimed at high-volume production of mono-layer sheet, particularly from post-consumer and post-industrial PET flakes. In combination with the Vacurema system, decontamination and dehumidification take place at the reactor pot mounted on the extruder. The intrinsic viscosity drop is minimal. “Whatever the requirements, our PET sheet lines
ensure moderate capital expenditure, high outputs and operational ease,” he said.
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IMAGE: MATEO GIRAUD
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