Fibreglass Mouldings
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Fibreglass mouldings are specifically designed products manufactured from glass reinforced plastic.
Fibreglass mouldings can be manufactured for most applications in industry, these industries sectors range from, construction, leisure, marine, aerospace, defence, automotive and much more.
Designers, architects, and end-users alike have found that Fibreglass mouldings has few constraints or limitations when it comes to design and can be manufactured to any size, shape, or colour required, these moulded components can display a superior moulded finish that can be made to replicate bronze, stone, wood, granite or any BS or RAL colour required, these great moulded finish's can also be UV stabilised and can withstand environmental extremes when used for outdoor application, also, one of the great things that makes Fibreglass the material of choice is that it can be specifically tailored to meet the end users requirements, be it fire-retardantcy, chemical-resistance, corrosion resistance, or product that can be tailored to withstand specific loads and stresses, basically the applications for Fibreglass mouldings are varied, further more.
Fibreglass mouldings are manufactured with the aid of a mould, the mould is a reverse of the product, the mould can be male or female depending upon the design of the product, the mould is normally made from fibreglass, but can also be made from timber, latex rubber or metal, the mould will require several coats of a mould release agent, remember before you run the mould an additional coat of PVA (Poly Vinyl Alcohol) release agent is also good practice, this will enable the first product to release from the mould with out the risk of sticking.
Now the mould is prepared and ready to go to work, its time to manufacture a Fibreglass moulding,
1. This process starts with the mould being painted or sprayed with gel-coat of the desired colour; the polyester gel-coat is the coating that will provide the pre-coloured finish to the moulded component, the gel-coat is allowed to cure, but will remain tacky, this is good, the tacky finish will enable a good bond for the laminate,
2. Once the gel-coat has cured, a layer of glass fibre is then applied to the back of the gel-coat, the layer of glass-fibre is then saturated with resin, the saturated glass-fibre is then rolled with a special roller, this is to remove any trapped air, and to consolidate the glass-fibres, more layers of glass-fibre can be applied and consolidated until the required thickness is achieved, the laminate is then left to harden and cure.
3. Once the laminate has cured, the product can be released from the mould, the product is normally left in the mould for twenty four hours, this ensures that the product has no imperfections, like, print through from the glass-fibre, shrinkage in the gel-coat ect, but remember, if there are any defects like the one's just mentioned, these can all be rectified by a skilled operative.
As discussed at the beginning of this article, Fibreglass mouldings are manufactured for a wide variety of end user applications, some of which are,
Architectural components, Boat hulls and associated components, Water slides and Theme park rides, Motorcycle fairings, Lorry wind deflectors and body kits, Shower trays and Baths, Aircraft cowlings and components, Race car body work, Modular buildings, Walkways and Bridge cladding, Mobile phone mast enclosures, Airport furniture, Signage and Display, Train bodies and interior components,
And so on.
So whether you are a designer, architect or end-user and you require an innovative solution for your next project, the answer is simple, Fibreglass, this truly innovative material can be moulded to meet your requirements at an economic cost……
About the Author
Richard Hayward from Fibreglass UK writes about FIBREGLASS MOULDINGS visit www.fibreglassuk.com for all your FIBREGLASS MOULDINGS requirements. The FIBREGLASS MOULDINGS is to be the same as the article title and click through to www.fibreglassuk.com
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