Honeycomb core for PV structures

EconCore has developed new honeycomb cores for laminated sandwich panels made with SABIC's NORYL GTX resin, a polyphenylene ether (PPE) blend, and EconCore's proprietary technology. The new honeycomb core presents high heat performance, better dimensional stability, and low water absorption. These properties enable the new core material to be used in demanding applications such as certain automotive, e-mobility, and photovoltaic components. Furthermore, combining this new honeycomb core with thermoplastic composite skins to produce an all-thermoplastic sandwich panel can facilitate recycling. These desirable performance attributes and enhanced sustainability can open new market and application opportunities for EconCore honeycombs made with NORYL GTX resin. Thermoplastic honeycomb structures deliver a high performance-to-weight ratio and efficient energy absorption under impact. EconCore honeycombs are produced from a single continuous thermoplastic sheet. In this unique process, the material is extruded and in-line formed into the honeycomb structure without the need for secondary operations. Specifically, this involves a sequence of extrusion and thermoforming steps to transform the extruded film into a half-hexagonal web that is directly folded into a thermoplastic honeycomb structure. EconCore's technology also offers expanded freedom to design and produce a wide range of honeycomb cell sizes, core thicknesses, and densities. SABIC's NORYL GTX resin provides high heat resistance during processing of up to 465 °F (240 °C), with conductive grades that may be used in powder-coated automotive body panels. This material offers excellent impact performance and stiffness across a wide temperature range.

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Volume: 2021 September/October