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  • GRP Materials

NBS specification reference:

H41 Glass fibre reinforced plastics architectural cladding / features / GRP

Conscious of that well used phrase ‘garbage in, garbage out’ D&D sources its raw materials from leading certified suppliers such as Euroresins, Scott Bader, Llewellyn Ryland and Colorplas. The comprehensive range of Crystic products is ideal for architects and designers to build GRP composite constructions and Scott Bader formulate these to meet the demanding regulatory standards of the building industry.

GRP, also known as FRP / glass reinforced plastics / fibreglass / FPC fibre polymer composites, is highly suitable for a wide range of building, construction, exhibition and transportation industry applications - please browse our project or gallery for more information and examples which range in project size to £ 2.85 million.

Polyester resins can be used with a wide variety of glass fibre reinforcements and core materials to produce complex, moulded shapes of virtually unlimited size. Polyester composites offer many advantages compared with more traditional building materials:

  • Lightweight, with an excellent strength to weight ratio, making it easy to assemble on site
  • Excellent weathering and water resistance
  • Requires little maintenance
  • Fire retardant grades available
  • Resins are designed to meet regulatory standards
  • Extremely strong and durable
  • Vandal resistant
  • Structural adhesives such as Crestomer are ideal for many bonding applications.
  • Available clear or in a wide range of colours
  • Gel coats can be pigmented to provide body colour, matched to other parts
  • Polyester resin surfaces can be prepared and over painted to automotive paint finish standards.
  • Sections and mechanical fixings can be bonded into place

The range of decorative effects possible, such as marble, granite or stone, with Crystic polyester resins is vast. Each has a recommended production method and is supported by our technical experts. Gel coat/cast resin combinations:

Solid colours - Pearlescent, Metallic, Translucent, Wood, Stone solid surface, Granite Blended cast resin - Stone, Onyx, Marble

Crystic Stonecast resins are pre-blended with a specified coloured synthetic chip to produce the desired stone solid surface decorative effect. Crystic Stonecast solid surface resins can be gravity cast into many different solid shapes for interior applications, such as fire surrounds, sinks, spa pools and baths, tiles and panelling.

The most recent development by Scott Bader is Crystic Stonecast ‘spray’ gel coat, which can be cost effectively sprayed onto a mould or another surface to provide a top-coat stone solid surface decorative effect. The results are a lightweight material which is tough, durable (with good chemical and water resistance), an excellent surface finish, good colour retention and thus enormous design freedom.

Production Techniques

Given the vast array of projects we undertake we employ a variety of production methods. In the main these are as follows:

Hand lay-up

Chopped strand mat is the reinforcement most commonly used in contact moulding, though the use of woven roving and various combination materials has grown considerably over the last few years. Once the gel coat has cured sufficiently, a liberal coat of resin is applied as evenly as possible. The first layer of glass is then pressed firmly into place and consolidated using a brush or roller. Further layers of glass and resin are then applied.

Spray Lay-up

This technique involves the use of a spray gun for the simultaneous deposition of chopped glass and catalysed resin onto the surface of a mould. A chopper unit attached to the spray gun chops glass roving into specified lengths (usually between 20mm and 50mm), and the chopped strands are then directed towards a stream of catalysed resin and it exits the spray gun. Resins which are designed for spray application are generally low in viscosity, so they rapidly wet out the chopped strands. This ensures they are more easily atomised into the desired spray pattern. The rapid wet-out achieved by spray deposition allows faster and easier consolidation than would be achieved with hand- lay methods, but thorough rolling of the laminate is still necessary to ensure complete air removal.

Quality Standards

Our company works to H41 standards and its internal quality system based on BS 5750 part 2. Büfa Composites UK Ltd are currently accredited to ISO 9001 : 2015 for Quality Management and OHSAS 18001 : 2007 for Occupational Health and Safety Management.

Büfa Composites UK Ltd are working to ISO 14001 : 2015 for Environmental Management, with a view to being accredited by Q1 2022. In addition the parent company Büfa Composites GmbH & Co. KG are accredited to ISO 9001 : 2015 and already accredited to ISO 14001 : 2015.

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