World-leaders in Marine Composites to Showcase Engineering and Expertise at METS 2008

10 November 2008, Isle of Wight, UK – Taking place at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre from Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 November 2008, SP, the marine business of Gurit, will be exhibiting a selection of its world-leading marine composite products and engineering solutions at METS on stand 01.411.

Offering complete composite solutions for luxurious superyachts through to offshore race boats, SP is the supplier of choice of composite materials and technical engineering solutions for leading boat builders the world over. The products developed by SP, coupled with their technical support, have become an integral part of some of the most innovative and exciting boats on the water. This has been reflected in a recent string of impressive race results and high-performance boats.

Several products will be on display at the show, including fire retardant system ST70 FR, Ampreg 21 Epoxy Wet Laminate System, T-Paste 70-1 tooling paste for marine plugs and Spabond 540 PB epoxy adhesives, designed specifically for the production boat market.

Peter Tyler, European Commercial Manager – Marine, said: “At SP we provide a wide range of products, technology and services which enable us to offer complete marine solutions – from structural engineering, tooling and adhesives through to composite processing support and laminating systems.

“METS is an excellent platform for SP to showcase itself as not only a leading supplier of composite materials, but the leading engineering capability in marine composites.”

A T-Paste 70-1 model of the Shipman 80, made by boat builders Seaway, will be displayed on the SP stand – along with SP engineers to answer any questions and enquiries.

Further product information is available at www.gurit.com.

Spabond Adhesives
Spabond 540 PB is a high-performance, modified epoxy adhesive designed for bonding large production boats. The adhesive is formulated to bond polyester and is easy to use, has increased working times and consistently provides a high strength and durable bond to a variety of substrates in the production environment.

Tooling Paste For Marine Plugs
T-Paste 70-1 can be used with a range of mixing machines and has been formulated to give excellent application and CNC machining properties.  The product gives a high quality surface finish, which significantly reduces the finishing times for large patterns and direct moulds. The high toughness and excellent adhesion of T-Paste 70-1 to High Density Expanded Polystyrene (HD EPS) make this product ideal for customers and sub-contract tooling companies who require a cost effective and robust solution for pattern/mould production.

T-Paste 70-1 is complemented by the unique T-Paste 70-1 repair product,  which provides a seamless repair and same performance for patterns produced using T-Paste 70-1 - ensuring that the repairs are not visible on the pattern surface and will not print on the mould surface.

Fire Retardant Systems
ST70 FR is a structural laminating product, part of the patented SPRINT® range, suitable for use in the high volume manufacture of hulls, decks and bulkheads. ST70 FR provides excellent mechanical properties, long outlife and ultra-low void content laminates from vacuum-bag-only processing.

Epoxy Wet Laminate Systems
Ampreg 21 has been optimised for the manufacture of large composite structures using hand layup, and vacuum bagging techniques.

The relatively low initial mixed viscosity of Ampreg 21 allows easy wetout of heavyweight reinforcements and has been formulated to offer a good Health and Safety product.

Ampreg 21 has been designed to give excellent mechanical and thermal properties from both ambient temperature cures and moderate temperature postcures (50°C). The system is available with a range of hardener speeds, from Fast to Extra Slow.