August 2007

Plastisol May Be Coming To An Emergency Apparatus Near You

By Ed Ballam

So just what is Plastisol anyway and how is Alan Saulsbury planning to market it in North America?

The material itself is glass fiber reinforced polyester injected with resin. The concept is panels of material, which look somewhat like an ice cream sandwich. The laminates consist of two 3/16-inch layers of glass fiber with a layer of construction grade, closed-cell, high density, non-absorbent foam between. The 1- to 4-inch sandwich is then injected with resin in a vacuum to create a continuous Plastisol panel.

“It really is an amazing product,” said Alan Saulsbury, the president of Plastisol Composites North America, the company he started to bring the technology to this continent in the form of emergency apparatus bodies.

He said Plastisol executives are so protective of the manufacturing process at their plant in the Netherlands that they would not let him take pictures of it.

A Strong Sandwich

He said each glass fiber outer wall of the sandwich consists of a minimum of five layers of polyester fiber alternating woven and continuous strand polyester, with the entire panel injected with resin. “It looks like the growth rings of a tree,” he said, noting the floors and main supporting beams have outer walls of up to 15 layers glass fiber, producing a solid full-length body beam.

The construction process of Plastisol was developed 35 years ago by Luke Walraven in Wanroij, the Netherlands. The company says its bodies are made from GRP, which stands for Glassfiber Reinforced Polyester, a composition of materials realized in a vacuum injection process developed by the company. The GRP can be used with foam cores or by itself and after curing, it creates an exceedingly strong sandwich of materials that is fully self-supporting and can be mounted on vehicle chassis.

“In the early days, we built composite bodies in general, for a variety of applications,” said Rob Walraven, the founder’s son who is now president and owner of Plastisol. “We’ve never built complete
fire apparatus. We only build the bodies.”

Plastisol also builds crew cab extensions for some of the largest truck manufacturers in Europe including Mercedes and Volvo.

Saulsbury, who formed a partnership with Walraven to bring Plastisol to North America, said the plant in the Netherlands is about 100,000 square feet with about 125 employees making more than 800 cabs and bodies annually. The company is International Organization for Standardization (ISO) compliant.

Although Saulsbury was not allowed to take photos of the complete manufacturing process, he explained how it works, based on his observations.

The Plastisol plant has several tables, up to 60 feet long and10 to 12 feet wide, with surfaces full of holes for the vacuum process. Clear plastic, that resembles Saran Wrap, is laid down first, and the fiber polyester, woven and continuous strands are alternated. The closed-cell structure foam of various thicknesses is placed on top of it with another layer of alternating woven and continuous strand fiber polyester.

The entire sheet is then injected with resin under vacuum in a Plastisol proprietary process to form panels of Plastisol of various thicknesses depending on its applications.

To build bodies, the material is cut to specific sizes and bonded, glass fiber to glass fiber with resin. For added strength, 4- to 8-inch wide strips of glass fiber are pressed into corners, like tape and seaming on Sheetrock, again with resin, according to Saulsbury.

The result is a super strong laminated composite panel that can be put together in virtually any configuration, “just like an Erector set,” Saulsbury said.

“We can build the material into any shape American fire apparatus desired,” he said. “We can make aerials, pumpers, rescues, crash trucks, anything for emergency services.” He said the material also lends itself to contour and radius corner bodies, something that is not easily achieved with aluminum and stainless steel.

“It’s self-supporting, has significant weight reduction, is totally corrosion free, flame resistant, shock absorbing and easy to repair,” Saulsbury ticks off the benefits with a drum beat precision. “Plus, we will offer a lifetime body and tank warranty in the United States as standard. Nobody can offer what we’re offering. Nobody… Do you think I’m having fun? The competition is scared of us.”

He said a Plastisol body is non-conductive, so if a powerline falls on it, risk of shock is reduced. Perhaps one of the most important features, he said, is the water tanks on the apparatus are integrated in the bodies of the apparatus.

“The tank becomes the backbone of the truck in a Plastisol body,” Saulsbury said, asserting that it’s a design that few, if any other fabricated body builders can reproduce.

Light And Durable

In the United States, there are about 16 Plastisol-bodied apparatus sold or in service, according to Saulsbury, and he hopes that number will grow substantially in the next year or two.

He has been globetrotting, getting apparatus builders to partner with Plastisol to bring the technology to market. He said he has no intention of producing finished apparatus. Rather, he plans on selling the bodies to builders who will then use them on vehicles in production. So far, he said he has over 15 North American fire apparatus builders who have signed on to offer Plastisol.

“Plastisol is unique in that it’s virtually the only integrated tank and body that is truly composite, which has the advantages of lightness and durability and flexibility and is not subject to commodity price changes, like stainless steel and aluminum,” he said.

Saulsbury said his former apparatus building firm was known for custom products, and Plastisol will now allow him to offer custom bodies that are not possible with metal.

By January 1, he expects to be in a new manufacturing plant in Groton, N.Y., assembling fire apparatus bodies. The base body material will continue to be produced in the Netherlands, but the knock-down truck panels will be shipped to the United States and assembled in the Groton plant, he said.

“We will be using the exact same techniques as those used in the Netherlands when constructing our bodies,” Saulsbury said, noting that there will be huge advantages in reduced shipping costs by having the disassembled bodies transported to the states in panel form and putting them together here before being sent to the apparatus builders.

“We have a truly unique product in that it’s only going to be available to specific partners in specified sales areas or by specific body types,” he said, noting that only partners will be allowed to sell the Plastisol bodies. It will not be sold to every fire apparatus builder.

