The Product Development Center in Alpharetta, Georgia, in the United States will be dedicated to the development of next-generation thermoplastic composites while the new centre in Brussels, Belgium will focus on customer collaboration providing virtual engineering technology, allowing for the simulation of advanced parts and systems as well as the minute analysis of the characteristics of materials; the rapid prototyping of complex small to mid-sized parts; as well as the advanced mechanical testing and validation of the materials.

Solvay’s new R&I centres in the U.S. and Europe and our recent capacity expansions, complete our infrastructure to support the industrialization of our thermoplastic materials technology. The centres provide state-of-the-art assets and capabilities to accompany our customers in the design, prototyping and testing of parts and allowing for a dramatic acceleration of the time to market of our materials Augusto Di Donfrancesco, member of Solvay’s Executive Committee

Solvay’s composite products help towards lightweight planes and cars, reducing their fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions and allow greater design freedom, thereby reducing the number of parts overall or improving aerodynamics. In oil and gas, they replace metal pipes prone to corrosion.

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The price increases will be made to compensate for the continued rise in raw material, energy and transportation costs, which have a direct and substantial impact on the cost price of 3B’s fibreglass products.

3B-the fibreglass company continuously seeks to improve the productivity of its manufacturing plants and to streamline its supply chain to offset higher material costs. 3B remains committed to supporting the Composites Industry, partnering with its customers to develop innovative solutions and supporting their global growth objectives.

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The new combination of 3B’s optimised SE4740 glass reinforcement and TP resin system is fully compatible with existing equipment and manufacturing processes such as thermoplastic resin transfer moulding and vacuum assisted resin infusion with parts displaying mechanical properties similar to traditional thermoset composites.

The sizing for the new glass roving was developed in close collaboration with France-based partners Arkema, a world leader in the production of PMMA and Chomarat a foremost manufacturer of engineered fabrics. The resulting SE4740 roving provides excellent processability in both weaving and knitting procedures and outstanding compatibility with Arkema’s Altuglas acrylic resin system leading to excellent mechanical properties making it the recognised PMMA compatible roving available globally
Eric Debondue 3B Business Development Leader

3B Fibreglass believe Thermoplastic composites are well positioned against traditional materials in weight sensitive end-use applications in industries such as automotive, mass transit, aerospace and wind. The post-thermoformable nature and their consequent high recyclability make thermoplastic composites a cost efficient and an ideal solution for alternate sustainable and durable solutions.

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The increase has been put in place to meet rapidly growing demand from the automotive industry. Last month the company started work on a new production line, slated to open in the second half of 2013.

SABIC’s STAMAX LGFPP composite resins offer several advantages over other materials in automotive applications. Compared to steel, SABIC’s resins are light in weight, do not corrode and facilitate parts integration that can streamline the vehicle assembly process. This high-performance SABIC material also provides excellent strength and dimensional stability, high flow for thin-wall structural components and exceptional design freedom. In addition, Stamax composite resins provide high heat deflection temperatures, high stiffness, low thermal expansion and low creep.

Leon Jacobs, SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Automotive leader in Europe said;

When we constructed the Genk facility, we proactively built in scalability in anticipation of customers’ future needs. It took only two years before we needed to scale up with this new, state-of-the-art production line because our STAMAX composite resins have become a material of choice for a growing number of automotive applications.

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Braj Binani Group has secured a 100 per cent equity interest in 3B Fibreglass from Platinum Equity.

Located in Battice, Belgium, 3B is a manufacturer of fibreglass for reinforcement of thermoplastics and thermoset polymer applications, and is a supplier to key industries including automotive and wind energy.

The acquisition of 3B is part of the groups strategy to expand into the global fibreglass market which also further augments the Group’s technological and marketing capabilities in the fibreglass business.

Mr Braj Binani, Chairman, Binani Industries Limited said:

The acquisition, costing us € 275 million, will strengthen our group’s core operations at a global level. The group is present in fast-growth business segments, of which fibreglass is one. We are among one of the few groups globally that has a robust presence in this niche segment and we are working to accelerate our fibreglass operations further over the coming years. 3B is therefore a perfect match. We look forward to leveraging its expertise, strong R&D and excellent customer network.

This acquisition gives Binani Industries full ownership of 3B’s global operating capacity of 1,50,000 tonnes per annum (tpa). It also provides access to its established customers, technologies, marketing network and manpower.

3B has an extensive portfolio of products including chopped strands, direct rovings and continuous filament mats. Binani will benefit from 3B’s product innovation and development undertaken at its in-house R&D unit at Battice.

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