The StrutTech profiles are pultruded using the Baydur® PUL 2500 two-component polyurethane system marketed by BaySystems, the polyurethane systems business of Bayer MaterialScience. Specially designed for use in pultrusion, it is said to offer excellent composite properties, including superior elongation to failure, shear strength and impact resistance. The material is designed so that it can be processed on low-pressure equipment using static-mixing.

The processing technology for the strut profiles was developed by Martin Pultrusion Group in cooperation with Bayer MaterialScience engineers.

The soon-to-be commercially available StrutTech profiles are produced by Martin Pultrusion’s affiliated company, Viapul.

StrutTech, of Redmond, Washington, USA, offers glass reinforced plastic strut profiles for a variety of uses, including conduit supports for electrical applications, and piping system supports. Prior to the switch to polyurethane chemistry, StrutTech had to keep both vinyl ester and polyester in inventory, as the struts were made from both of these materials.

“What we’ve seen with the new polyurethane composite resin system will provide us with real market advantages,” says David Todd, president, StrutTech. “These materials are stronger, and have the same corrosion-resistant properties as vinyl ester, but our pricing will be comparable to that of polyester.”

“StrutTech struts demonstrate Bayer MaterialScience LLC’s polyurethane as a viable alternative to vinyl ester and polyester for pultrusion applications,” adds Harry George, head, Diversified Industries, New Applications, NAFTA, Bayer MaterialScience LLC.