News & Press Release
A. ACROLAB NEWS - ATTEND THE DISCUSSION AT THE ASME BY ACROLAB CTO and PRESIDENT
The Isomandrel
Acrolab - Joseph Ouellette, CTO to present technical paper at ASME, 2010
Heatpipe Thermally Enhanced (HPTE)
Mandrels For Filament Winding Applications
Mandrels For Filament Winding Applications
July 18 -22, 2010
Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel
Bellevue, WA
July 18 - 22, 2010
Bellevue, WA
July 18 - 22, 2010
Convection oven curing vs. high speed “out of oven” induction curing
The ASME PVP/K-PVP 2010 conference promises to be the outstanding international technical forum for participants to further their knowledge-base by being exposed to diverse topics, and exchange opinions and ideas both from industry and academia in different topics related to Pressure Vessel and Piping technologies for the Power and Process Industries. Acrolab’s CTO, Joseph Ouellette will be presenting the latest information on it’s new isomandrel® process. Specifically Mr. Ouellette will be discussing advances in heat pipe technology relative to “Thermally Enhanced Mandrels and their usage in Accelerated, Enhanced Cure of Thermoset Resin/Fiber filament Wound Tube Sections”.Two Curing Formats will be discussed:1) Enhanced Curing Using Conventional Convection Ovens 2) Enhanced Curing Without Convection Ovens Using Process Controlled RF Induction Heating.
ACCE - SEPTEMBER 15 2010 - Breakthrough Technology
B. ACROLAB NEWS - WINDSOR STAR
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JASON KRYK/ The Windsor Star
Peter McCormack, left, Technical Sales Manager, and John Hodgins, CEO, of Acrolab onTranby Avenue.
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Windsor firm bucks trend
Acrolab expects to see best-ever sales in July
At a time when many area businesses are fighting to keep their doors open, a small Windsor company expects to have its best-ever sales month in July.
Focusing on innovative thermal engineering research, development and custom manufacturing for a variety of sectors and applications, Acrolab Ltd. over the past 60 years has built itself a globally recognized reputation in energy transfer systems, technology and hardware.
With 3,500 customers around the globe in aerospace, agriculture, automotive, renewable energy, medical, materials science, petrochemical and telecommunications, Acrolab provides technical expertise on a fee-forservice basis, specialized research and development, engineering design, testing and evaluation as well as field services and installation from its high-tech shop that employs 20 on the city’s east side.
It also has sales offices in Montreal and Detroit, sales affiliates in Calgary, Germany and Brazil and a plant in Poland. “In addition to continuing to do globally recognized R&D, our goal now is to get the word out about what we do to potential customers across the region,” said Peter McCormack, Acrolab’s technical sales manager. “We’ll work with anybody and anybody that comes to our door.
“We’re a small company but that makes us capable of turning research into commercialization in record time.” “We want people to know what we do because we believe research and development is what helps attract other industries.
“Highly specialized research and development which is the key driver for our company is largely bulletproof in terms of the economy,” said McCormack.
Over the past few years, Acrolab has provided heat pipe technology for NASA’s space shuttle Columbia as well as aircraft, ships and submarines, biothermal products for the agricultural sector, cooling applications for the chemical industry, heating and cooling pipes for the renewable energy sector and heat transfer technology for the auto industry.
Acrolab’s president Joe Ouellette is travelling this week trying to attract more customers for the company’s agricultural division and its biothermal technology which helps farmers turn waste into hydrolectricity. Much of Acrolab’s research is carried out in collaboration with McMaster University, Cornell University, Carleton University and the universities of Waterloo, Vermont, Alberta and Sherbrooke.
In July, Acrolab will complete delivery of between 500 and 600 isobar heat pipes for thermal electric generators sold throughout the world by Alberta based Global Thermal Inc. “We’re one of the bright lights locally,” said John Hodgins, chief executive officer of Acrolab. “What we’ve been able to do outside the automotive sector has been extensive. “We’ve done very well despite the fact the buying power comes from the U.S. but we believe it will improve there as well.”
