Hanover, Pa.-based thermoformer McClarin Composites LLC and a business unit of ExxonMobil entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) with an aim to "disruptively accelerate the growth of high-speed closed mold composites manufacturing."
The JDA, which is with ExxonMobil's Proxxima brand business, calls for a multi-million-dollar investment in automated resin transfer molding (RTM) infrastructure at McClarin's facility in Oklahoma City.
Founded in 1953, McClarin manufactures thermoplastic and fiberglass reinforced plastic components in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Washington. The components are for mobility applications — rail, heavy truck, bus, RV and military — and the built environment, including aerial lift platforms and the construction, agriculture, energy and Infrastructure markets.
The JDA will leverage the performance of Proxxima polyolefin thermoset systems, which balance strength and toughness to improve fatigue performance, in an attempt to jointly develop and commercially validate a high-speed machine-driven RTM technology, the companies said.
In March, McClarin acquired some polyolefin thermoset molding facilities from Materia Inc., a structural polymers company with Nobel Prize-winning technology that is a wholly owned affiliate of Irving, Texas-based ExxonMobil Chemical Co.
The Proxxima polyolefin chemistry exhibits a carbon footprint estimated to be 60 percent lower than comparable epoxy resins and nearly 50 percent lower than conventional vinyl ester resins on a cradle-to-gate basis, according to a news release about the JDA.
The collaboration aims to reduce and quantify the reduction in carbon emissions while creating a high performance and cost-competitive composites platform that offers new options to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and specifiers, the release says.
McClarin's RTM technology utilizing Proxxima systems is well positioned to replace traditional sheet molding composite (SMC) applications by delivering parts that are tougher, lighter, faster and stronger in a low cycle time, which improves the total life cycle cost, the release also says.
With $20 million in annual sales, McClarin ranks No. 68 among North American thermoformers, according to Plastics News' latest ranking.
McClarin CEO Mike Gromacki said Exxon Mobil has shown "incredible" commitment and investment to the composites industry since its entrance with the Proxxima platform.
"They bring global reach, long-term vision, R&D capability, and economy of scale to lift the composites industry and to open markets that had been previously inaccessible. McClarin brings decades of new product development and advanced product quality planning capabilities needed to commercially transfer the technology," Gromacki said.
McClarin has designed and produced remarkable parts using Proxxima thermoset resin, according to David Morrissett, business development leader for ExxonMobil Proxxima Polyolefin Thermoset Systems.
"We are excited to see our joint development effort open new applications and markets with a high-speed RTM process on our Proxxima system," Morrissett added.
At CAMX 2024 in San Diego, ExxonMobil announced that Proxxima polymers and infusion mixed plastic scrap are compatible with the Exxtend brand technology for advanced recycling, which the release says opens a potential end-of-life pathway for this program.