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Owens-Corning launches flexible glass fibre
MATER1
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Owens-Corning THE first new form of glass fibre for nearly 60 years will revolutionize the industry, claims its developer OwensCorning. Company chairman Glen Hiner says the material, named Miraflex, will compete with synthetic, petroleum-based and even natural fibres in an of products. array Although the first application for the fibre is in the insulation field it will also be used in composites. Mirallex fibre is composed of two different forms of glass fused together in a single filament. This gives the fibre an irregular twist along its length which makes its soft, resilient and form filling. This means that manufacturers will be able to use glass tibre in applications that have, until now, been dominated by other forms of synthetic and petroleumbased fibres. Miratlex handles in the same way as such fibres and can be processed using the same techniques. The length and irregular twist of Miraflex makes it highly flexible, as opposed to the rigidity of straight glass, says OwensCorning. It has a typical breaking strength of 689 MPa, greater than most speciality fibres. The fire retardancy of Miraflex is also high, the unsized libre has a limiting oxygen index of greater than 100%. The development is the subject of more than 30 patent applications by Owens-Corning. The first application of Miraflex fibre will be a home loft insulation to
Reinforced‘Plastics November
launches flexible glass fibre
The random twist in Mirajlex gives the fibre its soft, resilient and form-filling characteristics. The fibre has a b&component glass structure.
be introduced in October in select North American markets. It will be brand named ‘PinkPlus insulation featuring Miraflex fiber’. But Hiner sees applications of Miraflex extending beyond the insulation area. “Miraflex Bbre marks the most exciting technology breakthrough in new material development in the history of Owens-Corning since the discovery of fibre glass,” he says. “With Miraflex fibre, designers of industrial and consumer products will be able to use glass fibre for purposes currently dominated by polymers and other synthetic
1994
fibres, while gaining added value properties such as fire, smoke and chemical resistance, dimensional stability, and increased tensile strength,” claims Hiner. Composites applications are certainly envisaged by Owens-Corning. The company showed pictures of a moulded composite automotive wing liner at Hiner’s press conference in New York. An industry source told Reinforced Plastics that Miraflex could be used to manufacture composite body panels with increased flexibility, similar to those currently being developed using urethane.
Company representatives indicated that a variety of applications for the new fibre are under development and in some cases projects with strategic end-users have been identified. A new plant to manufacture the PinkPlus insulation with Miraflex opened in September in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The next Miraflex fibre plant is planned to be up and running in 1996, in a location to be announced in January 1995. OwensCorning presently foresees three to five plants worldwide for the Miraflex product. Mount Vernon will have a capacity of over 16 000 tonnes of material, valued at $20 million. Successive plants will be larger. The firm says that Miraflex is an extensive to its current products and although existing plants could be retrofitted to make the fibre this is not envisaged at present. Because the random twist imparts form to bundles of Miraflex fibre the insulation can be manufactured without the need for phenolic resin binders. This will allow the manufacturer to dispense with resin tanks, resin storage, curing ovens and the environmental costs of handling the resin. “Miraflex plants will be smaller than our traditional facilities, with a shortened manufacturing line that requires fewer employees to run and maintain,” said Hiner. William Hamilton, Owens-Coming; tel: + l419248- 6190.
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Owens-Corning THE first new form of glass fibre for nearly 60 years will revolutionize the industry, claims its developer OwensCorning. Company chairman Glen Hiner says the material, named Miraflex, will compete with synthetic, petroleum-based and even natural fibres in an of products. array Although the first application for the fibre is in the insulation field it will also be used in composites. Mirallex fibre is composed of two different forms of glass fused together in a single filament. This gives the fibre an irregular twist along its length which makes its soft, resilient and form filling. This means that manufacturers will be able to use glass tibre in applications that have, until now, been dominated by other forms of synthetic and petroleumbased fibres. Miratlex handles in the same way as such fibres and can be processed using the same techniques. The length and irregular twist of Miraflex makes it highly flexible, as opposed to the rigidity of straight glass, says OwensCorning. It has a typical breaking strength of 689 MPa, greater than most speciality fibres. The fire retardancy of Miraflex is also high, the unsized libre has a limiting oxygen index of greater than 100%. The development is the subject of more than 30 patent applications by Owens-Corning. The first application of Miraflex fibre will be a home loft insulation to
Reinforced‘Plastics November
launches flexible glass fibre
The random twist in Mirajlex gives the fibre its soft, resilient and form-filling characteristics. The fibre has a b&component glass structure.
be introduced in October in select North American markets. It will be brand named ‘PinkPlus insulation featuring Miraflex fiber’. But Hiner sees applications of Miraflex extending beyond the insulation area. “Miraflex Bbre marks the most exciting technology breakthrough in new material development in the history of Owens-Corning since the discovery of fibre glass,” he says. “With Miraflex fibre, designers of industrial and consumer products will be able to use glass fibre for purposes currently dominated by polymers and other synthetic
1994
fibres, while gaining added value properties such as fire, smoke and chemical resistance, dimensional stability, and increased tensile strength,” claims Hiner. Composites applications are certainly envisaged by Owens-Corning. The company showed pictures of a moulded composite automotive wing liner at Hiner’s press conference in New York. An industry source told Reinforced Plastics that Miraflex could be used to manufacture composite body panels with increased flexibility, similar to those currently being developed using urethane.
Company representatives indicated that a variety of applications for the new fibre are under development and in some cases projects with strategic end-users have been identified. A new plant to manufacture the PinkPlus insulation with Miraflex opened in September in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The next Miraflex fibre plant is planned to be up and running in 1996, in a location to be announced in January 1995. OwensCorning presently foresees three to five plants worldwide for the Miraflex product. Mount Vernon will have a capacity of over 16 000 tonnes of material, valued at $20 million. Successive plants will be larger. The firm says that Miraflex is an extensive to its current products and although existing plants could be retrofitted to make the fibre this is not envisaged at present. Because the random twist imparts form to bundles of Miraflex fibre the insulation can be manufactured without the need for phenolic resin binders. This will allow the manufacturer to dispense with resin tanks, resin storage, curing ovens and the environmental costs of handling the resin. “Miraflex plants will be smaller than our traditional facilities, with a shortened manufacturing line that requires fewer employees to run and maintain,” said Hiner. William Hamilton, Owens-Coming; tel: + l419248- 6190.