Saint-Gobain Vetrotex: Filament Winding

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	Description of the process
	Our products available for this process
	Similar processes

his process allows a thermoset resin-impregnated glass reinforcement, generally based on single-end rovings, to be wrapped around a suitable mandrel. The mandrel gives the shape of the final item. A filament winding machine wraps the mandrel with resin-impregnated strands with the required amount and orientation to build the designed reinforced structure. Filament winding produces hollow items like tubes, pipes, elbows, tanks, vessels with a typical 70%-30% glass-weight ratio.

Glass reinforcement is generally single-end rovings disposed on a creel.

Through guiding and tensioning systems, strands are unwound under controlled conditions.

"Full bath" or "transfer roller" systems impregnate and control the amount of resin on the strand.

Impregnated strands are therefore accurately wound in several layers on the rotative mandrel with an automated filament winding machine.

After this wet winding step, the mandrel wrapped with the composite structure is moved, but always in rotation, to be cured in an oven (or with infrared lights).

Once cured and therefore thermoset, resin polymerization has been completed and the mandrel is removed.

The mandrel may sometimes be kept in the final composite item ("liner" part).


	Click on picture to enlarge.



	A similar but continuous process, called the "Drostholm" process, allows the production of only cylindrical parts (pipes, tanks) based on a special continuous mandrel design. In this process, both single-end rovings and chop (multi-end) rovings are necessary.



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