General Plastics Manufacturing Company is participating in the 2014 International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) taking place September 30-October 2 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.
The world’s leading technical boat-building showcase, this event focuses on innovative products and processes, education, and accelerating new product development. General Plastics will feature its water-resistant, easily bonded specialty marine and submersible foam products at Booth 840.
“General Plastics has built longtime relationships and a record of success providing high-quality, cost-effective solutions to our marine-industry partners,” said President Bruce Lind. “We continue to address their needs with exciting new products, such as subsea buoyancy foams for extended depths. IBEX attendees will also see our new microcell foam series for intricate detail work in prototype and tooling applications.”
The 2014 event is expected to attract more than 5,000 boat builders, yacht designers, naval architects, engineers, surveyors, boatyard/marina operators, manufacturers, fabricators, laminators and other marine industry professionals from across the United States and 50 countries.
General Plastics’ marine industry-focused products include:
LAST-A-FOAM® R-3300 Submersible Foam Series
Now available in a new 12-pcf density tested to depths of 300 ft. (uncoated) and a 25-pcf density tested to depths of 1,200 ft. (uncoated), these hydrostatic pressure-resistant foams provide buoyancy for underwater flotation applications. They offer outstanding resistance to penetration by moisture and saltwater, making them ideal for permanent flotation in semi-deep submersible craft. Easily machined, these foams are also used in resin-transfer molding as a core material, and in underwater pumps for offshore drilling rigs. The series has been used to support training operations for the International Space Station, provide flotation for assembly components in pools that simulate weightlessness, and in robotic subsea surveillance.
LAST-A-FOAM® FR-4600 Microcell Series
This uniform, ultra-smooth foam board cuts crisply and supports fine detail work, satisfying the needs of the most demanding boat maker. In lower densities, it is superb for hand-carved models, prototypes and decorative boat fixtures. Higher densities are easily milled by machine to create intricate tooling that is tough and durable. The tight microcell texture creates a superfine surface that is easily finished and painted without filling and sanding, reducing production time and costs. In addition, its excellent bonding ability enables marine industry OEMs to create monolithic foam blocks, fundamental to designing large finished molds for yacht hulls and other limited-run tools. FR-4600 foams are also available as large blocks to minimize bond lines.
LAST-A-FOAM® FR-3700 Precision-Core Series –
A CFC-free, rigid, closed-cell, flame-retardant polyurethane foam available in densities ranging from 3 to 40 pounds per cubic foot. This flame-retardant, aerospace-grade (BMS 8-133-qualified) foam enables cutting of crisper edges. This quality makes it well-suited to machining complex shapes for composite cores.
LAST-A-FOAM® FR-7100 Multi-Use Board Series
This uniform foam board provides low-cost FRP core material for many boat-building applications. Easily finished and painted, this economical, versatile and stable series is also ideal for hand-carved models and prototypes. These products are formulated to meet the demands of composite boat builders at competitive prices for seat mounting pads, steering wheel mountings, decks and bulkheads.
“With our new extended-depth submersible foams, our new FR-4600 Microcell Series for high-detail applications, and our proven composite core products, IBEX attendees will find a lot of marine solutions to explore at the General Plastics booth,” Lind said. “We look forward to introducing our current partners and other industry leaders to our innovative products and capabilities.”
About General Plastics Manufacturing Company
Tacoma, Washington-based General Plastics has been a leading innovator in the plastics industry for more than 70 years. The company develops and manufactures rigid and flexible polyurethane foam products, including its signature LAST-A-FOAM® brand series and build-to-print composite parts. Through its network of distributors, General Plastics exports products to 25-plus countries for the aerospace and defense, automotive, composite core, construction, dimensional signage, marine, prototype and modeling, nuclear fire and crash protection, renewable energies, and tooling industries. General Plastics is certified to ISO 9001:2008/AS9100C, ITAR-compliant, and meets such demanding quality systems as NQA-1, Mil-I-45208A and Boeing Company D6-82479. Visit www.generalplastics.com.