Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

Composites
The burgeoning manufacturing and infrastructure sectors are expected to provide an impetus to the
composites industry in India. Production of composites involves combining polymer and glass fibre or
carbon fibre in order to produce a material that is lighter yet stronger than steel. The technical textile
material in the composites is the fibre glass.
Fibre glass dominates the composites industry as a preferred reinforcement fibre, with a share of
around 85%-90%. Other reinforcement fibre like carbon fibre is sparingly used in India owing to its
patented technology and high costs.
Fibre glass is made of fine solid rods of glass each with thickness less than one twentieth the width of
human hair. Glass fibres are loosely packed together into a mass which can serve as heat insulators.
They are also used like wool or cotton fibres to make glass yarn, tape, cloth and mats. Fibreglass also
has applications in electrical insulation, chemical filtration and fire fighters’ suits. Combined with
plastics, fibreglass is used for airplane wings and bodies, automobile bodies, wind mill blades and
boat hulls.
Product Characteristics
The product characteristics vary based on the type of finished glass fibre product and end application:
1. Chopped strands characteristics – High strand integrity, good flow and dispersion, good
impregnation. The strand length varies from 1 mm to 6 mm.
2. Chopped strand mat characteristics – Good surface bonding and integrity, compatibility with
polyester resins etc. The basis weight varies from 225 GSM to 900 GSM, with strand length
usually 50 mm.
3. Assembled roving characteristics – Good resistance to weave distortion, good impregnation,
good abrasion resistance, etc. The linear weight of yarn varies based on specification,
however, the linear weight varies from 150 Tex to 4800 Tex
4. Woven roving characteristics – High mechanical strength in directions of the weave,
resistance to weave distortion, good impregnation and low resin consumption. Weight is
based on specification and is typically 210 GSM to 800 GSM
Market dynamics and key market drivers
The market for fibre glass is driven by the application industries. The glass fibre is used primarily in
the following industries:
1. Wind energy - Wind Mill blades
2. Chemicals industry