This company planned to introduce the EPIKOTE™ MGS™ Resin BP 535/EPIKURE™ MGS™ curing agent BPH 538 bonding system at the JEC Europe 2015 Composites Show, which took place March 10-12 in Paris. This new bonding paste, developed specifically for today’s larger high-performance rotor blades, reportedly combines outstanding strength and fatigue performance with the long processing time needed to manufacture lengthier blades.

As the wind energy industry migrates to larger turbines with longer, heavier rotor blades, a variety of production challenges have emerged. One drawback of conventional bonding paste has been that it can only remain exposed to air for a limited time before its adhesive performance suffers due to surface film formation, or carbamation. Manufacturers often found that they didn’t have time to get the entire blade processed before the bonding paste would lose its efficacy—often in a little over an hour. In response, Hexion developed a paste that would reportedly not form a film until after four or more hours of open time, even at 70% relative humidity, allowing manufacturers additional time to lay down the paste and assemble the parts.