To begin , the fibreglass skins are laser-cut to length on a large , purpose-built bench . From there , two methods are available to create a sandwich panel : vacuum pressing , and a special method known as ‘ hot melt ’. To meet Crusader ’ s needs , Creative Composites uses hot melt . Creative Composites reasonably wanted to keep this process ‘ secret ’, so we were only shown the final stage . Regardless , I was told that this process ensures consistency , reliability and quality . While the adhesive used to bond the two skins to the core is 90 per cent cured by the time it leaves the machine , Creative Composites leaves each panel for 24 hours before moving it to the final stage of the process : CNC routing .
Fibreglass sandwich panels at Crusader Caravans waiting to become part of a caravan .
Note the notch in the floor . The wall will have a matching ' tongue ' ( see above ), allowing it to be accurately located when building the van .
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