One of the first companies to step up and build a Plastisol-body compressed air foam system apparatus was Alexis Fire Equipment, Alexis, Ill., according to Saulsbury. That truck, a rescue pumper, was sold to the Elk Grove (Ill.) Township Fire Department, a suburban community outside of Chicago, influenced by O’Hare Airport and filled with heavy commercial and industrial development.

“We are quite proud of the fact we have the first Plastisol body truck in the nation,” said Gary Jensen, the former fire chief of Elk Grove Township who retired in December. The truck was in service for about a year before he retired. “It’s everything we expected and more.”

Jensen said he and Saulsbury are “old, old friends” and Oklahoma State Engineering graduates. When his department started looking for a first-due rescue pumper, Saulsbury recommended Plastisol.

“The thing I like the most about the body is the fact that everything is one piece,” Jensen said. “That makes it very tight and very strong.”

Partnering With Plastisol

He was also impressed with the fact that the material is very shock absorbent. Should an accident happen, he said the damage remains localized and can be readily fixed. No corrosion was a strong selling point too, he said, noting the department was considering a plastic poly body and would probably have ordered one had Plastisol not been an option.

Saulsbury said another company, American LaFrance, has partnered with Plastisol and has three units on order. He said other builders planning to offer Plastisol bodies include E.J. Metals, Danko, West Mark, Dependable, E.J. Murphy, H&W, Crash Rescue, Foster Rescue, Guardian Fire, Towers and Hub Fire Engines. He expects that number to grow both in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and South America since Plastisol.

Bodies are designed and engineered by the apparatus builders and Plastisol replicates the bodies in the GRP laminates, said Saulsbury. Finished bodies, painted and all are currently shipped from the Netherlands to the builders who mount them on cabs and chassis and finish them as apparatus, including installing pumps and accessories.

The body support brackets are mounted on the sides of apparatus frame rails using a patented Metacone system of rubber and springs to provide a torsional mounting system that relieves stress. The German-design mounting system provides mounting points every 24 inches on both sides of the body for extra strength, Saulsbury said.

Other features of the Plastisol bodies include tanks that are sealed, so no water spills during transport. A pressurized spring loaded overflow valve keeps water in the tank, an important feature to prevent water spills on dry roads, especially in cold weather climates where water can freeze on roads causing accidents.

“We are the first to have a totally sealed tank,” Saulsbury said, noting that each tank is also equipped with overflow check valves and air inlet check valves, which are exclusive in design and operation.

“Every tank we build is tested to three pounds pressure,” he said. “Other manufacturers are testing to much lower pressures.” He also pointed out that each tank has a removable manhole to allow access to the tank for repairs or cleaning in the event debris is ingested.

Separate Ground Wiring

Compartments are equipped with Uni-strut type shelf mounting systems as standard so shelves can be custom built and ordered to the particular department’s needs.

Panduit, a worldwide manufacturer of plastic conduit and channels, is used to run electrical wires in the bodies, and electrical bulkheads are found in each of the four corners of the body to minimize unprotected wiring looms found on many apparatus. Separate ground wiring from each appliance is run straight back to the frame rails and battery junction terminals, eliminating electrolysis totally, Saulsbury said.

Painting isn’t a problem, and custom colors can be applied just like they are to aluminum and stainless steel by the builders.

“They are painted just like a Corvette or any fire apparatus body,” Saulsbury said.

Already Insulated

Lights and accessories can be bolted to the bodies using special AVK Fasteners that work like Huck bolts and can support up to 400 pounds each. The fasteners are inserted into holes drilled into the body, and they expand out each side of the resin and fiber laminate panels, providing more strength than aluminum Rivnuts, a tubular threaded rivet popular with apparatus builders, Saulsbury said. And, to top it off, there are no problems with dissimilar metal corrosion, which is often found when steel fasteners are used on aluminum bodies.

Saulsbury said Plastisol bodies are well suited for enclosed rescue and ambulance applications because the material used is already laminated and insulated for climate control and sound. That same insulation is important in cold regions like Finland and Russia, places where heating coils are put in water tanks to prevent freezing.

The introduction of the new Foster Rescue compact CRV and MRV vehicles, a crew cab 15-foot rescue vehicle for Danko and a new 4x4 rescue pumper apparatus body, all at the Fire Rescue International trade show in Atlanta marks the “official introduction” of Plastisol Composites into the industry, Saulsbury said.

Saulsbury said he has been working with Hale Products on a new pump module designed to quickly bolt into the Plastisol bodies. “Hale is building pump modules, and we are building bodies to easily accept pto, midship, and rear-mount modules,” he said. “The pumps slide right in place and bolt up with four bolts. Saulsbury Fire Apparatus used to take over 200 hours to produce a pump module. Now, for under $25,000, a truck builder can purchase the pump module complete, bolt the body on to the chassis, slide the pump in place and be pump testing the same day.”

Emergency vehicles are built with major component assemblies all over the world, and Saulsbury figures it’s a business model that should work well in North America.

“We’re going to end up with many manufacturers as partners that either exist today or will be created because assembling apparatus will be much quicker and easier compared to today’s labor intensive process,” he said. “Builders will be installing slide-out trays, roll-out boards, rear steps, installing fenderettes and bolting on accessories. Future apparatus will be assembled in half the production hours compared to conventional manufacturing… That’s the beauty of Plastisol. It is so simple, and that’s the way it should be.”

The New Cumberland (Pa.) Fire Department took delivery of the first small Plastisol Composites-bodied apparatus in the nation. Plastisol can be used for any emergency apparatus.                     (Plastisol Composites North America Photo)