Vectorply highlights VectorUltra line at CAMX, IBEX

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Phenix City, Ala. – Each year Vectorply Corporation exhibits at the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) and the International Boatbuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX). This year the focus at both shows was their expanding advanced composite reinforcement line of VectorUltra products.

At CAMX in Anaheim, CA Vectorply Director of Composites Engineering Trevor Gundberg, P.E. and Field Engineer Mike Ditzler participated in live demonstrations at Composites One’s Lean Mean Process Machine. Gundberg assisted in the Infrastructure Repair demo while Ditzler helped with the New Tooling Technology and Consumer Recreation demos.

During the Infrastructure Repair demo a mock concrete column was repaired using a combination of Vectorply’s E-LT 2900 and C-LA 1812. The presentation demonstrated how to use vacuum bag infusion in the field to repair damaged columns and provide added stability for seismic protection.

In the New Tooling Technology demo Ditzler helped demonstrate an infusion for an Indy Car intake scoop. The Consumer Recreation demo featured skateboard production through the use of silicone bag molding. Vectorply’s toughened carbon, C-BXi 0456, was used to increase impact resistance and damage tolerance and carbon/Innegra hybrid CI-TTXCX 1310 and C-WVs 0600-TW were also used during the demos.

With CAMX in the books, Vectorply’s team made the cross-country trip to exhibit at IBEX the following week in Tampa, FL. Vectorply also participated in an eye-catching exhibit at IBEX aimed at highlighting the future of composites production.

The “Future Materials Exhibit” is a hands-on display that is presented by Professional BoatBuilder and CompositesWorld magazines. In the exhibit, Vectorply highlighted two special VectorUltra products, C-BXi 0456 and C-4QX 9400, and a comingled E-glass/polypropylene thermoply product, EPP-W 2200.

EPP-W 2200 is a 22oz. fabric that offers users a wide range of flexibility due to the combination of thermoplastic and thermoset fibers. An 11’ 4” Super Cruiser stand up paddle board produced by Bounce Composites provided a great example of an end-use application for the thermoply product and received a lot of attention from visitors.

Panels of the two carbon products were also on display in the exhibit. The balanced and symmetric construction (mirror image) of the carbon C-4QX 9400 enables fast build-up of thick sections along with very low and consistent CTE and uncoupled (no potato chipping) laminates. The toughened C-BXi 0456 with interleaved lightweight polyamide veils provides greater interlaminar toughness and reduces delamination/damage zone size in the event of an impact.

Vectorply to highlight VectorUltra products at CAMX, IBEX

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PHENIX CITY, Ala. – Vectorply Corporation will showcase its full VectorUltra™ line of carbon multiaxial fabrics September 26-29 in Anaheim, CA at the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) 2016.

Vectorply’s standard VectorUltra products are offered in unidirectional, biaxial, double-bias, triaxial, quadraxial, and multilayered architectures ranging from 3 oz./yd.² (100 gsm) to 94 oz./yd.² (3,193 gsm). These products are always in stock and readily available for customers. Visitors to Vectorply’s booth will be able to view and discuss our full line of VectorUltra materials with our sales and engineering teams.

The VectorUltra line of advanced reinforcements provides a wide range of unique products that allow users to accomplish their specific goals. Vectorply’s balanced and symmetric C-4QX 9400 fabric, for example, is an excellent fit for tooling, panel, and thick section advanced composite applications. A toughened line of products with added Micromesh veils help to reduce delamination/damage zone size and retain structural integrity in the event of an impact.

Vectorply Corporation Director of Composites Engineering, Trevor Gundberg, P.E., will also participate in an aerospace textiles panel organized by SAMPE’s Ted Lynch. Gundberg will discuss the advantages of non-crimp fabrics in the aerospace market during the panel, which will be followed by a Q&A session for the audience. The panel will take place Thursday, September 29 from 8 a.m. to 9:55 a.m. in a meeting room yet to be determined.

Visit Vectorply’s booth at space J48 to learn how our wide range of composite reinforcements can make your product lighter and stronger while also reducing processing time and labor costs!

Vectorply will also be exhibiting at the International Boatbuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) in Tampa, FL on October 4-6 in booth 1051.

We look forward to seeing you at CAMX and IBEX this year!

