Renewable RF Fiber

Impact Composite Technology (Impact) has developed a green solution that improves the strength of FRP composites and suppresses styrene emissions. It can save money and make finished laminates more marketable.This product, while not new to the composites industry, has a new name: RF Fiber.

RF Fiber is uniquely certified at multiple levels. The USDA Farm Bill dictates that products containing qualified biomass materials must be considered over-non biomass products. The EnviroPhillic™ Seal (environment loving) was created solely for Impact. The widely recognized Cotton Industry logo identifies RF Fiber as a renewable natural resource and a green additive to otherwise non-green products. The implications are significant: reduction in petroleum-based resin and fiberglass use, lower transportation costs due to the lighter weight of finished goods, lower emissions, etc. Versatile RF Fiber can be used in a wide variety of products (cultured marble, bathware, tanks, panels,etc.) in a multitude of industries.

RF Fiber is an additive, not a filler. Fillers only take up space. RF Fiber chemically interacts with the resin matrix to improve its strength. This interaction allows manufacturers to reduce their glass content up to 25 percent without sacrificing the physical performance capabilities of the finished laminate. RF Fiber also improves the resin-to-glass bond, making the fiberglass more efficient, and improves the overall laminate strength to help stop brittle crack propagation and premature composite failure. Physical properties tests of finished composites have proven RF Fiber’s structural benefits. In side by side tests, the parts manufactured with RF Fiber consistently match the physical performance characteristics of those made without it.

The product is compatible with neat or filled, normal and low VOC, polyester and epoxy resins. RF Fiber reduces VOC emissions by suppressing more of the styrene within the part. This extends the resin and reduces emissions. Unlike other suppressants, secondary bonding is not a problem. Impact performs the EPA ’s WW test on a customer’s resin and then issues a certification used to compute a vapor suppressant credit.

The manner in which RF Fiber is applied varies according to the manufacturing process. In spray-up applications, the equipment is “piggybacked” onto the customer’s existing equipment. It operates much like a chopper but can be used independently of it.

The equipment can also be used to produce a sprayable core by spraying the fiber and resin matrix only between layers of chopped glass. The chemical interaction between the resin and styrene creates crosslinking throughout the entire laminate, improving the bond significantly. Delamination becomes a moot point. Renewable RF Fiber RF Fiber chemically interacts with the resin matrix to improve its strength, allowing manufacturers to reduce glass content without sacrificing physical performance.

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For more information about these products, contact a North American Composites representative at 800.434.8830.