
We are excited to announce that we are now carrying specialized polyester resins that are compatible with Styrofoam, Duratec StyroSafe and StyroShield.
Styrofoam is widely available in various sizes and relatively inexpensive which often makes it attractive to use for modeling (although it shapes rather poorly) however it melts when it comes in contact with polyester resin systems and requires typically more expensive epoxy resins. StyroSafe and StyroShield now make it possible to use polyester resins directly over Styrofoam.
You might ask why would one want to use polyester resin over Styrofoam? Sometimes it is a matter of cost, it can be less expensive to build up a part out of polyester resin and the properties of epoxies aren't needed. Other times it can be an issue of complexity; by using StyroShield you can laminate complex shapes using chopstrand mat, which often works very well for complex curvatures.
StyroSafe is a polyester based resin system that will not melt styrofoam. This can be used as the primary layer against the foam and topped over with other polyester resin or used as the primary laminating resin. StyroSafe like relatively warm temperatures and thicker laminates to cure. Please note that StyroSafe doesn't contain enough styrene to dissolve the binder in chopstrand mat, so applications where mat is being used right off will want to use StyroShield.
StyroShield is a spray on material that is designed to be sprayed over Styrofoam to create a barrier that will allow laminating over Styrofoam with a standard polyester resin. This is recommended for projects that will be covered over with chopstrand mat.
Call for more information on these products 509.493.3464
StyroSafe and StyroShield are registered trademarks of Hawkeye Industries, Styrofoam is a registered trademark of Dow Chemical.
Labels: eps, laminating eps, resin, styrosafe, styroshield