The PVCell™ G-Foam range was developed at Gurit's subsidiary in Qingdao, China, and it is also produced there. The core materials are used in the manufacture of wind turbine rotor blades for the Chinese market, where PVC foams are widely used.
Starting from the PVC production expertise of China Techno Foam, which Gurit acquired in 2009, the new core material range was rapidly developed in a joint Gurit and China Techno Foam R&D process.
The development of the first material grade (G60 – i.e. 60 kg/m3) was finished by the end of 2009, and the material was introduced commercially early in 2010. PVCell G60 is qualified by Germanischer Lloyd.
The development of the additional grades (G45, G80, G100, G130 and G200) is now complete.
The procedure to gain full product accreditation with Germanischer Lloyd as well as Det Norske Veritas for all grades is under way.
China Techno Foam, which has been ISO 9001:2008 certified since April 2010, has successfully ramped up production of the PVCell G-Foam family. The company has the possibility to double initial capacity over the next 12 months, depending on market demand.
Gurit, headquartered in Switzerland, specialises in the development of advanced composite materials and related technologies, including prepregs, core materials, gel-coats and resins. Gurit's key markets are wind energy, transportation and marine.