McClarin and ExxonMobil Join Forces to Disrupt Composites ProductionMcClarin and ExxonMobil Join Forces to Disrupt Composites Production

McClarin Composites has entered into a joint development agreement with ExxonMobil's Proxxima business. The collaboration will leverage the high-performance Proxxima polyolefin thermoset system to jointly develop and commercially validate a high-speed machine-driven resin transfer molding (RTM) technology, said the news release. 

Designed to disruptively accelerate the growth of high-speed closed-mold composites manufacturing, the agreement builds on the strategic acquisition and relocation of select polyolefin thermoset molding facilities from Materia Inc., a wholly owned ExxonMobil affiliate, that McClarin Composites announced in March 2024. The transaction included a supply agreement for Proxxima resin systems for high-performance composites and molded thermosets.

Multi-million dollar investment

The joint development agreement announced yesterday includes a multi-million-dollar investment in automated RTM infrastructure at McClarin’s Oklahoma City facility. The company is based in Hanover, PA, and also operates a plant in Wapato, WA.

High-speed machine-driven RTM technology offers a high-performance and cost-competitive composites platform for OEMs and specifiers, said McClarin, a Tier 1 supplier of composites to the mobility and built environment sectors. Proxxima polyolefin chemistry reportedly exhibits a carbon footprint of product (CFP) estimate that is approximately 60% lower than comparable epoxy resins and nearly 50% lower than conventional vinyl ester resins on a cradle-to-gate basis.

Related:All-composite Cab Design 20% Lighter, More Aerodynamic Than Conventional Models

Tougher, lighter parts produced in lower cycle times

The technology is well positioned to replace traditional sheet molding composite (SMC) applications by delivering tougher and lighter parts in reduced cycle times, significantly improving total life cycle costs, according to McClarin. With growing demand from the market and OEMs for sustainable part supply chains, this project aims both to reduce and quantify the reduction in carbon emissions, the company added.

Further, at CAMX 2024 in San Diego, CA, ExxonMobil announced that Proxxima polymers and infusion mixed plastic scrap are compatible with the current Exxtend technology for advanced recycling, which opens a potential end-of-life pathway for this program.

Access to new markets

ExxonMobil’s Proxxima platform brings “global reach, long-term vision, R&D capability, and economy of scale to lift the composites industry and to open markets that had been previously inaccessible,” said McClarin CEO Mike Gromacki. “McClarin brings decades of new product development and advanced product quality planning capabilities needed to commercially transfer the technology,” he added.