The specialist for cabling enclosures installed outdoors

Group company EUROPOLY

The polyester referenceManufacture of boxes, cabinets, cabinets in polyester.

Group company EUROPOLY

Manufacture of cabin cabinets, shelters in insulated sandwich panels

Group company EUROPOLY

MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES

All of the products produced by EUROPOLY are made from fibre-glass reinforced polyester.

Our three manufacturing techniques are:

 

SMC MOULDING​

This method involves pre-injecting sheets of glass filament with polyester resin and compressing them between a main mould and a steel counter-mould. The pressure (50-100 bars) and the temperature allow the material to flow and fill the cast.

BENEFITS:

The finished items are resistant to the majority of corrosive agents. The production rate is high and is reserved for standard products. The unit cost per item is very competitive.

DRAWBACKS:

Without a gel coat finish the resistance of the external surface is not as good. Products are completely standardised, leaving very little room for modification/adaptation. Equipment costs being high, there is not much possibility for custom made products.

CONTACT MOULDING

This moulding method is the simplest way to produce GRP items. We use a polyester mould in the shape of the item we want to produce and apply a gel coat finish to the mould. Then the mould is covered with glass fibre material and a layer of resin. Finishing with these several layers of fibre glass and resin increases the thickness of the items and thus increases their mechanical resistance.

BENEFITS:

Resistant to almost all corrosive agents due to the gel coat surface. The cost of the mould is very reasonable, even when only producing a small volume series of items. Reinforcements can be added even for single unit production, allowing products to be adapted to the needs of the client.

DRAWBACKS:

Production rate is low: 1-3 items per day depending on size.

RESIN TRANSFER MOULDING (RTM)

RTM requires a little more technical skill. The method involves filling a double cast (mould and counter-mould) with resin. Prior to this, the mould has been covered in a layer of gel coating and draped with fibre glass sheets and a vacuum is created where the resin is then injected. EUROPOLY designs and produces all of these moulds, which come in standard sizes as well as custom made to suit client specificities.

BENEFITS:

Resistant to almost all corrosive agents due to the gel coat surface. The cost of the mould is slightly more than the contact mould but remains reasonable. This double cast mould is therefore affordable even when only producing a small volume series of items. Thanks to RTM we can create large items in complex shapes and designs, which are still financially viable. The production rate can be maintained and corresponds perfectly with the production of medium volume series (4-6 items per day with a mould). Due to the closed-mould manufacturing process (vacuum procedure carried out in advance and resin injected in closed-circuit), we are significantly improving working and environmental conditions (no more styrene emissions). Thus, through RTM technology, we are entering a new era of environmentally friendly production.

DRAWBACKS:

Manufacturing of required equipment takes longer than for contact moulding (approximately 4-5 weeks to produce all of the equipment required).

SANDWICH CONSTRUCTION

Problems with temperature and temperature variation inside enclosures are very common. These two issues can cause considerable constraints regarding electrical equipment. The addition of polyurethane mousse between two layers of glass sheeting allows:

to slow down the increase in temperature inside the enclosure (temperature does not reach extreme heights until later in the day).

to slow down the decrease in temperature inside the enclosure (temperature does not reach extreme lows until later in the day, reduced need for heating elements).

to reduce the rate with which the temperature inside the enclosure decreases (significant decrease in condensation).