Armacell Benelux S.A.

Armacell Benelux is the global leader in innovative and environmentally friendly PET foam cores for the composite industry. ArmaFORM PET is a Polyethylene Therephthalate based structural foam core used in sandwich constructions.

Key to the success of ArmaFORM PET is the unique combination of material and processing properties. High mechanical strength, excellent fatigue resistance, and very good temperature stability are the important factors that enable ArmaFORM PET to substitute more traditional core materials such as PVC, SAN or Balsa. Additional important benefits of ArmaFORM PET are its best-in-class FST properties and its closed cell structure which ensures minimal humidity absorption and keeps the risk of physical degradation very low.

With the basic properties of being a thermoplastic, ArmaFORM PET has wide processing possibilities, including excellent compatibility with all resins and manufacturing methods. Having both thermo set and thermoplastic properties allows ArmaFORM PET to be easily thermoformed. To create the composite structure in a curved shape, one can cut and groove the core or either thermoform it. Thermoforming allows for a more homogenous material and reduces resin uptake – thus providing weight and costs savings. A further principal advantage of thermoforming is the tremendous extended possibilities in design (3D-shape). The recyclability makes ArmaFORM PET very attractive for applications with focus on “green aspects”. In theory, PET foam cores can be recycled at the end-of-life, similar to the recycling of PET beverage bottles.

Leading Innovation

As a pioneer in the field of PET technology, Armacell was the first manufacturer to succeed in foaming high quality, bottle-grade PET on an industrial scale and qualifying PET foams for the composite industry. Since its breakthrough Armacell has become a strong and trusted partner for the composite industry, serving the building & construction, rail & road transportation, marine and wind turbine markets. Today more than 20.000 wind turbine blades globally are using ArmaFORM PET. Over the past years Armacell has been driving the market for PET foam cores and is continuously investigating improved products and innovative new products especially dedicated to “green” applications.

Especially our new generation of PET foam core, ArmaFORM PET GR, is aimed to be used in the Composite Industry as a ‘real’ sustainable solution: made 100% from post-consumer PET packaging materials (called r-PET). Using such r-PET as a raw material for the foaming process of our ArmaFORM PET GR foam core leads to an excellent result of a 30% lower carbon footprint, the greenhouse effect can be reduced by 34% and energy consumption by 40%. Instead of ending up in landfill we are making a highly ecological product out of it, which perfectly fits into the “cradle-to-cradle” philosophy: a recyclable foam core that is already manufactured from a recycled raw material.

Global Capacity

Armacell Benelux is a division of Armacell International, which in 2014 has some 2,500 employees and 20 manufacturing plants in 13 countries on four continents. In 2013, the company generated a gross annual turnover of 500 million Euros.