Archive for April, 2008
M.C. Gill Corp announced the qualification of Gillfab 4523, a low smoke sandwich panel using woven glass skins, phenolic resin, and a Nomex honeycomb core. These panels will be used as floor panels in the bulk compartment for future Airbus aircraft.
Visit Composites World for the press release.
Chinese state owned corporations have agreed to invest up to $500 million in the creation of new factories. One such factory is for a sandwich panel plant that could produce 2,000 sq meters of panels per shift…
Visit redorbit.com for the press release.
In the middle of last March at the annual meeting for the Structural Insulated Panel Associations (SIPA), the President of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Mr. Henry Kelly, gave a lecture to the building panel and SIP construction industry on climate change, energy use, savings, and the role sandwich panels can play in reducing energy consumption.
What it boils down to, is residential and commercial buildings are significant contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. Heating and cooling of these buildings is currently extremely inefficient, and with the successful implementation of SIPs and insulated sandwich panels as a whole, vast amounts of energy can be saved. The potential environmental gains domestically are great, but even better for growing countries abroad.
To download a copy of the excellent presentation in power point form, follow the link below:
SIPs, Energy Efficient Buildings, and US Challenges in Energy and Climate Change
An Azerbaijan based engineering and consulting firm is in search of 1,200 sq meters worth of sandwich panels containing a 2hr minimum fire rating.
For further information, please email: info@sandwichpanels.org
A deadly fire recently erupted at a cold storage facility in New Zealand. One fire fighter was killed and 7 others we injured. Fire crews were battling a massive blaze in a dairy storage building, when a immense explosion erupted.
Firefighters believe part of the difficulty in battling this blaze was the the sandwich panel construction. The metal and foam core panels provided a couple hindrances. First, there were no windows or extra doors in the building. This prevented easy access and ventilation to the fires origin. Secondly, the burning foam created thick black smoke which made progress difficult. Lastly, the melting foam core began to lose structure creating unsafe conditions.
Investigators are continuing to look into the fire. For more information please visit:
New Zealand Herald
Timaru Herald
Bevan Group has announced production of a new lightweight truck line using fiber reinforced polypropylene panels for the walls. The lightweight panels in combination with other weight saving features provide a 7.5% fuel savings.
More info, visit Bevan Group