Synthetic veil for pultrusion
Surface Veils for Pultrusion
A surfacing veil is a vital component in a pultruded profile. Pultrusion is a dynamic process whereby the reinforcement, having passed through a resin bath, is pulled through a heated die to produce a composite component of constant profile. As the process is dynamic, the inclusion of a surfacing veil is the optimum method used to impart a wide range of properties to the surface of the pultruded profile.
These properties include:
- High quality surface finish
- Reduced reinforcement print-through
- Elimination of surface penetration of reinforcing fibres
- Improved corrosion resistance
- Improved resistance to UV discolouration and degradation
- Surface conductivity
In addition to the enhanced properties of the pultruded profile, a surfacing veil also improves the pultrusion process itself and gives the benefits of reducing die wear, lowering pulling forces and increasing line speeds.
The use of a surfacing mat with isotropic properties also gives a significant degree of hoop strength to pultruded profiles such as tubes, “L” sections and “U” channels where the main reinforcement is unidirectional.
Phoenix Technical Fabrics supplies a range of surfacing veils and mats in the product range called Syntex which includes:
- Synthetic veils for general purpose GRP pultrusions.
- Carbon fibre veil for carbon based pultrusions.
- Products with tailored levels of conductivity for profiles such as cable trays and ladders, mining ducts, support and access structures in petrochemical and offshore plants which require surface antistatic properties.