Fabrics cut the cost of closed moulding

An Owens Corning product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 26, 2004

Woven-roving-based fabrics for closed moulding infuse 10 times faster than current options - at a significantly lower price than competing products.

At the annual International BoatBuilders' Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), Owens Corning introduced OC FlowRo woven-roving-based fabrics for closed moulding, which infuse 10 times faster than current options - at a significantly lower price than competing products.

OC FlowRo fabrics are 100% glass fibre, combining woven roving and continuous filament mat in a patent-pending construction, and offer the following additional attributes: handling and strength characteristics similar to existing woven products, so parts can be designed with confidence; excellent handling and cuttability with properties comparable to traditional woven roving laminates; infusion thickness of over 80 thousandths of an inch per layer - for building fast laminate bulk with minimal labour and cost; and product offerings in two widths, 50 and 60in - giving boatbuilders greater production options.

"FlowRo fabrics' affordability and outstanding performance characteristics are designed specifically to assist boatbuilders in making a comfortable and profitable switch from open to closed moulding", said Matt Dunn, Owens Corning North American Business Manager for Fabrics.

Dunn cited an example of how a boatbuilder could reduce costs through the higher production offered by FlowRo fabrics' faster flow rate in a closed moulding process versus traditional products in an open mould process.

"For a fourteen foot hull, moulds could be turned twice as often, meaning two parts per day could be made in a single mould instead of the two required for open moulding", explained Dunn.

"The labour required is also cut in half".

"In this specific case, the savings is nearly $200 savings per composite hull - a 25% reduction in costs for our customers, and a clear indicator of Owens Corning's ongoing commitment to build on our 65 years of leadership and innovation in the glass fibre industry and continually raise the bar for the industry".

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