Expanding distribution of its UV cure prepregs into Brazil and the South American market is part of Australian Composites' strategy to sell its materials globally. The company, headquartered in Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia, also recently signed
According to Australian Composites, the composites industry in Brazil is the largest in Latin America and is currently experiencing solid growth thanks to an increase in the amount of global automotive and mass transit manufacturers sourcing finished parts from Brazilian companies. The composites industry in Brazil is forecast to reach US$4 billion a year by 2013 and is characterised by large numbers of small moulding and fabrication companies and a moderate number of materials suppliers that are mostly global players.
According to Jose Cruz, Vivian Regina's Managing Director, Vivian Regina has been manufacturing automotive grade glass fibre since 1956 and is the number one supplier of these materials in the Brazil region.
"Being able to offer highly technical rapid cure prepregs that cut down labour time, provide greater consistency in the thickness of parts, eliminates the need to mix resins and catalysts, provides a 12 month plus shelf life at room temperature, and enables automotive parts to be 40% lighter while still maintaining the same mechanical properties is going to be immensely sought after by OEMs and car and transport manufacturers alike," Cruz says of the agreement with Australian Composites.
“With the amount of vehicles parts being made out of composite materials increasing all the time we see Australian Composites UV cure prepreg technology as being the perfect material for Brazil’s growing composites need,” he adds.
Vivian Regina plans to warehouse large quantities of Australian Composites' UV cure vinyl ester and polyester E glass prepreg and begin marketing the technology to manufacturers in Brazil from February 2010.
