Careers

Composite Technician

Laminators work with polymer composite materials such as fibreglass, to produce a range of items which include:

• glassfibre hulls for speed boats, yachts, hovercraft, canoes and military craft
• blades for large commercial wind turbines which, in terms of length and stresses involved, are the most demanding objects that are laminated
• aerospace components, including wings, panels and cabin interiors, caravans and mobile homes
• Formula 1 racing cars and sports car bodies motorcycle helmets, skis, snowboards, racing bicycles and hockey sticks.

Sometimes laminating can involve using wood laminates or modern materials like Kevlar for the motorsport and aerospace industry. Kevlar is a versatile material which is strong, tough, stiff, high melting and well suited for uses such as radial tyres, heat- or flame-resistant fabrics and bullet-proof clothing.

Laminators begin with a mould into which the material is pressed, poured or sometimes sprayed. Depending upon the type of product required, laminators obtain the correct materials and follow instructions on the strength, colour and finish required.

If the product is the hull of a vessel, they will begin by covering the inner side of the hull-shaped mould with layers of glassfibre matting and resin. They use glassfibre matting of different thicknesses in different parts of the hull for added strength and waterproofing.

A hull may have up to eight layers of glassfibre matting and resin applied before it is left to harden completely. The laminators will have to wait for each layer of resin to harden before applying the next layer. The mould, which forms the outer shell, is then split into two parts and moved away, leaving the glassfibre hull. This is then polished using power sanders to a fine gloss finish and then fitted out to the customer's specifications.

Similar procedures apply to the construction of car bodies and aircraft cabin interiors.

Some laminators work with engineers and scientists on research and development projects in major companies or universities.