Due to government regulations and competition among fabricators, switching from traditional open mold processing to vacuum infusion has become increasingly prevalent. Despite these market pressures vacuum infusion can also create numerous advantages within the workplace, and with the use of VectorFusion™ reinforcements these advantages can be optimized.
Vacuum infusion processing, or VIP, is ideal for reducing or eliminating potentially harmful VOC emissions, which creates safer working conditions and reduces the impact on the environment. Not only is VIP a ‘green’ process, but the part-to-part consistency and overall laminate quality is greatly enhanced.
Some forms of VIP, while eliminating VOCs produce more solid waste in the form of surface flow medias and peel plies. Using VectorFusion™ reinforcements eliminates the need for these sacrificial materials, lessening the environmental impact even more. VectorFusion™ reinforcements only selectively use continuous filament mats (CFM) which can use excessive amounts of resin. Less resin means higher mechanical properties, and less CFM means less loss of laminate thickness.
‘Clear the air’ by using VectorFusion™ reinforcements in your next VIP project.
VectorFusion™ E-3LTi 10800 x 21 layers being prepared for infusion. In this case, the finished part is a component at a hydro power site.
Resin feed lines are spaced according to the porosity of the reinforcement and viscosity of the resin. Vectorply’s Technical Support Team provides builders with flow prediction and permeability flow index before the project starts.
The finished laminate measures as predicted 2.5″ thick, exactly 21 times the thickness of 1 layer. Even under the pressure of the vacuum the channeled, infusion specific reinforcement does not compress allowing resin the flow to achieve thorough wet-out.