Lightweight construction: Automatic dispensing of void fillers

Huntsman’s ARALDITE^® range of two-component void fillers are lightweight and offer excellent mechanical properties. Due to their sensitivity to high pressure when not cured, these products have to be applied either manually or from cartridges. Challenges such as extreme viscosity differences between resins and hardeners also have to be overcome.

After an extensive two-year test phase, one thing is certain: The static dynamic mixer vipro-DUOMIX from ViscoTec is ideally suited for dispensing complex materials. Via the two-component dispenser the correct mixing ratio can be set, the mixing is homogeneous and the hollow spheres in the materials are not destroyed during the mixing and dispensing process. The vipro-DUOMIX is therefore perfectly compatible with the products.

"At Huntsman, we are committed to advancing technology and looking for new solutions for the aerospace industry. We regularly conduct customer research to understand how we can better meet the demanding needs of the industry," said John Fraser, Global Director Marketing Aerospace. "As OEMs strive to improve production performance, the entire aerospace value chain is under pressure to improve productivity. For the end user of void fillers, this means more than just products that cure faster. It also means investing in the automation of previously manual processes. Thanks to the close cooperation with ViscoTec, we are now able to offer our customers this next level of support".

"The aerospace industry continues to strive for lightweight solutions to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce costs," says Simon Widderich, Business Development Manager Aerospace at ViscoTec. "Our static-dynamic mixer is particularly suitable for compressible materials where the back pressure has to be kept as low as possible. The hollow spheres in some of the Huntsman products we tested play an important role for the characteristics of low-density fillers. Avoiding compression is essential to ensure process reliability as well as to maintain the mechanical properties required for aerospace applications".

Huntsman and ViscoTec will continue to work together on projects for customers in the aerospace industry to provide the best possible support in switching to automated production processes. Further tests on Huntsman’s extensive product portfolio with the vipro-DUOMIX are also planned. The dispenser is suitable for various two-component materials, also based on polyether, epoxy resin or polyurethane.

In the video you can see the results of the dispensing tests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmvsrlOd1Mk