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Polycore Products

Polycore Polypropylene Honeycombs

POLYCORE POLYPROPYLENE HONEYCOMBS                                    

• Durable
• Eco Friendly
• Water Resistant
• Flexible
• Easy to Use
• Strong, Rigid,
• Lightweight
• Heat insulating
• Sound Deadening
• Non Corrosive
• Vermin Proof

In co-operation with Polycore Australia, Wm. C Jackson can supply you with honeycombs to meet your mechanical, chemical and thermal demands.

The product is available in standard, high tensile or flexible quality and in the near future an aluminium or plywood skin will be optional . 

 We now have available in Melbourne 2.4 x 1.2 metre sheets of POLYCORE polypropylene honeycomb with 8 mm diameter core in both standard and high strength.

The sheets have a 45 gm / sq. metre polyester scrim on both sides of the core with a film between to reduce resin intrusion into the core.

Finished sheets can also be imported against order.

Options available

1/     CHOPPED STRAND MAT SKINS thermally bonded to resin intrusion skins on both sides of the core

Panel dimensions 2.4 x 1.2 metres.

Core thickness offered  :  4, 6. 10, 12, 15, 25, 30, 40 mm

Matt weight 300, 400, 600, 900 gms/sq. meter

All chopped strand mat is DNV certified.

2/       FIBREGLASS WOVEN ROVINGS  thermally bonded to resin intrusion skins on both sides of the 8 mm diameter core.

Panel dimensions 2.4 x 1.2 mm

Core thickness offered  : 4, 6, 10, 12, 15, 25, 30, 40 mm.

Woven rovings weight 270, 360, 580, 600, 800 gms/sq, metre

All fibreglass woven rovings used are DNV certified

Panels dimensions 2.4 x 1.2 mm 

 3/    FIBRE GLASSED    panels ( on both sides of the  8 mm dia . core) with smooth paintable finish,

Panel dimensions  (standard)  2,4 x 1.2 mm

Core thickness offered 9, 12. 15. 19 25, 30 mm

Fibre glass thickness   0, 5    1,0,    1,5     2.5,     3.0  mm 

Larger panels up to 11.9 x 2.4 metres can be made to order. 

A flame retardant treatment is also possible 

POLYCORE FOR THAT SPECIAL JOB

POLYCORE are the only Australian distributors of high strength polypropylene honeycomb

The website (www.austrol.com.au) of the New South Wales distributor Austrol Industries shows some interest videos on impact and flameproofing tests

In manufacturing, being aware of new building materials is important. To keep your business on top, your customers require the best product for the job.

Polycore have a new panel that will do just that It is replacing foam, ply wood timber, balsa to name a few just in boat construction.This will be a major panel in other manufacturing, Polycore is very light, very strong, will not rot, resists impact, sound absorbing, floats, non toxic, recyclable, easily moulded.

Polycore panel is a structural high grade panel and has the ISO: 9001/2000 certification.  Det Norske Veritas (DNV) approval is pending.  This enables the panel to enter a whole new field of applications on today’s world market.  Currently Polycore panels are used in many fields of manufacturing overseas, and possibilities are endless.

For example:  The Polycore panel could be used to construct: floors, walls and partitions, ceilings, mezzanine floors, security doors, caravan, R.V. and motor home construction, prefab housing, donga’s, yacht and power boat construction, furniture, cupboards, kitchens, special vehicles, truck bodies, trailers, floats, mobile bill boards,  signs, exhibitions, shop and office fit outs, movie sets, stages, air craft fit outs, speaker boxes, pallets construction and racking, boxes, ,storage shelving, garden walls fencing, retaining walls, patios, noise reduction and the list goes on.

PROPERTIES

Polypropylene is a thermoplastic material from the group of polyolefins.  The material is semi crystalline and has elastic deformation behaviour.  PP has very high impact strengths without cracking or  crushing.  PP is extensively chemical resistant at normal temperatures.

A technical specification sheet is available for every type of honeycomb with all necessary parameters, which we will send you on request.  Our technical specification sheets are subject to a periodical auditing and are permanently updated corresponding to the stage of development.

Laminated materials with a sandwich core of Polycore are construction material with the following significant advantages:

1. The sound insulation and vibration-deadening effect is better in comparison with similar sandwich core materials like balsawood and paper honeycomb.  Honeycombs with small pressure losses are widely used when it comes to sound reduction and air guidance in ventilating application.

1. Weight reduction in composite constructive elements at high mechanic strengths.  80% lighter than steel and 60% lighter than aluminium.  Aluminium facing bonded to our polypropylene sheets makes it ultra lightweight.