Acrolab’s latest innovation, which was a finalist for an innovation award in the annual worldwide JEC Innovation Awards, is an isomandrel which permits the curing of filament-wound pipe and tube sections without the need for curing ovens. The isomandrel, a long cylindrical-shaped bar of metal, is heated uniformly up to 500 F by an induction coil while carbon or other fibres are wound around it as it rotates creating a pipe. Once completed, the mandrel is allowed to cool and the pipe is removed.
“The process involves curing the pipe from the inside out rather than from the outside in as with a convection oven,” said McCormack. “It not only reduces production time from up to four hours down to less than one hour, it produces a much better product. “This is the type of research and innovation we do here,” said McCormack. “We have so many resources at our disposal to help anybody who has a problem they need solving or an idea for a product they want to produce.”
Acrolab introduced the isomandrel at the American Composites Manufacturers Association Show in Las Vegas in February and interest is already building, said Hodgins. “The up-front capital expense may be higher,” said Hodgins. “But time is money in manufacturing today and the long-term savings are considerable.”
C. ACROLAB NEWS PCM EXPO
PCM EXPO Acrolab Ltd.
Kiosque 13
Jeudi, 23 septembre 2010
de 10 h à 16 h
de 10 h à 16 h
Hôtel Loews Le Concorde
Ville de Québec, QC
Ville de Québec, QC
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D. ACROLAB NEWS - Improved cycle times for thermoset molding - The Isosprue Spreader™
Acrolab introduces the ISOSPRUE SPREADER™
May, 2010
Integrally heated and controlled Sprue Spreader -- One significant continuing challenge associated with injection/compression thermoset molding is predictable high speed curing of the sprue section. Acrolab’s unique integrally heated and controlled sprue spreader provides the solution. The ISOSPRUE™ Spreader is an integrally heated mold component which contains its own miniature precision thermocouple. This unique integrated thermal mold component can be heated and controlled to any discrete temperature to assure fast effective curing of the sprue resulting is shorted cycle times and safer mold cycling. The ISOSPRUE™ spreader is made of D2 steel and nitrided for toughness. The ISOSPRUE™ Spreader in integrally heated with 400Watts of power at 240 VAC allowing it to be easily and directly incorporated into the control system typically used to heat the mold. The ISOPSPRUE™ Spreader has its own internal and replaceable precision type J thermocouple which permits closed loop control to the resin’s optimum operating temperature. The ISOSPRUE™ Spreader is custom fitted to the stack height of the tool by threading it on to the end of a cut to length hollow extension sleeve typically and easily made from an injector sleeve.
The ISOSPRUE™ Spreader incorporates an integrated heating element swaged directly into the tool blank which is then shaped and heat treated to become the final geometry of the sprue spreader. A proprietary technology provides a method for a replaceable 0.020” type J thermocouple to be located within the ISOSPRUE™ Spreader’s tapered tip to provide the close control needed to produce the high speed cure of the spreader section.
E. ACROLAB NEWS - Acrolab to attend SAMPE, October 11-14/ Salt Lake City, Utah
SAMPE Acrolab, Chief Technical Officer to present paper at SAMPE 2010
Salt Lake City Exhibition 2010 October 11-14, 2010 Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Acrolab’s CTO, Joseph Ouellette will be presenting the latest information on it’s new process. Specifically Mr. Ouellette will be discussing the latest advances in heatpipe technology relative to “Thermally Enhanced Mandrels and Their Usage in Accelerated, Enhanced Cure of Thermoset Resin/Fiber filament Wound Tube Sections” .Two Curing Formats will be discussed:1) Enhanced Curing Using Conventional Convection Ovens 2) Enhanced Curing Without Convection Ovens Using Process Controlled RF Induction Heating.
F. ACROLAB NEWS - Pressure Vessel Conference - Joseph Ouellette to present technical paper July 18th ASME in Bellvue, Washington
Acrolab - Joseph Ouellette, CTO to present technical paper at ASME, 2010
July 18 -22, 2010
Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel
Bellevue, WA
July 18 - 22, 2010
Bellevue, WA
July 18 - 22, 2010
The ASME PVP/K-PVP 2010 conference promises to be the outstanding international technical forum for participants to further their knowledge-base by being exposed to diverse topics, and exchange opinions and ideas both from industry and academia in different topics related to Pressure Vessel and Piping technologies for the Power and Process Industries. Acrolab’s CTO, Joseph Ouellette will be presenting the latest information on it’s new isomandrel® process. Specifically Mr. Ouellette will be discussing advances in heat pipe technology relative to “Thermally Enhanced Mandrels and their usage in Accelerated, Enhanced Cure of Thermoset Resin/Fiber filament Wound Tube Sections”.Two Curing Formats will be discussed:1) Enhanced Curing Using Conventional Convection Ovens 2) Enhanced Curing Without Convection Ovens Using Process Controlled RF Induction Heating.
