Romeo RIM Inc. was named an ACE (Awards for Composites Excellence) winner during the recent Composites 2013 conference and trade show.
The company received the Material and Process Innovation Award, which recognizes a material or process that best contributes to efficient manufacturing and product sustainability, for its Harvester Vehicle Roof, Class A, In-Mold Decorated, Glass Reinforced Polyurethane.
The Harvester Roof is produced using Romeo RIM’s Long Fiber Injection (LFI) technology and a custom polyurethane system from Bayer MaterialScience LLC. The Harvester Roof is produced on Romeo RIM’s recently installed LFI press – the largest in the world.
An efficient solution to the industry’s continuous search for lighter weight materials, the LFI system produces the Harvester Roof with similar mechanical properties to SMC, but only 45 percent of SMC’s weight. It also enables an in-mold coated Class A surface, which reduces the total part cost by 20 percent over parts that are first molded then coated with traditional topcoat systems. The in-mold coating also provides superior paint adhesion, another of the combination of features and performance benefits that led to the part’s selection as best in class in the ACE competition.
As the Harvester Roof demonstrates, Romeo RIM’s LFI technology offers manufacturers and designers a wide breadth of options including very large parts not currently possible through other common manufacturing processes. Romeo RIM LFI technology also allows designers to decorate parts inside the mold using a polyurethane elastomer skin, two-component polyurethane paints, films, fabric or vinyl skins.
“We are honored to be named an ACE winner,” said Matt Getty, business unit manager, Consumer Products, Romeo RIM, Inc. “We believe this component clearly demonstrates what can be achieved when material and process technology come together in an innovative way.”
Founded in 1982, Romeo RIM is one of the leading processors of reaction injection molding (RIM) technology in North America. The company’s initial product technology is known as the HELP® (High Energy Level Polymer) energy absorbing bumper system built for buses in the Unites States and Canadian transit markets. Since then, Romeo RIM has expanded its RIM technology capabilities and commitment to the commercialization of innovative composite technologies as demonstrated by their early adoption of in-mold coatings, dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and LFI technology. The main markets serviced include the mass transit, agricultural, construction, heavy truck, automotive, and leisure industries. Romeo RIM is dedicated to a continued emphasis on the development of innovative product offerings and processes that provide technically advanced, engineered solutions which strengthen, protect and enhance the appearance and performance of our customers’ products.