FRP products manufacturing process

Five common manufacturing methods for fiberglass products.

Hand-pasting making method.

The hand lay-up molding process, or contact molding, is the oldest and most popular way to make resin composites. Hand lay-up molding is a method for making fiberglass products. It uses a resin mixture with a curing agent as the matrix. Glass fibers and their fabrics are the reinforcement materials. Workers lay and bond these materials on a mold that they have coated with a release agent. The matrix resin is usually unsaturated polyester or epoxy. The reinforcing material is usually alkali-free or medium-alkali glass fiber and its fabric. The hand lay-up molding process uses less mechanical equipment. It suits producing many product types in small batches. It is not limited by the product type or shape.

Spray molding method

A method of manual layering using a jet machine. This method is efficient and cheap. It is replacing traditional hand pasting. The product’s integrity is strong. It has no overlapping seams. Its size is, for all practical purposes, unlimited. The molding process is simple. The material formula can be accurate. Its flaw is that the product’s quality depends on the operators’ skills. Also, spraying causes more pollution than other methods.

Fiber winding process method

The core mold is wound with resin-impregnated, continuous fibers in a certain pattern. The manufacturer decides how thick the product should be for stacking. They do this before taking the product out of the mold. This method can design the fiber winding according to the product’s stress. It maximizes the fibers’ tensile strength. It also allows for easy mechanization and automation. The product quality shows a consistent level of stability. Using different resin matrices and fiber composites yields the best results. It maximizes both performance and cost. It can create fiberglass pipes, tanks, gas cylinders, fan blades, high jump rods, electric poles, and badminton rackets.

Compression molding process and plastic molding process

The pressing process and equipment conditions are almost the same. The former uses impregnated tape as the molding material. The latter uses sheet, lump, and scattered molding materials. First, someone places a certain amount of molding material in a metal mold. Then, the manufacturer shapes it into the needed fiberglass products. They use a specific temperature and pressure. This molding method makes precise, smooth, high-quality, and efficient products. It is ideal for mass-producing small fiberglass items. Its shortcomings are: 1. The design and making of molds are complex. 2. The initial production investment is high. 3. Equipment limits the parts.

Extrusion molding method

The traction device will apply traction. First, it will perform the fiber-reinforced, resin-impregnated material in the mold. Then, it will heat the material to solidify it into fiberglass profiles. Finally, it will cut it into fiberglass products of the required length.