G. ACROLAB NEWS - Acrolab attends the 15th Annual International Heat pipe Conference, Clemson SC
April 25 to 30, 2010 Clemson, SC, USA
Acrolab Ltd will be attending the the 15th International Heat Pipe Conference (IHPC) will be held in Clemson, SC, USA, April 25 to 30, 2010. This conference focuses on topics related to heat pipe and thermosyphon developments, and provides a forum for exchange of up-to-date information and experiences among scientists and engineers from around the world. The 15th IPHC is organized under the coordination of the International Heat Pipe Conference Committee, with this conference being the next in a series spanning 37 years.
H. ACROLAB NEWS - Acrolab Featured in Tube & Pipe Magazine - Advances in filament winding technology
Cure of thermoset filament wound pipe sections with induction heat
[As printed in Tube and Pipe Technology Nov 2009 Vol 22 No 6]
A SUPER-THERMAL conductive mandrel technology developed by Acrolab Ltd, Canada, permits curing of filament wound pipe and tube sections by heating the mandrel uniformly, while rotating using an Ambrell induction heating power supply. Induction heating provides clean, precise, even heat. This combination of technologies eliminates the need for cure ovens, saving time and energy.Trademarked the Isomandrel™, the new mandrel design consists of a process internal to the mandrel that enhances its thermal conductivity and thermal reactivity. The process permits heat to be applied in a localised concentration that is then rapidly and homogeneously redistributed over the complete mandrel working surface. Isomandrel technology, when coupled with induction heating, permits the mandrel and filament winding to continue rotating while being heated to an optimum controlled temperature to effect cure. This heating occurs while the assembly is still rotating in the winding machine or on a rotating fixture within the manufacturing cell.
Acrolab Ltd, working with McClean Anderson Inc, USA, and Ameritherm, an Ambrell company of Scottsville New York, as a technology team, constructed the curing cell at McClean Anderson’s laboratory. The induction heated Isomandrel curing station was used to cure a number of 48" long pipe sections wound with glass and carbon fiber epoxy pre-pregs, provided by TCR Composites of Ogden Utah. They were wound on a 3" OD Isomandrel.At the end of the winding cycle, the sections were successfully cured on the Isomandrel using an Ambrell induction heating power supply and coil assembly while the Isomandrel and winding were still mounted and rotating at a reduced 10 RPM on the Super Hornet Winder.By providing high thermal energy uniformly over the entire mandrel surface outward through the filament winding, the cure is completed in a shorter time, with less energy, while providing a significantly more uniform cure and resin rich ID. Ameritherm and McClean Anderson are currently developing a fully software/hardware integrated station to provide the controlled power and recipe requirements to integrate with Acrolab’s Isomandrel™ technology.
I. ACROLAB NEWS - Acrolab to attend this years' SPE TOPCON in Chicago
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SPE TOPCON -T e c h n o l o g i e s f o r t h e N e w D e c a d e
Acrolab to attend the SPE TOPCON
April 6-7 2010 Chicago, IL
Acrolab Ltd will attend the event with a delegate, Peter McCormack, Technical Sales Manager.
Plastic Thermoset Heating - Advanced thermal engineering
Plastic Thermoset Heating Isobars are used within thermoset molds to superconduct energy to cores and mold face sections. They provide near-isothermal conditions and rapid energy throughput on all the mold's working surfaces. Isobar® Heat Pipes replenish the energy drawn from the mold face to the part during the cure cycle significantly faster than relying on the thermal conductivity of tool steel. Acrolab's solution to Plastic Thermoset Heating has the Isobar® Heat Pipes arranged in such a way as to allow for full accessibilty and easy heater replacement in the event of heater failure. This means easier maintenance and less down time for your mold.
