Crestamould® Gelcoat 15PA (S)

Crestamold® matched tooling systems offer a fast and effective way to produce molds for the manufacture of rail components. Our low-profile laminating and infusion resins minimize shrinkage to improve the dimensional accuracy of molds combined with gelcoat and skincoat products to deliver a high quality and robust mold surface.

Mold Manufacture

Crestamold® Resin

Crestamold® Rapid Tooling Resin (RTR) 4010PA is a rapid tooling resin which incorporates outstanding handling properties, lower viscosity, improved shrinkage control and is catalyzed with standard MEKP catalyst. It enables faster mold making and eliminates surface distortion.

Crestamold® Skin Coat

Crestamold® Skin Coats VE679PA and VE690PA are pre-accelerated thixotropic DCPD modified vinylester resins that have been developed as a skin coat in tooling applications. They have excellent blister resistance and reduced print through.

Crestamold® Gelcoat

Crestamold® Gelcoat 15PA is a superior performance vinylester tooling gelcoat for making molds designed to have a long service lifetime and retain high gloss levels after multiple pulls. It is easy to apply and achieves good coverage. There is no gassing of the gelcoat ensuring a very low porosity surface and it cures with a standard MEKP catalyst. Available in both spray and brush.

Plug Manufacture

Crystic® Primecoat

Crystic® Primecoat is a high build, polyester coating material which allows the rapid surfacing of patterns constructed from materials such as wood, MDF and GRP. It can be applied wet-on-wet up to a thickness of 1.5mm in one operation without sagging or draining from vertical surfaces.

Crestafix® Fairing Compound

A water resistant, low-density polyester-based fairing compound, Crestafix® F26 has excellent adhesion to cured fiber-reinforced polyester and vinylester laminates. The material sands easily, gives a hard finish after a full cure, yet is not brittle and has good impact strength. Crestafix® F26 is a suitable base for all marine finishes such as polyester, urethane and epoxy paints.

Crestamould® Sealer

Laminating with polyester resin on top of polystirene foams has never been possible despite various impractical methods of protection from preventing the stirene foam from dissolving when in contact with polyester resin. Crestamould® B21 sealing resin solves this problem – just one coat applied by brush will seal the surface and laminating with polyester resins can begin two hours after application.

Crystic® Glosscoat

Crystic® Glosscoat is a polyester coating designed to be applied over prepared Crestamould® Primecoat to give a glossier and more durable surface. The material hardens rapidly and can be easily sanded to a smooth surface which can be polished to high gloss.

Crestamould® Tooling Paste

Designed for milling of large plugs or direct limited production molds with CNC multiple axis machines, Crestamould® T29 is a modified polyester compound, available in sprayable or extrudable versions.

• The information contained in this technical data sheet applies to all pigmented versions. Crestamould® Gelcoat 15PA (S) is available in a limited range of colors.
• Incorporation of additional material may affect the working, weathering or cured properties of the gelcoat as well as the durability of the mold. Please check with Scott Bader’s Technical Service department before using the gelcoat outside of specified parameters.

For optimum life, a mold constructed using Crestamould® Gelcoat 15PA (S) should be fully cured before being put into use. This can be achieved by placing the mold in an oven at 40°C for 30 hours. If this is not practical, the mold should be left in warm conditions (>20°C) for 2-3 weeks prior to use. Where a mold is likely to experience severe conditions (e.g. due to high exotherm temperatures within backing laminates), it should be post cured at an elevated temperature. Contact our Technical Service department for further advice.

When a new mold is manufactured, traces of residual monomer remain within the tooling gelcoat. Although post curing at 80°C will reduce this to an insignificant level, exposing a new mold to this temperature is not always practical or desirable. The first release from a new mold is, therefore, likely to be the most difficult, particularly if a mold which is not post cured is subjected to elevated temperatures during its initial use. These temperatures could arise from the exotherm of the laminate contained within the mold, or from the mold itself being passed through a heated area during use. The following procedure was developed to combat release problems on new molds manufactured and cured at workshop temperature. It demonstrates an excellent release performance on new molds and is equally effective on molds of any age:

• Before first use, allow the mold to mature for a minimum of 7 days at 18°C or above.
• Clean the mold thoroughly with a polyester mold cleaner.
• Apply a polyester mold sealer according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Apply a semi-permanent release agent according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Optional – apply one coat of a hard wax such as Mirrorglaze. This will reduce any tendency to de-wet or pre-release when the mold is used.
• After the first release, use a masking tape test to check that the release agent remains on the mold surface.
• If so, apply one coat of semi-permanent or hard wax. If not, repeat steps 2 to 4.
• Continue as step 6 until the release performance becomes predictable and easy then re-apply one coat of release agent as and when required.

It is recommended that customers test all gelcoats before use under their own conditions of application to ensure that the product meets requirements.

Unsaturated polyester products release heat when they cure in bulk.

Crestamould® Gelcoat 15PA (S) should be stored in its original container, under cover, and out of direct sunlight. These must be kept closed and airtight. It is recommended that the storage temperature should be less than 25°C and the product should not be frozen. Storing the product outside of these conditions may affect the properties of the product and reduce its shelf life. Ideally, containers should be opened only immediately prior to use. Material should be used within 5 months from date of production.