1. High levels of compressive, shear and bending strengths as well as impact strength in association with outer suited materials.  Thermoformable to meet the needs of a wide range of industrial applications.  Extremely durable.

1. High levels of energy absorption in the case of crash.  The uniform collapsing of the tubes in the honeycombs system leads to an outstanding energy absorption behaviour.

1. Heat insulation because of air volume that is locked up.

1. Chemical, corrosion and fungi  resistance.

1. High wall thicknesses are reached in lamination sector with less working steps and reduction of costs for working hours.

1. Environmental-friendly core material because it is recyclable and does not give off toxic fumes when burnt.

1. Can be bonded to other surface materials – thermosets  or thermoplastics.

1. Panel replacement technology is easy and affordable.  Large panel design can be repaired at most auto-body repair facilities.

      11. Vermin proof, termites or white ants will not attack the core.

So Polycore is the alternative high-tech-material for the modern lightweight construction.  It is ideal and multipurpose as material for sandwich constructions in combination with different kinds of cover layer materials.

DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCT

The basic material for the production of honeycombs is polypropylene.  The PP Honeycomb, which is mainly used as core material to manufacture sandwich components, is outstandingly suited as construction material,.   PP-Honeycomb, with its elastic properties, is the ideal material for the lightweight construction.  The PP-Honeycomb offers a high level of strength at low weight; it is corrosion-resistant and creates the interior core of flat lightweight construction elements like sandwich panels.   PP Honeycomb can be thermally deformed because of the thermoplastic properties and  can be machined and cut with conventional woodworking tools.

Depending on the further industrial use the panels of honeycomb can be delivered laminated or un laminated.  The forming process is followed by the lamination where a textile surface structure (polyester scrim) is applied to the surface of the panel by a thermal process.  The polyester scrim serves as adhesive procurement in processing.  For the application in lamination techniques on the fibre-laminating sector a sealing foil can be inserted between the PP-Honeycomb and the polyester scrim to prevent  liquid resin fills in the hollow cells of honeycombs.  This makes  PP-Honeycomb also extremely well suited as sandwich core material for fibre-lamination.

The advantages of circular cell cross-section compared with hexagonal honeycomb is the higher strength level and the, as it were, isotropic behaviour, where the same strengths exist in all directions of the application of load.

Polycore Polypropylene honeycomb cells are fused together rather than glued. consequently the sheets are more resilient as no longer is the glue the weakest link

Polycore can be moulded with heat to form simple shapes and curves.

Polycore has excellent thermal and acoustic properties.

Polycore can be glassed or veneered with just about any skin; you can even veneer a timber skin to look just like a timber panel and still be only a fraction of the weightT

The end uses are enormous.

Polycore is made from polypropylene of a high grade which is manufactured into a honeycomb core from 4mm to 600mm thick.  Each sheet is 2400 x 1200 the same size as a plywood sheet, larger sheets can be supplied as special orders.

The width of laminated products is limited to 1220 max. Length is up to 3000mm compared with competitors’ lengths of 2100 – 2320mm.   Principally the honeycomb production is order related and dimensions are customer specified.

Lightweight, high compressive strength, anti-water, anti-humidity honeycomb can be used as structure in floor, ceilings and walls.  Besides that PP honeycomb can cut down weight, increase speed, save energy, honeycomb structures are extremely strong.  That’s why our PP honeycomb is widely used in boat and yacht building, truck and trailer bodies, the building industry, FRP products and so on

Cover layer materials that can be used include:

1. Metal sheets mainly made of aluminium and steel
2. Boards (plywood), decorative laminates
3. Fibre composites like GFUP, GFEP, phenol-und melamine resins
4. Fibre composite cover layers with a thermoplastic matrix
5. Mineral cover layer materials (decorative stone).
6. 6. Re-inforced fibreglass etc.

 RANGE OF USE

Polycore Honeycombs are applied as sandwich core material in many different sectors of the lightweight construction.

Automobile Processing:

• Weight reduction at high statically and dynamically permanent strength
• Car body construction, especially truck bodies including doors for loading spaces
• Floor groups and separation walls for loading spaces
• Interior parts of automobiles (hat racks, trunk grounds and covers, especially to reduce the dead weight.
•  
• Building Trade

• Walls of lightweight construction, sound-absorbing walls, insulating walls
• Doors
• Floor panels
• Prefabricated sanitary booth for bathrooms and toilets

Rail Vehicle Construction

• The ability for water absorption is low, weight reduction high strengths especially compressive strength, bending strength and sturdiness, insulation against heat and cold, ability to float (buoyancy through locked up air volume at an ideal combination of core and cover layer thickness).

