Carver Non-Wovens, R3 Composites Expanding
Carver Non-Wovens, R3 Composites Expanding
Carver Non-Wovens, R3 Composites Expanding
This shows a hybrid web of material consisting of jute fiber and natural, uncolored PET fiber leaving the cross-lapper and heading toward the needle punch. Photo courtesy of R3 Composites Inc.
This shows a hybrid web of material consisting of jute fiber and natural, uncolored PET fiber leaving the cross-lapper and heading toward the needle punch. Photo courtesy of R3 Composites Inc.
Grabill, Ind.-based R3 Composites Inc., a custom compression molder and compounder of sheet-molding compound (SMC), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Carver Non-Woven Technologies LLC, are both in the process of expanding.
Carver, which supplies single- and multimaterial non-woven products from its Freemont, Ind., headquarters, only began commercial production in July. It said that Phase 2 installation work and was due to be completed by the end of October and involved doubling the number of opening lines to six. The company also is adding another blending line, an additional cross-lapper, and an additional card. Once installation of the second opening and blending lines is complete, Carver said it will be able to produce nearly 3,000 kilograms per hour of non-wovens. The new equipment also will enable Carver researchers to expand their developmental work on hybrid non-wovens, by adding more synthetic fibers to the mix as well as carbon fiber. This will include compound development for applications where higher impact strength, acoustical damping, heat-deflection temperature, and structural requirements are needed in a single application.
The second line allows for construction of a single web incorporating up to six different fiber types in two different layers that will subsequently be combined into a single finished, needled product. Carver said this capability will allow it to fully customize its non-woven products to help customers optimize for cost, weight and aesthetics in their final molded composite parts and meet more challenging application requirements.
Since its July startup, Carver has been producing both synthetic (polymer-based) and blends of synthetic and E-glass or natural fiber mats for customers in a number of industries. Further, the firm said it also is the first commercial non-wovens manufacturer in the world to install a line designed to run blends with up to 80% carbon fiber content.
Meanwhile, R3 Composites, a third-generation, family-owned business, currently operates 19 presses ranging in size from 400 to 4,400 tonnes at its Grabill plant, and can produce some of the largest compression-molded parts in North America. R3 is opening a new shared testing laboratory at the Carver location, and also has refurbished one of its three paint lines. www.r3composites.com