Armacell has further enhanced the technical properties of its PET foams and is at thecutting edge of technological development with the new ArmaFORM PET AC.
Light weight and high mechanical strength in conjunction with residual flexibility and maximum service life – these are the main material requirements for modern composite materials. In recent years, PET foams have been able to secure an established place among the core materials for sandwich constructions.
As a pioneer in the field of PET foam technology, Armacell was the first manufacturer to succeed in greatly improving the flexibility of the material, thus qualifying PET foams for industrial applications. The central technical properties such as shear elongation, compression modulus and shear modulus were constantly optimized and in 2006 Armacell produced ArmaFORM PET 100, a PET foam which has since become the state of the art in the field of composites.
Now Armacell is again raising the bar for the competition: the new ArmaFORM PET AC foams display properties which have been enhanced even further. In comparison to the predecessor product, the shear elongation and therefore the damage tolerance and flexibility of ArmaFORM PET AC 115 have been optimized from 10 to 20 % (in accordance with ISO 1922). At the same time, other important technical values such as the compression modulus have been kept at the usual high level. With the new material Armacell not only has an advantage within the industry, but also improves the position of PET foams in competition with other core materials such as PVC, SAN or balsa.
To be in an even better position to fulfil the specific requirements of such diverse areas of application as wind turbine construction, transport and shipbuilding, Armacell now offers a wider range of the new ArmaFORM PET foams: ArmaFORM PET AC is manufactured in the densities 80, 100, 115 and 135 kg/m³.
PET foams have the advantage of high temperature resistance and withstand short-term curing temperatures of up to +180 °C. This heat resistance leads to considerable savings in composite production methods (e.g. the prepreg procedure). And there are further benefits: ArmaFORM PET foams are completely recyclable, they score well in the fatigue resistance test and no toxic gases are generated in the event of a fire.