Owens Corning OC® Molding Mat/Closed Cavity Bag Molding (CCBM) Speed Composite Part Production up to 300 Percent; Owens Corning Increases Molding Mat Production at Rio Claro Plant

SÃO PAULO, Brazil – November 9, 2004 – Owens Corning today announced at the FEIPLAR COMPOSITES 2004 show, that the company has added an additional line at its Rio Claro facility to meet increasing market demand for the OC Molding Mat reinforcement product, which, used in conjunction with closed cavity bag molding (CCBM), is up to three times faster than processing by hand or spray lay-up.

A non-woven core with two stitch-bonded outer layers of binder-free chopped fiberglass, OC Molding Mat adds production efficiency in four ways by:

• Providing a complete, extremely easy-to-handle reinforcing product.

• Providing a highly flexible material that does not require pre-forming, conforms to both concave and convex surfaces of molds – even for parts that call for considerable variation in finished wall thicknesses.

• Exhibiting high resin permeability and fast wet-out for a broad range of resin types, saving production time. In one comparative study, OC Molding Mat required only 45 minutes to set up a CCBM mold for a part that required two to two-and-a-half hours with spray-up or hand lay-up.

• Providing excellent surface finish on the rigid mold side – and better looking parts.

The CCBM process, the use of which has doubled in the region in just 12 months, can be rapidly tooled and, thanks to process simplicity, offered economically for short to medium project runs.

The increasing demand is due in part to Owens Corning’s exclusive license in South America with Arctek Inc. to market and sell CCBM technology to manufacturers of precision composite parts requiring closer tolerances and improved surface cosmetics.

“The advantages of CCBM are many, particularly for those who want the capability for agile manufacturing with relatively low-cost molds,” said Sinésio O. Baccan, fabrics and mats product engineer for Owens Corning Latin America. “The process has low VOC emissions, and OC Molding Mat offers void-free, consistent production with minimum labor and minimum raw material consumption.”

CCBM is a production technique that shapes composite products by using a rigid mold to form one side of the product and a flexible silicon elastomer bag to form the other side, simplifying both production lay-up and tooling. Any gel coat or decoration is placed in the rigid mold, OC Molding Mat is set in place and the silicone bag positioned. Vacuum fixturing then seals the periphery of the mold/bag sandwich and the resin is introduced. The vacuum draws the mat and resin into the rigid mold, speeding resin flow evenly throughout the part.

“We are committed to rapid growth here in the Americas both through close customer ties to regional business units, as well as through new applications and products like CCBM and Molding Mat,” said Marcio Sandri, general manager, Brazil, Owens Corning Latin America. “OC Molding Mat extends our offerings of efficient materials for producers who want to offer rapid response for products that benefit from small to mid-size production lots.”

OC Molding Mat is available in a range of styles, from 600 g/m2 (18 oz/yd2) to 1450 g/m2 (44 oz/ft2). Nominal dry thickness ranges from 5.6 mm (0.22 in.) to 7.0 mm (0.28 in.) Rolls are available in 125 cm (50 in.), 156 cm (61 in.) and 250 cm (100 in.) widths. Lighter styles are supplied in 54.9 m (60 yd) rolls, heavier styles in 45.7 m (50 yd) rolls. OC Molding Mat is designed for a range of composite manufacturing techniques in addition to CCBM, including resin transfer (RTM), vacuum-assist RTM, and press molding.

At FEIPLAR COMPOSITES 2004, Owens Corning Latin America is demonstrating the ease of use of OC Molding Mat composite reinforcement in closed cavity bag molding. Demonstrations will run from 17:00 – 18:00 Tuesday through Thursday, November 9-11 at the Owens Corning FEIPLAR COMPOSITES 2004 booth B12-14, in Hall 1 – Street B at the ITM Expo.