MELVILLE, N.Y., March 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Park Electrochemical Corp. (NYSE:PKE) announced the introduction of Electroglide Lightning Strike Protection Prepreg for aerospace applications.
The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that, on average, lightning hits each airliner in U.S. service once a year1. When lightning strikes an aircraft structure built from aluminum, this highly conductive metal is able to dissipate the extreme energy from the lightning strike and prevent any serious damage to that structure and the aircraft. Many new aircraft produced today contain structures built with composite materials which are not as conductive as aluminum structures. For this reason, composite materials used to construct aircraft structures, such as wings, fuselages, tail sections and engine nacelles, are embedded with a metal mesh which acts to dissipate the energy from a lightning strike, thereby avoiding damage to the structure and the aircraft. Electroglide Lightning Strike Protection Prepreg has undergone stringent testing by an independent certified laboratory, where the material is exposed to electrical charges that mimic a lightning strike. In such testing, Parks’ Electroglide Lightning Strike Protection Prepreg was exposed to 200,000 amperes of current with no failures.
Electroglide is an epoxy based lightning strike protection system compatible with most epoxy prepregs, primers and paints and offers excellent protection for aircraft from lightning strikes. It can be processed both in-autoclave and out-of-autoclave with a dual cure capability (250°F and 350°F). Electroglide produces a smooth, aesthetic finish, reducing both paint surface preparation time and weight from post sweep and sand-filling of pits and voids. Electroglide has superior handling during the layup processes, compared to other lightning strike protection solutions, because of its flow characteristics, high tack and drapability. Conductive substrates are offered in a variety of weights and substrate types (copper and aluminum) to meet Zone 1A, Zone 1C and Zone 2A requirements. Electroglide is available in natural or black. (Additional colors may be available upon request).
For information regarding Electroglide, please contact our Technical Support Team (or Customer Service Team) at Park Aerospace Technologies Corp. at +1 316-283-6500. A Data Sheet is available at: https://parkelectro.com/aerospace-products/electroglide/.
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1 Washington Post, Jack Williams, August 27, 2014. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/08/27/why-is-an-airplane-safe-from-lighting-strikes/?utm_term=.17812195fbf1
Park Electrochemical Corp. is a global advanced materials company which develops and manufactures advanced composite materials, primary and secondary structures and assemblies and low-volume tooling for the aerospace markets and high-technology digital and RF/microwave printed circuit materials principally for the telecommunications and internet infrastructure, enterprise and military markets. The Company’s manufacturing facilities are located in Kansas, Singapore, France, Arizona and California. The Company also maintains R&D facilities in Arizona, Kansas and Singapore.
Additional corporate information is available on the Company’s web site at www.parkelectro.com.