Arkema will showcase new composite materials

[China Packaging Network News] Arkema has developed the first liquid thermoplastic resin with the same process as the thermosetting material blade, and solved the fan blades industry consumes more than one million tons of composite materials per year, and the thermoset composite materials ( Epoxy or polyester) is difficult to recover at the end of its useful life.

The fan blades manufactured by Elium can be recycled and can be applied with thermoplastic and heat-bonding processes that are not possible with epoxy resin.

Arkema's Elium resin can be used to make thermoplastic composite parts instead of metal parts. The mechanical properties are equivalent to those of thermosetting materials and are 50% lighter than steel.

“We formally confirmed the industrial feasibility of the project. Elium is currently the only thermoplastic material on the market that is compatible with the traditional tools and processes used to make fan blades,” said Michel Glotin, Arkema Materials Science Director.

By cooperating with IACMI (Institute for Advanced Composite Materials Production and Innovation), a 9-meter wind turbine blade has been made from Elium thermoplastic resin in the United States. Arkema's preliminary tests showed that the fatigue resistance of blades made of Elium exceeds that of thermosetting. 10 times the material leaf.

The next milestone will be the 25-meter wind turbine blades that will soon begin production, as well as the official installation and use of Elium blades next year.

At the JEC World 2017 in Paris, March 14-16, Arkema will exhibit its latest innovative composite materials.