THE RESULTS of the 4th international science and practical conference
«Composite materials: production, application, market tendencies»
According to the tradition existing the decades already it is customary to summarize at the end of the year and make projections for the future. The succeeding post crisis year comes to an end. This was the year of new achievements, realized plans and hopes that came true. As for the composite industry as a whole this year was quite successful and many industry enterprises experienced it.
Traditionally at the end of November the Union of Composite Manufacturers organizes and conducts international industry conference dedicated to the most important issues of condition and development of composite market in Russia and CIS.
You can always get the most actual and authentic information directly from the main players of composite market, analyze their experience and compare it with your own possibilities on our event. At the same time this is a good possibility to speak with the colleagues directly, to find new useful contacts, mutually discuss the problems and perspectives of the industry development.
The main topics for discussion on the final industry conference:
• Innovations, modern technologies and equipment;
• News from the raw materials market and auxillary materials;
• Mold production and tooling;
• Technical regulation.
On November 25, 2010 there was conducted the 4th international science and practical conference «Composite materials: production, application and market tendencies» in the conference-hall of the Marco Polo Presnya Hotel (Moscow). The main topic of the event in this year was – «Corrosion-resistant composites and materials for their production».
The biggest equipment manufacturer Microsam Company and its Russian distributor LLC “Techno Express” were the sponsors of the conference. Starting the business program of the event with their mutual speech the representatives of the company told in details about range of the equipment offered by them for automated lay-up, prepreg production and winding.
Within the frames of the section dedicated to the reinforcement materials Maxim Kudravtsev - «OCV» Company and Anastasya Ivanova - «Ahlstrom», gave the details about range of fiberglass materials of their companies, presented their main properties and told about their companies’ plans for future.
One of the main reason of insignificant (in coparison with the world-wide practice) application of composites in our country is the show-me attitude of the customers of the final products to the modern materials and newest technologies. On the basis of understanding of this problem there was a separate discussion of quality and longevity of composite products especially their long application in aggressive mediums.
At that there are a lot of examples of suscessful substitution of traditional materials with composite one in the world practice. Thus within the frames of the conference program Arie Van Buren, the technical director of «Ashland» investigated in details the application experience of FRP lining of the pipes and presented the review of condition of FRP products after 15 years of the operation in the severe conditions (influence of concentrated sulphuric acid and high temperature). The reporter noted that FRP lining of chimney on DERAKANE® resins base was resistant to influence of aggressive chemical substances and temperature. The damages were minimal, that’s why there was a conclusion that lining can operate longer than estimated period and does need the repair and reconstruction.
In continuation of the corrosion resistance topic the general director of the Consulting and Technological Company «Remochlor», Ivanov Alexander, told about laminates for equipment protection from influence of highly aggressive medium. A service life of the coatings from laminate «Remochlor» constitutes not less than 8 years in the indicated medium. During 12 years of industrial production of the «Remochlor» materials there were protected: - more than 100 items of tank equipment 10 - 200 m3 volume; - more than 500 items of technological equipment in galvanizer and metallurgy, energetics, oil and gas production, in the systems of sewage purification and gas cleaning, technological pipelines.
Valentin Lapitckij, academic director CJSC “Epital” told in details about innovative epoxy resins. CJSC «Epital» develops and produces in lots the compounds for high strength composites as well as separate primary components for needs of housing and public utilities, transportation, construction. Valentin Lapitckij noted that mistrust of customers to the operational characteristics and longevity of composite materials frequently appears due to the fault of manufacturers of final products. The most frequent reasons of manufacturing of defective products are incorrect choice of initial polymer matrix as well as breaking of processing technology. The example can be found in the application practice of FRP pipes. In the beginning of 2000 by the order of the Government of Moscow there was substitution of metal pipes on several sections of hot water supply with the FRP produced for some reasons with the application of iso-MTGFA. Keep in mind that any epoxy resin cured by anhydride hardener has low hydrolytic resistance at temperature above 70ºÑ and has low alkali-resistance. In few months during inspection of the pipes in the cannel there were found clean fiberglass “liners” without polymer matrix. In the result to realize this project it was necessary to substitute not only polymer matrix to the compounds Etal 370 and Etal 370Ò but also a besmirch name of «FRP pipes» to «glass - basalt».
A specific interest was attracted by a report of Mal Foster, the international projects director of the company «Fiber Core Europe» that was dedicated to the questions of creation of the production of bridgeworks from composite materials in Holland, On the basis of the experience of more than 20 years of construction and operation of the bridges with supporting constructions from composite materials as well as a huge volume of scientific researches and pilot testing in the European Union the company «FiberCore» developed the unique technology of production of all-composite superstructures of bridges on the basis of which there were constructed and operated, for example, only in Holland – about 20 bridges. The differential characteristic of superstructures produced by this technology is that the bearing capacity will be stable in case of local damage. The operating experience of the bridges produced by this technology shows their high durability and what is the most important – their zero cost of maintenance.
