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Dow Highlights AIRSTONE™ Systems for Wind Energy at China Composites Expo Shanghai, China - September 11, 2008 Dow Epoxy, a global business unit of The Dow Chemical Company and its affiliates (“Dow”), will feature its line of AIRSTONE™ systems for the fabrication of wind blades, including advanced infusion systems, while exhibiting at the China Composites Expo in Shanghai from September 17-19. The show’s first day includes a seminar given by Dow’s technical leader in Asia Pacific on the application of AIRSTONE systems in wind energy. “We are really excited about opportunities to expand our work with wind blade manufacturers in China, and across Asia Pacific and the world,” said Jean Luc Guillaume, global market manager for wind energy solutions with Dow Epoxy Systems. According to the Global Wind Energy Council, China is poised to increase its percentage of wind energy from less than one percent currently to about 10% by 2020. “With Dow’s leading manufacturing infrastructure and global supply chain, we are well positioned to deliver a trusted supply of quality materials for blade producers in this booming industry,” said Guillaume. AIRSTONE systems for wind energy, based on proven chemistries, have received approval from the industry’s leading classification society and certification body, Germanischer Lloyd. Dow offers systems for infusion, hand wet lay up, tooling and adhesives. To achieve higher energy output, manufacturers are building larger and longer blades. As a result, epoxy-based systems have become a material of choice for wind blades. They offer higher performance and can achieve the same strength with less weight than polyester-based composites. In response to demand for improved materials and improved processing for larger blades, Dow is offering advanced infusion systems based on an epoxy resin and select hardeners. The systems offer a balance of properties for pot life and in-mold reactivity. It is suitable for the production of large fiber reinforced composite parts that require long infusion times. “With AIRSTONE infusion systems, we’re offering fabricators an opportunity to improve cycle times and build longer blades,” said Bernd Hoevel, global technical leader for wind energy solutions with Dow. “The low viscosity of our infusion systems means manufacturers get excellent flow properties and fiber wetting. Plus, these advanced systems offer improved mechanical and thermal properties.” While Dow is focused on ensuring producers secure trusted supply, Hoevel said Dow is also working on bringing even more innovation to the wind energy market. “We entered this market because the need for a constant and trusted source of supply was such an excellent fit with what we can offer. Additionally, we have considerable depth and experience on the research and development side, and those capabilities will be a large part of our future in the wind energy industry,” Hoevel explained. Also featured in Dow’s booth (Floor 4, #C4502-04) are other epoxy solutions for composites, including FORTEGRA™ epoxy tougheners. These tougheners are low viscosity materials for use in amine, DICY, anhydride and phenolic cured epoxy systems. They offer enhanced toughness without typical tradeoffs in other properties like glass transition temperature and viscosity. They are suitable for a wide range of applications across many sectors of composites such as aerospace, marine, building and construction, piping, filament wound cylinders, sports and leisure. In addition to new products, Dow is showcasing ongoing commitment to the China marketplace. Recent initiatives in the region include a new research and development lab dedicated to coatings and electrical laminates in Shanghai and announced plans to build a world scale 150,000-MTPA glycerine-to-epichlorohydrin (GTE) plant and 100,000-MTPA liquid epoxy resins (LER) plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP). The GTE and LER plants have just recently received approvals from the Ministry of Environmental Protection for their environmental impact assessments (EIA). About Dow Epoxy and Dow Epoxy Systems Dow Epoxy is one of the world’s largest epoxy resins and intermediates manufacturers, with strong positions in a number of major application areas, including coatings, electrical laminates and civil engineering. Dow Epoxy, through a new business unit known as Dow Epoxy Systems, also serves as a formulator for users of specialty epoxy systems in many industries, including civil engineering and infrastructure, composites, wind energy and others. More information about products and solutions from Dow Epoxy is available at www.dowepoxy.com and www.dowepoxysystems.com. About Dow ®™* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow For Editorial Information: Catherine Fu Marielle Jaeger Ana Koelle David Cameron |
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