Steel Finned Roller (cross grooves)
Product range clearance. This discontinued item is of faultless quality and free from defects. Available while stocks last.
Steel consolidation roller with cross-grooved profile for the manual processing of GRP laminates. The profiled roller helps press the reinforcement evenly into the resin and assists in working entrapped air out of the still-wet laminate. Particularly suitable for glass fibre fabrics, glass fibre mats and multi-layer hand laminates.
The steel consolidation roller with cross-grooved profile is used during hand lay-up after the reinforcement has been impregnated with resin. Repeated rolling presses the fibres against the mould surface or the underlying laminate layer and helps move entrapped air towards the surface.
The grooves running across the roller provide effective mechanical action on the wet laminate. Compared with very coarse disc rollers, this roller can be controlled more easily and is therefore suitable for many typical GRP hand-lay-up applications.
Typical applications
- GRP hand laminates
- Glass fibre fabrics and glass fibre mats
- Multi-layer glass fibre laminates
- GRP mould making
- Boat and vehicle construction
- Industrial GRP components
- Repair and reinforcement laminates
Application
First wet out the reinforcement completely with the selected laminating resin. Then pass the consolidation roller repeatedly over the still-wet laminate using even, controlled pressure.
The roller helps work air bubbles out from between the reinforcement and the substrate, as well as from between individual laminate layers, while pressing the reinforcement evenly into place.
For multi-layer laminate build-ups, it is advisable to consolidate the individual layers or smaller groups of layers during the laminating process. Air trapped beneath several already applied layers is considerably more difficult to remove afterwards.
The applied pressure should be sufficient to consolidate the reinforcement reliably without shifting the fabric or unnecessarily squeezing resin out of the laminate.
Suitable materials
- Glass fibre fabrics
- Glass fibre mats
- Robust glass fibre multiaxials
- Polyester resins
- Vinyl ester resins
- Epoxy laminating resins
Technical notes
Particular care is required when working with carbon fabrics. Fine carbon fabrics can be sensitive to the mechanical action of a steel consolidation roller. Excessive pressure may shift the fabric or disturb the fibre orientation. For delicate or cosmetically visible carbon laminates, use only light pressure or select a more gentle type of consolidation roller.
The roller should be cleaned immediately after use while the resin is still uncured. Cured resin residues in the cross grooves can impair both the function and consolidation performance.
Technical data
- Working width: 70 mm
- Roller diameter: 12 mm
- Overall length: 33.5 cm
- Material: Steel
- Roller profile: Cross-grooved
