Fiberglass products enjoy a promising prospect

Fiberglass, a new type of inorganic non-metallic material with superior performance, is the most widely used composite material in modern industry. Fiberglass can be classified by composition into the alkali-free, the medium alkali, and the high alkali etc. As the major substratum material for insulation, fiberglass material is highly associated with downstream production. After further processing, it can be used in electronic appliances, wind power generation, transportation, construction materials, etc.

picture of fiberglass yarn

1. Electronics

Electronic grade fiberglass yarn, with good insulation properties, can be weaved into fiberglass cloth further used in the production of rigid copper-clad laminates which are the core substrata of printed circuit boards (hereinafter abbreviated to PCB). PCB is the carrier of electronic components line connection and almost all electronic devices need to use PCB, so it is referred to as the cornerstone of the electronics industry. Fiberglass products are in the upstream of the product chain, and almost all downstream fiberglass products involve fiberglass yarn. As of the end of 2020, the global market size of fiberglass cloth has exceeded 1.9 billion, with its demand over 1.4 billion meters. It is anticipated that the market size will continue to grow. With the development of the global electronics industry, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data, 5G industry and Artificial Intelligence will increasingly broaden the application scope of PCB, and therefore driving the demand for fiberglass yarn.

2. Wind Power Generation

Fiberglass is mainly used in manufacturing of blades and nacelle cover of the wind turbine. The installed capacity of global wind turbines tends to grow steadily, and the demand for blades grows steadily likewise.

3. Transportation

The main applications of fiberglass in transportation are automobile, high-speed railway, ship, subway, highway, etc. With the promotion of energy saving and emission reduction of automobile and the popularization of new energy vehicles (NEVs), fiberglass composite material is gradually used as an important substitute for traditional metal materials in lightweight automobile industry. Fiberglass, due to its superior properties of heat-, impact-, and corrosion resistance as well as tensile strength, is now used extensively in the manufacturing of automobile coverings, which is not only lightweight but also stabler than traditional materials. Because of NEVs’ stricter requirements on car bodies weight and insulating characteristics for chosen materials, fiberglass with superior properties, compared to traditional materials, will greatly adapt to the trend of NEV industry. In a word, it will enjoy a promising application prospect.

4. Construction

The applications of fiberglass in construction are mainly thermal insulation for outer wall, composite walls, doors and windows. With the rapid expansion of the construction scale, the demand for fiberglass will also continue to increase.

applications of fiberglass