When did playdoh get involved?
When you were younger did you ever play with playdoh? That very sticky brightly coloured dough that you always seemed to get into trouble for playing with, as it always got accidently squashed into the carpet. There was something quite satisfying about squeezing these into the different moulds and then when they were taken out you had miniatures of a variety of different objects that didn’t really look like what the box had said they would resemble. Therefore, they would get squashed back together to make a very unusual colour that you could never play with again!
When using plugs and moulds in production today the quality of the finished moulds is essential in ensuring the finished product is of the highest quality. Perhaps if the playdoh mould had been made of high quality fibreglass those miniatures would have actually resembled what was on the box instead of squashed tree. In todays blog we are going to be talking plug building and molds, when they first started to be used in production, how our adhesives are used in the process and finally looking at how some of the fastest racing cars in the world are connected to composites and plugbuilding.
When did we first start using plugbuilding?
So when did plug building start to appear in mainstream production? The first commercial grade boat hull was developed during 1940/50s, though it was not commercial available to buy. A composite body for a car was also prototyped and tested during this time which led to the development of the 1953 Corvette. This gave rise to two new methods of molding been developed which were compression molding compound and bulk molding compound.
Moving into the 1960s this was when the first carbon fibre was patented and became commercially available. Over the next 20 years the composite materials market became much more innovative and there were breakthroughs in the use of advanced fibres such as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for aerospace components. The use of custom molds also started to be used in motor assemblies and the automotive market surpassed the marine market as the number one composite market a position it still holds today. By the mid-1990s composites had become a mainstream material used in the manufacturing industry and this continues through to today.
How can our adhesives help you Top 5 things for plug building:
So how do our adhesives fit into all of this? The fibreglass mold process begins with the plug, which is an exact model of the finished product. The plug can be made from a variety of different materials, such as wood, plywood, chicken wire with plaster and certain types of foam are commonly used, this is also where our TC plug building range comes in. Once the plug is finished and has been treated with release or wax, the laminate layers can be applied. The process is the same as for any other fibreglass lay-up. The only difference is that the mold must be a lot thicker and rigid than the finished item.
The plug is then used to make the mold which the final component is made from. The fibreglass will then be applied to the mold, which is where our adhesives come into play. As the purpose of our TC range is to hold the glass reinforced fibres in place during the infusion molding process. TC range also have products to hold the peel ply, flow media and core boards in place.
The benefits of the TC range is that the adhesive are designed to dissolve in infusion resins like polyester and epoxy resin in order not to mess with the infusion process. Other benefits include speed of application, and high tac levels over a long period of time.
So what are the top 5 things you need when using our TC range? Why not have a look below:
- Ultra-Fast Application
- Portable Canister System
- Money Saving Canister System vs Aerosol Cans
- Versatile
- Exemplary Heat Resistance
Advantages of using 500ml aerosols or 22LTR canisters:
- You won’t need to invest any automated machinery/system at the beginning
- 500ml aerosol and 22LTR are portable / independent systems.
- You won’t need any electricity to use them.
- They are easy to maintain, clean and use.
Interested in finding out about our full range of plug building adhesives why not have a look at our videos below.
TensorGrip TC20® Plug Build Foam Adhesive is a high-performance polyurethane foam adhesive suitable for bonding blocks of polystyrene together or to a sub-deck. Find out more here:
This video demonstrates how to build a plug with the TensorGrip Composite range of spray
So what can you actually make with plugbuilds/composites?
With all this talk about plugs and molds what you really want to know about is what can you actually make with them? The answer is, lots of things from aerospace parts, shower trays to racing car parts. Why not join us in looking at some of the fastest racing cars out there and what they are made up.
Formula One
First up is Formula One (F1) which is arguably the most famous motor racing sport in the world, with almost 10% of the world's population following the races. Due to the fierce competition within the sport, coupled with the remarkable physical strain the vehicles are put under during a race (sometimes hitting speeds of up to to 350 km/h), the cars need to be constructed using the most cutting-edge materials and processing techniques.
The introduction of fibre reinforced composite chassis was a key turning point in the history of developing F1 racing cars. First introduced in 1980 by the McLaren F1 Team, carbon fibre composites are now used widely in many of the F1 components - almost 85% of the volume of a typical F1 car is made up of them!
Formula E
Formula E is the world’s first electric street racing series which is all about the mix of entertainment, sustainability, technology and innovation. They believe that electric vehicles represent the future and are the answer to the sustainable transportation and fighting climate change. However, they acknowledge that in their push into the electric era and the transition towards low carbon societies, the power used needs to be low carbon too.
The chassis are built by Italian racing car specialists Dallara and are made of a carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite. They have been crash-tested to the same stringent standards as Formula 1.
IndyCar
Finally is IndyCar which is made up of a variety of circuits, such as superspeedways, short ovals and permanent courses and street circuits.
The season includes the prestigious Indianapolis 500, whose first edition took place over 100 years ago. This historical race involves 33 drivers in a race of 200 laps, 500 miles in total, with averages that, in recent years, have reached and exceeded 350 km/h.
The races are held mainly in the United States and Canada. Since the races follow a tight schedule, vehicles must be designed and constructed to express high performance in a wide range of mechanical and aerodynamic configurations, with limited adjustments between one circuit and the other.
Carbon fibre is now the principle component used in Indycar chassis tubs. Tubs aren’t the only items using carbon fibre it can also be found on brake cooling ducts and other body panels.
Join us at JEC World Show
As you can see there are many ways our adhesives could help you solve your problems, so why not join us at the JEC show in March from 6th to 8th March we are at Hall 5 Stand C67.
For more information on the plugbuild products we are taking to the show have a look below:
TensorGrip® TC10 is a fast-drying contact adhesive with good heat resistance. It is suitable for bonding a variety of materials to sheet timber, metal and some hard plastics. Immediate permanent bonds can be achieved by double-sided applications on most substrates.
http://www.tensorglobal.com/uk/products/?category=77&subcat=81&productid=181
TensorGrip® TC20 is a high performance, polyurethane foam adhesive. TC20 is designed to work in conjunction with TC30 or as a stand-alone product. The bond strength and compatibility with polystyrene makes this product the perfect partner when bonding blocks of polystyrene together or to the sub-deck.
http://www.tensorglobal.com/uk/products/?category=77&subcat=81&productid=180
TensorGrip® TC30 is a high performance and pressure sensitive polystyrene compatible adhesive, which can be used in conjunction with TC20 or as a standalone product. If you’ve ever wondered what glue to use on polystyrene, the incredible tack and compatibility of TC30 makes it the perfect partner when bonding blocks of polystyrene together or to the sub-deck. If using this product in conjunction with TC20, it can be applied to the face ends of the large format blocks to give immediate bonding.
http://www.tensorglobal.com/uk/products/?category=77&subcat=81&productid=183
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