Innovative GRP Formers

A North East manufacturer of drainage solutions required an alternative component to be used as sacrificial rib formers during the manufacture of GRP tanks. Their existing component was constructed from low cost, closed cell foam which would not readily accept the post-injected anti-freeze required for some applications.

Our brief was to design an alternative former with a hollow core which would easily fill with anti-freeze without adding extra cost to the finished product. The tight budget and comparatively low volumes ruled out many processes which would have provided suitable solutions. As a result, a corrugated cardboard blank, folded to create a hollow extrusion, was used. The folds allowed the former to be laid in place around the outer skin of the tank while being strong enough to be wrapped in GRP.

The folding of the formers had to be a simple process to keep the manual element of the unit cost low. This innovative approach improved functionality, kept costs low and matched the right material to the right job.