FRP Construction-Resin Infusion Technology

An Overview of the Resin Infusion Technology

Resin infusion technology is a process that uses a vacuum to pull liquid resin into a dry lay-up and is used for making very high quality, repeatable composite parts with almost zero VOC emissions. The resin infusion technology serves a variety of applications and is compatible with all types of fiber reinforcements and resin matrices commonly used today. It is uniquely suited to build large-scale structural composite parts where high strength, durability and light weight are critical. In the basic resin infusion process, fiber reinforcements, core materials and various inserts are laid up in a mould while dry, followed by a vacuum bag that is placed over the lay-up and sealed to the mould. The part is then placed under vacuum and the resin is introduced into the part via a resin inlet ports and distributed through the laminate via a flow medium and series of channels, saturating the part. The vacuum pressure compacts or debulks the dry fibers. For this reason, parts made with the Resin Infusion process havehigh fiber volumes, typically about 55-65% fiber by weight, depending on the type of fiber, the fiber architecture and the type of resin used.

The vacuum removes all of the air from the lay-up before and while resin is introduced. The pressure differential between the atmosphere and the vacuum provides the driving force for infusing the resin into the lay-up.