Pultrusion is a continuous process for manufacturing composite parts with constant cross-sections by pulling fiber and resin through a die. It allows continuous production of long parts such as rods or tubes with various profiles (square, I, U, C, etc.) that would be impractical to make using a mold. Huntsman provides resin systems adapted to the requirements of the pultrusion process.
Currently, pultrusion is not widely used in the transportation industry because designs seldom call for straight parts with continuous sections. However, pultrusion is a good choice for producing structural parts with enhanced stiffness, rigidity and lightness and the continuous character of production offers high productivity and the ability to produce lengths on demand. Potential automotive applications include bumper beams, roof beams, front-end support systems, door intrusion beams, chassis rails and transmission tunnels.
Glass transition temperature (Tg):
120°C - 180°C (adjustable)
Impregnation technology:
Open bath and injection box
Suitable for:
REACH compliant, robust anhydride solution with long pot-life, offering high surface quality for pultrusion parts. Cure profile and the resulting Tg can be adjusted depending on the application requirement.
ARALDITE® composite solutions provide fast curing in applications requiring high productivity. Cure profile and the resulting glass transition temperature (Tg) can be adjusted depending on the application requirement. Huntsman’s simulation tools for pultrusion help customers by significantly decreasing development time (resin system selection, process parameters determination).
Our leading composite expertise, broad product range and unique simulation capabilities can reduce development cycles by up to 50 %.
The two most common Pultrusion processes are called “open bath” and “injection box.”
Open bath technology requires very latent and low-viscosity resins, as the fibers, before entering the heated die, go through a bath in which the resin must reside for a long time as it impregnates the fibers.
With injection box technology, the resin is injected directly at the entrance of the heated die. The temperature of the box drastically reduces the viscosity of the resin and together with pressure, helps to wet the fibers. This allows much more reactive resins to be used, so the speed of production can be significantly higher.
The well-established anhydride chemistry has high latency, and is proven effective for the open bath process. An amine-based chemistry offers higher reactivity and is optimal for the injection box process.
ARALDITE® LY 3585 resin / ARADUR® 917-1 hardener / Accelerator DY 080 is an anhydride solution that is suitable for both open bath and injection box processes.
ARALDITE® LY 3585 resin / ARADUR® 3475 hardener is a rapid-cure epoxy/amine system that is suitable for the injection box process.
