JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia - 49

Gulf Composite: a pioneering company Gulf Composite Materials is a young company and a pioneer in its category on more than one account. First, it is established in a region where there are few companies from the composite industry and second, it is promoting a recent product. So to make a name for itself, Gulf Composite still has a way to go! ulf Composite Materials (GCM) is a prepreg manufacturing company, the first in the Middle-East to use epoxy vinyl ester resins and all kinds of reinforcement fabrics, including glass, carbon, and aramid fibres. G A wide range of reinforcements Simprex prepregs are available in different reinforcement fibres (glass, carbon and Kevlar) and weaves, and in standard widths (100 cm and 127 cm). The most common impregnated fabrics are described below. Simprex M655-200 / E-Glass WR 500 gsm. Typical resin contents are 2630%, 32-36%, 38-42%, and 44-48%, by weight. A young company GCM is a UAE company that was founded in 2006. It is a sharepartnership company dedicated to manufacturing and marketing Simprex epoxy vinyl ester prepregs. With Simex Technologies Inc.(Canada), GCM co-owns a patented technology for manufacturing inexpensive epoxy vinyl ester prepregs for advanced composite materials. Perfectly suitable for advanced composites Cost and performance advantages The interest in vinyl ester resins as a matrix for glass fibre or high-modulus fibres is consistent with the growing use of advanced composite materials in industry. Vinyl ester resins are frequently used in liquid moulding of composite materials for a variety of application sectors such as naval and army structures, commercial boat manufacturing, and building construction. GCM believes that Simprex epoxy vinyl ester prepregs represent an excellent option for composite manufacturers, since their low raw material, shipping, storage, and processing costs make them compe-titive with epoxy prepregs, but also with the wet lay-up process. These materials also exhibit short curing cycles and high performance properties. Simprex prepregs are rigorously prepared from cost-effective advanced epoxy vinyl ester resins. Thanks to their inherent properties and the proprietary technologies used, they uniquely combine the excellent thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy prepregs with the easy processing and fast curing of unsaturated polyester sheet moulding compounds (SMC). Consequently, Simprex is a reliable prepreg for the manufacture of advanced composite structural parts, thanks to its costeffectiveness compared to epoxy prepregs (15-25% saving); time and overall cost-effectiveness compared to the wet lay-up process; long shelf-life at ambient temperature (1 year at 20°C); low shipping and storage costs at ambient temperature (2023°C); short curing cycle at standard temperature (20 min. at 120°C); superior chemical resistance; and excellent suitability for mass production. E-glass 8 H satin 300 gsm Bi-dir. PW 308 gsm Bi-dir. PW 500 gsm Bi-dir. 2x2 285 gsm No specific requirements All Simprex prepregs are wrapped in a shrink film immediately after impregnation, then packed into a barrier film. They should be stored in their original packaging barrier film or an equivalent film, and maintained in an airtight condition at 20°C in a dry place. If the prepreg roll has to remain out of its packaging barrier film for a few hours during the lamination and processing steps, it should then be wrapped up again in a shrink film to protect the prepreg and extend its tack time. If not used within one hour or so, the small prepreg pieces split from the roll for lamination should be handled and protected properly (i.e. in a plastic bag or box). The usual handling precautions should be observed, since the prepreg contains mainly uncured synthetic resins. Carbon Stit UD 300 gsm 12K Bi-dir. PW 200 gsm 3K Bi-dir. PW 385 gsm 12K Bi-dir. 2x2 200 gsm 3K Kevlar Bi-dir. PW 460 gsm 5 H satin 320 gsm Bi-dir. PW 220 gsm Crowfoot 173 gsm No44 October 2008 / Special JEC Composites Asia 49

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia