Composite Capabilities
OUR CAPABILITIES
Designed for continuous growth and diversification, our manufacturing campus optimizes production runs for varied volumes.
When you partner with Plasan North America, you have the advantage of our multilayered commercial expertise. Utilizing the latest technologies and our well-honed processes, our highly trained, certified engineers oversee every phase of your product development, from initial prototyping and blue sky ideation, to around the clock production runs, final product testing and inspections.
With our industry-best talent and extensive in-house capabilities, including custom media blasting and seven-axis GMAW robotic welding, Plasan expertly balances precision and innovation with speed and efficiency to deliver first rate commercial metal solutions at highly competitive prices.
WE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH most MATERIALS USED FOR COMPOSITE ARMOR AND STRUCTURES, INCLUDING:
Ceramics: Silicon Carbide, Boron Carbide, Aluminum Oxide
MIL-Spec Composite Laminates: MIL-DTL-62474, MIL-DTL-64154, MIL-DTL-32398
Ballistic Fabrics: S2-Glass, Aramids, Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, Polypropylene
Structural Composites: E-Glass, Carbon Fiber, Roving, Fabrics, Surface Veils, Various Resin Systems
CERAMIC COMPOSITE ARMOR
Ceramic composite armor provides lightweight and high performance armor protection. Ceramic composite armor is approximately half the weight of it’s steel-based counterparts and about five times stronger.The controlled microstructures ensure durability and performance offering reliable defense against high velocity projectiles.
Pressed Composites
PNA utilizes presses that have low cycle times and yield consolidation without the need for autoclaving. Our press process has a hot cycle (time, tonnage, temperature) for consolidation, followed by a cooling cycle executed under pressure to eliminate any possibilities for distortion.
PNA possesses the equipment and experience to manufacture 3-d composite parts as well. Using either our high pressure press paired with heated and cooled mold tools or one of our 3 state of the art autoclaves, PNA is able to produce high quality 3-D composite parts such as EOD bomb suit insets and contoured spall liners all built to our exacting standards.
CUTTING & PROCESSING
Our Lectra VT-TT-FX-72 Fabric Spreader/Cutter offers an automatic feed, stacking, & transfer system. Our high speed cutter with automatic fabric restraint is capable of cutting 20+ layers of ballistic fabric up to 80 meters per minute. With daily calibration and certification every 500 hours, we provide the highest quality ballistic fabric processing available.
PULTRUSION
PNA has Pultrusion capabilities with all the ancillary equipment. We also have lab equipment to support testing required to verify resin reactivity, viscosity and tensile and bend strength for finished pultruded products. Utilizing our experienced operators, engineering expertise and ultra-high quality standards, Plasan provides tooling, processes, die design and material selections for your specific pultrusion needs.
Assembly and Kitting
By offering prototyping-to-production fabrication and assembly capabilities in-house, Plasan is able to reduce outside suppliers, thus improving lead times and saving costs.
Quality and Inspection
At Plasan, nothing leaves our Grand Rapids, Michigan campus until it’s been rigorously tested and inspected by our certified quality engineers and inspectors.