Innovation | reinforcing fibres The future could be carbon
Carbon fibre could become a much more affordable polymer reinforcement, writes Peter
The market for reinforcing fibres for thermoplastic compounds continues to evolve. While there is rather limited news of new products from the major glass fibre suppliers, considerable new capacities are being put in place and that may well be a prelude to developments in the coming months. Meanwhile, an era of lower- priced carbon fibre could be approaching while producers of “natural” fibres - sourced from rock rather than plants - are also upping their game. Turning first to new glass capacities, Johns Manville
(JM) last year announced plans to expand its glass fibre production operations at Etowah in Tennessee in the US. Philippe Bekaert, Global Market Development Leader for Fibres in Engineered Products, says the start-up was executed as planned during this summer. He says the new production capacity is supporting growth in engineering thermoplastics in the US. The Etowah expansion includes a new furnace to support the launch of the next generation of global products for reinforced thermoplastic composites. JM currently has product families for polyamides, polyes- ters and polypropylenes. No further details of the new products are available at present. “We have exciting new ThermoFlow chopped strands in the pipeline that will be announced in the next few weeks to complement the existing offering,” Bekaert said in late September.
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Mapleston, while recent investments in glass fibre capacity may further broaden product offerings
Owens Corning recently announced plans to invest
$110m to expand capacity at its composites operations in India. It says it will install a 72,500 tonne glass melter at its existing facility in Taloja, giving a scheduled start-up date in early 2018. The company says the glass fibre market in India has grown at double-digit rates over the past decade and has operated at high levels of capacity utilisation for the past three years. The company is also extending its reach further east. In January, it entered into technology licensing and manufacturing supply agreements with China’s Shandong Fibreglass Group Co Ltd. Owens Corning says this strategic relationship “will leverage its Advantex glass fibre reinforcements and chopped strand technol- ogy and expertise to produce chopped strand products for the thermoplastics industry using the Shandong Fibreglass manufacturing platform.” The companies will continue to operate as separate commercial entities. Owens Corning has previously announced similar
Main image: Thermoplastics is now a key target market
for carbon fibre specialist SGL Group, which recently
commercial- ised its first carbon LFTs
October 2016 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 17
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