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Working with chemical company Acmos Chemie KG, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research (IFAM) in Bremen, Germany, have developed a new type of coating for metal moulds used in the casting of fibre-reinforced plastic parts such as aircraft wings.
“Our plasma polymer coating only has to be renewed after thirty to a hundred cycles, and in some applications, it lasts up to a thousand cycles,” says IFAM project manager Gregor Graßl. “This accelerates production and is kind to the environment, as no solvent is released into the air.”
It also takes less time to clean the mould after each casting as less material sticks to the surface, and the finished plastic parts no longer need to be sanded before painting.
Currently, four to six layers of release agent have to be applied, mostly by hand, before material is poured into the mould. And like a cake tin, the mould has to be re-greased between castings. The releasing agent is dissolved in a solvent that evaporates after application.
The coating process will be on display at the K2007 plastics trade fair in Düsseldorf (Stand E91, Hall 3) from 24 to 31 October.
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