On November 24, 2010 the company «FiberCore Europe» signed the licensed agreement with the company «Steklonit». This agreement laid the foundations for serious, large-scale mutual project of two companies for production of bridge constructions from polymer composites in Russia. The production will be located in Tver on production facilities of OJSC «Tverstekloplastik».
It is known that the development base of the production is the modern normative and technical base that not only regulates all sides of production process but promotes the implementation of the innovations as well as is the progressive advance impetus of any production industry. One of the limiting factors of development of products manufacturing from special composite materials is notable lack of normative and technical, support and methodical literature for the questions of choice, design, production and operation of the products from composites. There are not solved the questions of the copyrights protection of the developers of new types of the materials, technologies and products tearing up the foundations of creative activity and impetus of industry development.
Yuri Holodnikov, the general director of LLC SKB “Misl”, presented the detailed solutions of the questions of technical regulations. His organization developed, approved in the established order and agreed with the interested organization (including the leading world manufacturers of the resins and gelcoats: «Ashland», «DSM», «Reichhold») a package of the normative standards concerning the issues of protection of technological equipment operated in dangerous environment with the help of lining from chemical resistant composite materials. These standards include: a standard of organization of the «Rules of production of liner from chemical resistant composite materials», TOR, instructions for works conducting, diagnostic, operation and repair of the equipment lined with composites, instructional guidelines for lining designing, educational program and qualification requirements to the workers, etc. This company got the certificate of conformance. And the crown of this work is the patent of RF for «A way of production of protective liner coating».
In continuation of the topic of protection of technological equipment from aggressive medium there was developed the organization’s standard for the «Composite sheet of special purpose. Construction and dimensions» that also got the patent of RF. At present time SKB finishes the work under the documents regulating the order of repair and recovery works with composite materials on technological pipelines of different purposes.
There were also presented new raw materials and auxiliary materials on the event. Within the frames of the program there was the report about new organofunctional silane made by Marina Kochurihina representing the company «Momentiv Performance Materials» that signed the contract of merger with the company Hexion, the world manufacturer of chemical products, in October of this year. Vitalij Semenihin told in details about ways of connection of the parts from composites with the help of special structural adhesives of «Plexus» company.
In the conclusion of the event Vyacheslav Parinos, the Deputy Director of LLC «Polimerprom», told about the production technology of the products from composites Flex Molding. The existing infusion technology comes step by step to the fore on the basis of its popularity within traditional methods of closed molding due to lower prime cost and simplicity, in comparison with Light RTM for example. This technology allows getting the perfect results especially in the production of big parts but a significant disadvantage of the infusion is the necessity in regular replacement of supply tubes and cleaning of the tank, as well as the preparation of new system of resin supply channels before each molding cycle. In the result of two years of researches and developments the company «Magnum Venus Plastech» (MVP) was successful in hitting on a complex solution of these problems – they developed the original technology Flex Molding. The Flex Molding technology includes the injection systems, accessories and sealers, specially designed for infusion optimization enabling controlling the production process. This technology does not need the necessity to use consumables materials – tubes and fittings. The dosing / mixing system allows supplying the materials directly to the flexible mold. The pressure sensor PPVS-Infusion is used for accurate control of the pressure. It allows accurate measuring the atmosphere pressure under vacuum film; in case of pressure decreasing a signal comes to the injection valve to open. Thus the resin transfer to the mold in controlled. The mold has several injection points, each of them is provided with the injection valve and pressure sensor. The resin supply is organized either to all injection points or sequentially in the process of injection.
Application of such infusion system supposes the usage of work of independent mixing heads: they can function simultaneously or alternately. Each of them can be turned off and flushed – at that one or two points of resin injection still work up to the end of the process. Each mixing head has the independent control of catalyst ratio; therefore there is the possibility to regulate the gel time for every mold. With the usage of the Flex Molding technology the prime cost of parts production is reduced due to minimization of costs for consumables and reduction of time for technical maintenance and preparation.
In the context of the conference there was the presentation of a new joint project of the Union of Composite Manufacturers and the Publishing House «World of Composite» - a specialized issue «Composite World EQUIPMENT», the edition fully dedicated to the equipment in composite industry. Every participant of the event got their copy of the catalogue 2010. The Union and the Publishing House plan to develop the practice of such editions in 2011 also.
More than 120 reprewsentatives of the leading enterprises and organizations from Russia, CIS countries, Baltics and Europe participated in this event.
We thank you everybody for the interest to the conference and invite the sectorial companies, science and research and educational organizations as well as consumers of compoiste products to take part in the milestone 5th international conference «Composite materials: production, application, market tendencies» that will take place on November 24, 2011.
You can find more detailed information about all events conducted by the Union of Composite Manufacturers including presentations and topics of the reports on our web site www.english.uncm.ru
PHOTOALBUM >>>
Vetohin S.,
Acting exectutive director
Lukicheva N.,project manager
«Union of Composite Manufacturers» |