Composites One visits Vectorply for BOI meeting

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On August 2-3, Vectorply hosted distributor Composites One for a Business Optimization Initiative (BOI) meeting. The two-day meeting covered a wide range of topics focused on improving efficiency as we strive to always keep our collective customers happy!

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Construction begins on Vectorply’s Advanced Composites Facility

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PHENIX CITY, Ala. – Vectorply Corporation announced in February at the company’s National Sales Meeting that the addition of a new Advanced Composites Facility would begin during the spring. With the site preparation completed, foundation construction began this week as the first concrete footings were poured. Check back at www.vectorply.com for more news and updates about this exciting addition!

 

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Successful composite products begin with Vectorply’s R2O

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Phenix City, Ala. – In an industry as competitive as composites fabrication, any edge that manufacturers can gain has the potential to pay huge dividends. As numerous customers have already discovered, Vectorply’s powerful tool known as the Road to Optimization (R2O) can identify key areas for improvement in the production process leading to higher quality products, increased efficiency, and a competitive edge in the market.

The Road to Optimization begins with an on-site technical meeting and audit by members of Vectorply’s engineering and sales teams. From the first time the material is handled at the customer’s facility, our team will have eyes on the process until the final product is complete.

With the meeting and audit complete, the Road to Optimization moves into the laminate analysis and design stage utilizing Vectorply’s proprietary software, VectorLam Cirrus 2.0. VectorLam is a free internet-based program (accessible at www.vectorply.com) that allows the engineering team and customer to determine the correct laminate schedule for the specific application. The selected materials are then tested, finalized, and the reinforcements are built to order.

The Road to Optimization was designed to help customers optimize their production process with the ideal materials and procedures. To find out more about Vectorply’s R2O and the difference it can make in your production process, call us today at 334-291-7704.

Vectorply composites strengthen Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge

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Destrehan, LA – Spanning the Mississippi River to connect Destrehan on the east bank to Luling on the west bank, the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge (also known as the Luling Bridge) is one of the Luling Bridge Picstate of Louisiana’s most crucial pieces of infrastructure.  With the bridge in need of surface repairs, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development turned to Engineering Consultant Malcolm Huval of Huval and Associates to find a solution that provided the most longevity.
The Luling Bridge is a 10,699-foot-long suspension bridge that presented Huval and Associates with the difficult task of developing a flexible composite structure that would adhere to the steel plate on the bridge as well as the concrete that would be poured for the roadway.  For this tall task, Huval developed a composite system utilizing Vectorply’s Kevlar/E-glass hybrid material and a highly adhesive and flexible epoxy resin.

“Bridges constantly move, especially suspension bridges, so a typical concrete and steel reinforced surface does not do well by itself and will eventually end up cracking,” explained Vectorply’s South/Central Region Sales Manager Doug Lachapelle. “The combination of specialized composite materials and resins make concrete surfaces on suspension bridges possible.”

The Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge is the latest infrastructure project to show the value composites provide in revitalization and repair. To find out more about using composites in your infrastructure or construction application, call Vectorply at 334-291-7704 or visit our website www.vectorply.com.

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U.S. Coast Guard marine inspectors train with Vectorply carbon

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Richmond, CA – Maritime Technical Services of Tiburon, CA recently completed their 15th training course designed to teach United States Coast Guard marine inspectors how to inspect composite small passenger vessels.  The course is held three times a year at the KKMI Boathouse in Point Richmond, CA and consists of 20 students.Coast guard pic2

The course covers several topics including: small passenger vessel rules and standards for FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) vessels, introduction to FRP and composite materials, vessel manufacturing techniques, composite testing, identifying dynamic loads in small passenger vessels, and tools of the trade and inspection techniques.

Finally, as seen in the photos, common repair methods are taught to the students. The students shown are repairing a hole in a piece of plywood using Vectorply C-LA 1812, an 18oz. carbon uni.

VectorLam Cirrus 2.0 Introductory Webinar (video)

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Vectorply Corporation Director of Composites Engineering, Trevor Gundberg, P.E. leads an introductory webinar for VectorLam Cirrus 2.0. Cirrus 2.0 is the latest edition of Vectorply’s proprietary laminate analysis software. View the video below for the full-length webinar, or follow the link on our home page to register for VectorLam Cirrus 2.0 for free!

Note: For the highest quality, expand the video to full screen.