Adzel...real world benefits? Drawbacks?

brulaz wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

...
NOT UV resistant, MUST be “protected” by another UV safe product like paint or UV barrier.

NOT readily “glued”, conventional glue laminating does not work.

It must be WELDED (IE MELTED) to the adjoining surfaces,
...

OK, but where does the separate fibreglass panel come in? Or does it?

I thought Azdel was pressure laminated to a fibreglass panel in the RV factory, just like filon is laminated to luan. Or does it come from the Azdel factory with some sort of pre-applied Gel coat? Like filon except structurally more stable so not requiring the luan backing?

And when they laminate the Azdel to the foam+Al interior of the shell, they don't use glue? Just high temp+pressure to melt everything together?

Honestly, on mine. It looks like the fiberglass is chopped, and sprayed directly on to the AZDEL, (Think chopper gun) along with the fiberglass resin. I can see the chopped glass pattern thru the Gel Coat, if I get the right angle. As a former boat builder. I recognize the pattern of chopped glass. A person who has never seen a chopper gun in action, might not recognize it.

As long as the surface you are glassing to is roughed up a little. The resin, and glass will stick / bond / adhere / to it with no need of glue.

It could also be, and this is more likely, that the glass is chopped on to the gel coat, in a mold, and while it is wet, the AZDEL is pressed, and vacuumed into it. Would look the same. As long as the fiberglass resin is wet when the AZDEL is applied. No glue would be necessary. All you need do it remove the air from between the two surfaces. Vacuum pressing would do it. We however used rollers specially designed to get the air out. But that is old technology. One person would spray, and chop, and as soon as he was done. The rest would jump in there with the rollers.