Overview
Pultrusion is a term applied to both a manufacturing process and to the molded parts produced by it.
Pultrusion is a very cost-competitive method of producing continuous
length profiles of fiber-reinforced polymer composites.
The pultrusion process allows the incorporation
of many different materials to achieve specific results. Fibers
include aramid and carbon with the most common being fiberglass.
The most frequently used polymers are in the polyester and vinylester
families. Epoxies, phenolics, and even thermoplastics are also pultrudable.
Proper part design and material selection result in very high-performance,
cost-effective parts.
Röchling Glastic was one of the first companies to adopt
this unique process and now has over 40 years of expertise. We have
an extensive line of stock shapes including rods, bars, tubes, angles
and channels. These products are readily available through a worldwide
network of distributors and fabricators. We are also custom pultruders.
We can take your ideas and turn them into reality.
The Pultrusion Design Process
The process begins in our Development Group. Through
the use of Micro Mechanics and Laminate Theory our engineers first
develop the material construction and properties of the composite.
Then, using CAD packages coupled with Finite Element Analysis, the
composite and its properties are analyzed for its performance in
your application. Throughout, we work with you to optimize the shape
of your part and materials included in it.
Process Engineering then designs the fixtures and
resin impregnation systems which insure that the part is consistently
manufactured with the specified performance characteristics.
Working together, the two groups design the molds
for optimum resin curing and process economies.
Shape
Almost any constant cross-section can be pultruded. Solid parts,
hollow parts, and complex geometries are all possible. Length is
only restricted by the practicalities of material handling and transportation.
Röchling Glastic pultrudes rods as small as 0.020 inches in diameter with
a length of over 50 kilometers. Our equipment will accommodate parts
up to 48 inches in width.
Mechanical Properties. The strength of a
pultruded composite comes mainly from the type, form and quantity
of fibers used. Parts made with straight rovings alone produce excellent
longitudinal strength but have little cross-wise strength. The addition
of random fiber mats create more uniform strength properties throughout
the part. Many other forms of reinforcement are available today
which allow the designer to achieve very specific results. These
include woven fabrics, braids, scrim mats, and stitched materials.
Different types of fibers – glass, carbon, aramid, and others –
can be incorporated in the same part. Careful design and placement
of fibers result in high performance parts at very competitive costs.
Environmental Performance. One of the outstanding
advantages of Röchling Glastic pultruded parts is their ability to perform
over long periods of time in a variety of environmental conditions.
The civil engineering community is now looking at pultruded composites
as a replacement for steel in many bridge and highway applications.
Higher in initial costs, pultrusions have a lower overall lifetime
cost. Dry type electrical transformers have long used pultruded
dielectric spacers which perform continuously at temperatures as
high as 200°C. Röchling Glastic pultrusions will not rot or melt. They
can be designed for flame resistance and weather resistance. As
in mechanical properties, the achievement of these results is a
matter of proper material selection and design.
Ease of Fabrication. Pultruded shapes are
often components of a larger design. This is easy to do since the
materials are readily machined, bonded, or mechanically fastened.
Common carbide tools are quite adequate. High volume fabricators
usually find diamond-coated tools to be most cost effective.
We welcome the opportunity to tell you more about
our unique pultrusion capability and how it can help improve your
products and reduce your costs. Please contact us to schedule a
technical meeting to discuss your requirements. By sending us a
drawing or part ahead of time, we can incorporate our evaluation
into the meeting.
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