Open Contact Moulding vs. LRTM?

Comparison of technologies and assistance in selection of suitable solution.

1. Open Contact Moulding

Open contact moulding is the most common and low-cost process for making glass-reinforced resin composites; however, it has a number of drawbacks, principally it is difficult to control the fibre volume in reinforced composite laminate, thus causing various mechanical properties of composite structures. The aesthetics is rather poorly assessed, because one side always remains with an uneven texture of some fibres. Styrene emission is also important as it not only affects the environment but also creates uncomfortable working conditions. Harmful working conditions may result in potential errors, e.g. during manual initiator dosage.

According to our analyses, quantities of waste are significant and cleanness of workplace is far from the desired one.

2. LRTM

The main advantage of LRTM technology is the fact that the process can produce highly repeatable workpieces as the mould is closed and allows for control over dimensionally accurate complex parts. Moreover, the void content of moulded parts is low allowing for reduction of raw material waste. Styrene emission is significantly reduced due to the fact that styrene is arrested in the workpiece during curing, whereas during injection it is directed into a trap. Thus, the entire process is characterized by better quality of work and cleanness in the workplace. Initial costs of this technology are significantly higher; however, our analyses show that it is economically viable. Let us analyse an element with an area of ca. ¼ m² (fan bowl) manufactured by traditional manual resin infusion method and in LRTM technology. When compared all available data and actual factors it turned out that with the serial production of ca. 100 items the costs equate, and any further production generates pure profit.

We are happy to support others in implementation of LRTM technology, we offer our expertise and experience. We have the potential to make variety of moulds and manufacture composites. Development and modern production technologies are of key importance to us. We use excellent resin injection moulding machines made by US Company – Phoenix, which provides comprehensive service for their products all over the country. We are based not only on our own experience, we try learn from all available sources: training, fairs, meetings and relationships with industry experts. We were involved in training dedicated to LRTM mould fabrication which was organized by Composit Integration Company at the seat of METYX in Istanbul. The training had a form of workshops focusing on practical knowledge about the entire LRTM technology. Thanks to close cooperation with C-L Company from Słupsk we can improve our qualifications and skills, and use the best resources and materials available in our market.

We encourage everyone interested in joint development of modern composite manufacturing technologies to cooperate with us.