DSM LAUNCHES ADVANCED NEW COMPOSITE MATERIAL FOR WIND TURBINE BLADES

Schaffhausen (CH), October 14, 2010 – DSM Composite Resins, the global leader in resins for composite applications today launched a new, advanced specialty resin material specifically developed for wind turbine blade applications. The new high-performance resin, Synolite™ 1790-G-3, was developed and tested in cooperation with major industry players and was officially launched at the China Wind Power show (Beijing Oct 13-15).

Wind turbine blades need to be environmentally friendly, structurally strong and durable and are being developed in increasingly longer dimensions, upwards of 50 m, to maximize their wind-capturing productivity. This in turn is driving increased demand for material innovations that deliver structural strength at light weight.

Low viscosity Synolite™ 1790-G-3 is particularly suited for vacuum infusion. It offers a range of performance improvements over other traditional UPR (Unsaturated Polyester Resin) and epoxy resin solutions. Synolite™ 1790-G-3 also displays better wet-out: the rate or speed of resin saturation with the reinforcing glass fiber. This allows for more effective and efficient composite molding with a broader variety of glass fibers including specific glass reinforcement types that are commonly available in China.

With Synolite™ 1790-G-3 the entire curing procedure of the blades can be performed at room temperature without the requirement of any post curing compared to epoxy and other UPR resins. This enables manufacturers to achieve faster production cycles and reduce total system cost by up to 40% compared to epoxy resin-based systems.

The resin also demonstrates very low exothermic heat development in thick laminates yielding lower mechanical stress in the blade and longer mold life - a key factor in the manufacture of larger blades that require longer gelling times and more complex curing. Synolite™ 1790-G-3 features fast through-cure in thin laminate parts and delivers consistent and reliably robust performance from batch to batch.

Wind turbine blades from 500 kW to 5-6 MW, extending over 60M in length, can be made with Synolite™ 1790-G-3 retaining outstanding stiffness and weather resistance throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring efficient and reliable power generation. The use of this resin allows manufacturing at room temperature, with outstanding secondary bonding properties and a very short and efficient production cycle.

“Our new Synolite™ 1790-G-3 is an exceptional product that is designed to meet the evolving material demands from wind turbine blade developers here in China and across the globe,” said Achim Johannes, Business Manager Advanced Composites. “It allows exposure of blades to a broad temperature range. Blades made from Synolite™ 1790- G-3 are highly durable, strong and more energy efficient to produce thanks to its simplified curing process”.

The new specialty resin is commercially available and will be produced both locally in China as well as in Europe.

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