Proxima® for Wind

Longer and Durable

Extraordinary Toughness and Damage Resistance with Faster Cure Cycles

Wind

Proxima® thermoset resins offer leading wind blade designers and wind turbine OEMS the next generation in thermoset resins for composite wind blades.

The increased demand for wind energy has the wind industry looking for solutions to generate additional wind energy capture with a cost structure competitive with other sources of energy generation.

Larger wind swept areas provide greater energy capture so wind blades have been pushed to ever larger sizes, requiring complex manufacturing and demanding performance requirements. Materia’s Proxima resin technology enables many of today’s wind blade manufacturers to build longer and more durable blades at competitive prices.

Superior Mechanical Properties Over Competing Materials

As blade manufacturers push the limits of today’s materials, they require higher performance resins and more reliable manufacturing. Proxima thermosets exhibit a unique blend of processing and performance characteristics that are unmatched by infusion-grade epoxies and other thermosets on the market. Due to our unique formulations and proprietary technology, Proxima thermosets offer the strength and processing advantages of thermosets with the toughness of thermoplastics.

With better fracture toughness, improved fatigue resistance, and resin densities 10-15% lower than comparable resins, Proxima thermosets will enable the manufacture of longer, more durable, lighter weight blades with improved performance and reliability.

Applications

Wind Turbine Blades. Proxima thermosets deliver superior mechanical performance compared with traditional epoxy, glass and carbon fiber systems with minimal voids and defects and reduction of materials usage. Proxima resins can enable lighter, longer, and stronger blades with superior off-axis properties and interlaminar fracture toughness to comparable epoxies by up to 5x for glass fiber composites.

Spar Caps. Featuring extraordinarily low viscosity and controlled exotherms, Proxima thermosets are ideal for thick parts, such as spar caps, exhibiting superior structural integrity, fracture toughness, lower density, and minimal voids. Proxima resins can support higher quality blade parts and more design freedom supporting infusions of thick laminates exceeding 6” and fiber volume fractions exceeding 60%.

Decreased Production Costs for Better Economics

Decreased Production Costs for Better Economics

Materia developed Proxima thermosets to be economical as well as higher performing, making them truly next-generation resin systems. With water-like viscosity at room temperature, infusion times are dramatically reduced. And coupled with shorter cure times, Proxima resins support increased blade-manufacturing throughput, leading to decreased production costs.

The low viscosity of Proxima thermosets allows for the molding of extremely thick laminates with glass and carbon fiber while maintaining a controlled cure. For carbon fiber-based composites, the low viscosity of Proxima thermosets enable excellent fiber wet-out and low void content with an infusion process.

Custom Applications

Custom Applications

Materia’s high performance resin systems offer economic value and significant performance benefits for increasing wind energy capture. Our team of scientists and engineers provide custom application development services to address unique industry challenges.

Are you looking for advanced material solutions?

Materia has a wide range of Proxima formulations available and the expertise to develop highly tuned thermosetting resin systems for your performance and processing requirements.

Contact Materia