Composite RV panels made by new process.Hundreds of pounds of weight savings can be achieved with a new way of making composite exterior panels for recreational vehicles. The new CTEC CTEC Course and Teacher Evaluation Council (Northwestern University, Office of the Register) CTEC Certified Technical Education Center CTEC Certified Technical Education Center (Microsoft) panels from Owens Coming Fabwel, Elkhart, Ind IND Investigational new drug Therapeutics A status assigned by the FDA to a drug before allowing its use in humans, exempting it from premarketing approval requirements so that experimental clinical trials may be conducted. See Phase 1.2, 3 studies, Sponsorship. ., weigh 20% less than standard panels of plywood plywood, manufactured board composed of an odd number of thin sheets of wood glued together under pressure with grains of the successive layers at right angles. Laminated wood differs from plywood in that the grains of its sheets are parallel. covered with fiberglass fiberglass, thread made from glass. It is made by forcing molten glass through a kind of sieve, thereby spinning it into threads. Fiberglass is strong, durable, and impervious to many caustics and to extreme temperatures. composite. The standard panels absorb water, which further adds to their weight. Cutting weight allows RV makers to install more amenities without making the overall vehicle heavier, notes Chuck Jerasa, general manager of OC Fabwel. CTEC panels of polyester polyester, synthetic fiber, produced by the polymerization of the product formed when an alcohol and organic acid react. The outstanding characteristic of polyesters is their ability to resist wrinkling and to spring back into shape when creased. and fiberglass are made by a proprietary vacuum infusion process. The basic technology is not brand-new but had never been applied to parts this large at such fast fill rates, says Jerasa. He adds that the CTEC process obtains a higher than usual glass content, adding strength so that the panels can be thinner and lighter. What's more, CTEC panels (shown on an RV from Monaco Coach Corp, Coburg, Ore.) reportedly achieve a smoother, high-gloss automotive finish free of the "board lines" that can be visible in standard panels. He says the CTEC panel technology could be used in other applications such as construction and mass transportation. Tel: (574) 522-8473 |
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