Tank Construction

• Double-walled tanks
• Strengthening elements for tank floors and covers

Shop and Fair Construction

• Production of panels for lightweight elements.

Rail Vehicles

• Weight reduction at high static and dynamic strengths
• Floor systems for carriages and trams
• Wall, ceiling and door elements for the carriage construction
• Sanitary built-in booth.

Special Vehicles

• Trailer superstructures
• Ambulances
• Camper component parts
• Horse trailers

Special Construction

• Switchboxes
• Multiple containers
• Sound insulation panels

Public Works

• Embankment and levees
• Water storage
• Soil reinforcement

Marine

     *    hulks, bulkheads and decks

• internal furniture

INFORMATION WEBSITES

www.polycore-australia.com.au  

www.austrol.com.au  

www.hexacor.com

 PRODUCT CODES

 PP:                       Polypropylene honeycomb PP8:                     Number indicates core size, ie 8mm, 10mm, 12mm PP8:                     Standard product PP8-FL:             Flexible product PP8-H:               High strength product PP8-80:             Weight of honeycomb, eg 80 kgs per cubic metre PP8-80T30:       Weight of tissue (polyester non woven scrim), ie 30, 45 or 60 gm/sq m PP8-80T30F:     Film under the tissue to reduce resin intrusion into the core. T30 scrim can prohibit part of the resin or glue from leaking into the core.   T30F scrim with a PP film will prevent most of the resin from leaking in the core. T60F would prohibit almost all of the resin from leaking into the core. Polycore  PP8-H high strength has a 45gram per square metre scrim. .

POLYCORE AUSTRALIA LTD          

Specifications for PP-8    

• assuming 10 % polypropylene, 90 %air

Specifications for  PP-H8

• assuming 10 % polypropylene, 90 %air

 PROCESSING OF POLYPROPYLENE HONEYCOMB PANELS

 Polypropylene honeycomb is covered with non-woven polyester fabric on both sides.  It can be laminated or glued.  The soft polyester melts at around 240 deg. C. compared with a melting point for the polypropylene of 160 deg. C. 

CUTTING

 Common methods such as sawing with a circular saw or using a hot wire (350 deg. C), as the honeycomb is thermoplastic, are applicable. 

MACHINING

 It is possible to machine polypropylene honeycomb at both hot and cold temperatures.  Wood processing tools can be used at cold temperatures.  Number of teeth and speed needs to be regulated.The thermoplastic property of the polypropylene honeycomb is utilized to shape the product under heat, ie the honeycomb can be hot stamped to the required shape at 200 deg. C without damaging the non woven polyester. 

FORMING

 A vacuum mould or a counter mould with press is used for COLD FORMING.  Pressing should be applied during curing of polyester or glue.HOT FORMING is possible at less than 100 deg. C using a mould in an oven as the honeycomb will soften and shape using very light pressure.Other options are to pr heat in an oven between 140 and 150 deg. C and form in a cold mould or forming in a mould heated at 130-140 deg. C.Temperature, pressures and times will of course vary, depending on the shapes required and the thickness of the polypropylene honeycomb. 

WORKING UP

 Sandwich panels are achieved by either direct lamination or glueing a rigid skin.Thermo hardening polyester type resins can be directly laminated to existing methods such as hand lay up, spraying, vacuum, pressing or low pressure injection.  Alternately the required shape can be cut and the non-woven polyester rewelded at 230 deg. C.  In some instances a plastic barrier film which restricts resin flow into the cells may be applied under the non-woven polyester. 

GLUEING

 Rigid skins, eg wood, melamine, aluminium, etc. can be glued to the non-woven polyester.  3M jet melt polypropylene glue is a suitable product.Polyurethane or epoxy glues are commonly used, but there are other possibilities depending on the compatibility of the different materials and the mechanical properties required. 

CORE MATERIAL EVALUATION COMPARISON TABLE

Display best result on

(Scale 1-10  10 being the best)

  IMPORTANT NOTICE :The information herein regarding our products, equipment and processes is believed to be reliable and to the best of our knowledge. We do not warrant the accuracy andcompleteness of any such information. Whether expressed or implied, including warranties of fitnessfor a particular purpose. It is the user’s or purchaser’s responsibility to undertake sufficient testing toverify the suitability of our products for their own particular purpose. The information containedherein shall not be construed as inducement, permission or recommendation to infringe upon anypatent rights or other rights of third parties.