Eric Debondue, 3B Business Development Leader, "The sizing for the new glass roving was developed in close collaboration with Arkema, a world leader in the production of PMMA and Chomarat a foremost manufacturer of engineered fabrics. The resulting SE4740 roving provides excellent processability in both weaving and knitting procedures and outstanding compatibility with Arkema's Altuglas acrylic resin system leading to excellent mechanical properties making it the recognized PMMA compatible roving available globally."

The new combination of 3B's optimized SE4740 glass reinforcement and a thermoplastic resin system is fully compatible with existing equipment and manufacturing processes such as thermoplastic resin transfer molding (T-RTM) and vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI) with parts displaying mechanical properties similar to traditional thermoset composites.

Debondue concludes, "Thermoplastic composites are well positioned against traditional materials in weight sensitive end-use applications in industries such as automotive, mass transit, aerospace and wind. The post-thermoformable nature and their consequent high recyclability make thermoplastic composites a cost efficient and an ideal solution for alternate sustainable and durable solutions."