The Woodlands, Texas — Huntsman Corp.'s Polyurethane Division is adding a honeycomb composite spray molding production cell at its Auburn Hills, Mich., technical center.
Its new Hennecke HK metering machine, used for PUR composite spray molding, will allow the firm's customers in the Americas market to develop and prototype honeycomb panel composite spray moldings, which are most commonly used in the parcel tray, sun shade and cargo area load floors.
Huntsman's CSM machine is expected to be commissioned in late September. Development programs for customers are slated to begin in early October, the company said.
“Installing the CSM work cell increases the wide range of quality composite solutions that Huntsman Polyurethanes can provide to the transportation market,” according to David Bareis, the company's market development manager for polyurethane composites.
He said the machine should help customers shorten the development cycle of products and allow businesses to conduct pilot scale production of parts and systems before going into full scale production.
Honeycomb composite panels are usually made for non-structural automotive applications using glass fiber with a paper honeycomb core, the company said.