Fibreglass

What is fibreglass and what makes it so versatile and widely used?

Fibreglass offers a high degree of design flexibility and is a material that can be moulded into products that can be used for virtually any application.

Fibreglass opens up fantastic possibilities and delivers fantastic results…..

Fibreglass (also called glass-fibre) is made from strands of silica-based glass extruded into very fine fibres, these fibres are held together with a binder, there are normally two kinds of binder available, powder or emulsion, it's this binder which holds the fibres together to produce chop strand matt , chop strand matt is just one of the many kinds of glass-fibre reinforcements available, there are more exotic fibres available, such as Kevlar and Carbon fibre, these are used for more high-end applications.

Glass-fibres when combined with a polymer matrix i.e. resin; will result in what is classed as a composite material, but this composite is better known as GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) or FRP (Fibre Reinforced Plastic) but the most popular and widely used term is Fibreglass.

The most popular polymer matrix of choice is normally polyester resin, but there are others available, Such as Vinyl-ester, epoxy, polyurethane, just to mention but a few, the fibre and resin choice is normally based on the end use of the moulded product and the criteria laid down by the client.


Examples of fibreglass mouldings,

• Construction, architectural facades, internal & external cladding, canopies and columns, domed structures, bespoke building features, and much more…..
  
• Leisure, water slides, theme park rides, play equipment, swimming pool liners and much more……..
  
• Marine, boat hulls and other components, ship parts, life raft enclosures, pontoons, and much more….
  
• Automotive, body shells, spoilers, body kits, truck wind deflectors, trailer shells, and much more….
  
• Aerospace, fuselages, cowling, aircraft components, micro-lights, and much more….
  
• Bespoke, enclosures, buildings, furniture, housings, specialist applications and much more…….

Fibreglass is a composite material that has few constrains or design limitations, the typical properties of this modern day material allow it to be easily moulded into products of any size, shape, or colour, yet these fantastic results can be achieved at a competitively low cost when compared with other more conventional materials.
Fibreglass moulded components can be light weight, strong, with low maintenance requirements, and can be manufactured to meet specific requirements like fire- retardantcy, chemical-resistance, or be resilient to environmental extremes, in short this outstanding modern day composite material has great potential for designers, architects, and end-uses alike, pushing the design boundaries further, so before you finalize your next design, consider fibreglass, as your material of choice…….

About the author:
Richard Hayward from Fibreglass UK writes about FIBREGLASS visit www.fibreglassuk.com for all your FIBREGLASS requirements. The FIBREGLASS is to be the same as the article title and click through to www.fibreglassuk.com

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