DIAB Group’s Divinycell F is a core material that offers fire, smoke and toxicity resistance for a variety of applications.

Premier Business Partners:

Dixie Chemicals

DIAB Group’s facility in South Dallas, Texas, was formed in February 2008 to solely manufacture Divinycell F – a high-strength material that offers high fire, smoke and toxicity resistance and is geared for the commercial aircraft and public transportation markets. “It’s on top of the heap as far as what’s available in low-density polymer foam,” Business Unit Manager Chris Kilbourn says.   

“With its superior fire properties, Divinycell F is ideal for aircraft interiors including wall paneling, ceiling modules, luggage bins and doors/lockers,” DIAB says. “Its close cell structure makes it particularly suitable for galleys and toilets. It is also an excellent sandwich core material for train and subway interiors.”   

DIAB has worked on manufacturing this material since the late 1980s. “We’ve been trying to figure out how to produce it in an economical fashion,” Kilbourn says. Followed by marketing studies, the company decided to open the manufacturing facility in 2006. Kilbourn says there is a great need for this type of material in the market and the new plant allows DIAB to manufacture Divinycell F in a continuous process vs. a batch process.    

“This is a significant cost advantage but a compromise in sheet width,” he explains. “There is a fairly strong need for a material that is capable to process over 350 degrees and have a very good fire and smoke [resistance]. It meets and exceeds all FAA regulations for commercial interiors. It is also compatible with existing material and processes. There is good damage tolerance, as well.”   

Customer feedback has been positive thus far, he adds. “It has been very well-received. [Aerospace clients] have been asking for something [like this] for many years.”    

DIAB Group is a mid-size multinational company with production facilities in North America, Sweden, Italy, Australia, China and India. It focuses on providing composite core material and structural core materials for the marine, wind energy, aerospace and transportation markets. DIAB says it is known for pioneering the sandwich concept to make structures lighter and stronger than those made of steel, aluminum and wood.   

The company was founded in Sweden in 1950, and opened its first U.S. facility in 1980. “Our main focus has always been PVC/IPN and that technology was developed during World War II,” Kilbourn says. “The French put together the [material] and sold it to different countries. As the market evolved and [companies] consolidated, it’s pretty much down to us and a Swiss company.”   

DIAB sees itself as a leader in the marine and wind industries. “In my division, we’re basically a niche supplier,” Kilbourn says. “We have a specialty material that can be used as a replacement for honeycomb and other types of lower-performing core materials.”   

The company is focused on implementing lean manufacturing, and the Desoto branch is no exception. “It was designed with lean from the ground up, as opposed to retrofit,” he says. “We’re looking at material process flow and Six Sigma, and the finishing side of the operation. This is where we convert foam block to sheets and pre-cut core kits for our customers.”

A Household Name
“As far as future plans go, DIAB is always looking for lightweight sandwich core technology and material,” Kilbourn says. “We could produce a number of different polymer foams if there was enough market size to justify it.   

“I think for this division, our goal is to get out of the infancy mode and grow the business to where it becomes more of a business household name and be well-known for its material and product,” he says. “We’ve only really had a two-year marketing campaign. It was a three- to seven-year process to get the new material launched.”   

Since DIAB is a materials supplier, “it’s more of a business-to-business marketing,” Kilbourn says. “Our initial focus is aircraft and defense applications. But in the next couple years, we want to broaden ourselves into markets in other areas and segments – anywhere from civil to surface transportation and subways, that sort of thing.”   

The economy has impacted the division. “We’ve seen some slowing and delaying of projects, but I think we’re starting to see a turnaround,” Kilbourn says. “February and March was the worst of it, and we’re seeing an upturn for April and May. We’re starting to get better slowly.”