MARKETS
Glass Fibers Tied to Reinforced Plastics Out of 180 million pounds of glass fiber consumed this year, reinforced plastics take 100 million pounds Though glass fiber production in 1962 hit a record high of 189.4 million pounds, there has been a slackening of production this year. In 1963 it may drop to 180 million pounds. For the next five years production should grow at about 10% per year, reaching 280 million pounds by 1968. With about 300 million pounds of industry capacity, operating rate will be about 609r this year. The bulk of this capacity is split among Ferro Corp., Custin-Bacon Manufacturing, JohnsMan ville Fiber Glass, Owens-Corning Fiberglas, and Pittsburgh Plate Glass. Uppermost in many producers' minds is the price of glass fiber. Since 1961 the list price for glass fiber roving, which is used to reinforce plastics, has dropped from 40 cents a pound to 33 cents. Early last month PPG lifted the price of roving by 2 cents
a pound. Although it seemed the time was right for an increase, due to idle capacity and a growing market, Owens-Corning Fiberglas, the largest producer, did not go along with it. At the time, Owens-Corning said it held the price to make glass fiber-reinforced plastics more competitive with other structural materials. PPG rescinded its price increase. Glass fiber has four major outletsreinforced plastics, industrial uses, electrical uses, and decorative applications. This year reinforced plastics will take about 100 million pounds of a total consumption of 180 million pounds of glass fiber. Decorative uses, mainly curtains and drapes, will consume about 35 million pounds. Various industrial uses, such as paper and tape reinforcing, belting, and hose, will take about 19 million pounds.
USES. Avanti's underbody is removed from the mold at Molded Fiber Glass Body Co.'s plant at Ashtabula, Ohio. A final buffing (left) is given to the Avanti body before shipment to Studebaker's plant at South Bend, Ind. Glass fiber-reinforced translucent panels are used for skylights in industrial buildings (right)
Electrical uses, mainly in wire covering and insulation, will take about 15 million pounds. About 10 million pounds will be exported, up from 6 million in 1962. Electrical uses show little promise of impressive growth. Other materials such as polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride have made strong inroads into the wire covering and insulation market. In 1959 about 20 million pounds of glass fiber went into this market. This has decreased to about 15 million pounds this year. Glass fiber will continue to feel the pinch of competition by these other materials. In 1958, decorative uses, such as curtains and drapes, consumed 18 million pounds of glass fiber. Since then, the market has grown substantially and it may consume 35 million pounds this year. This market, however, could expand even more rapidly depending on the success of a development by Owens-Corning Fiberglas. The company has developed a beta fiber which is made from a glass filament 0.0014 inch in diameter. Fabrics made with this fiber are sheerer, whiter, longer wearing, and have a more natural hand (feel of the material) than previous glass fiber fabrics, Owens-Corning says. The company claims that beta fibers give glass fabrics a printability they never had before. These characteristics could open up uses for glass fiber in drapery, table linen, and apparel. The industrial market for glass fiber has grown from 11.6 million pounds in 1958 to about 19 million pounds this year. Paper and tape reinforcing account for the major part of this market. In 1958, only 7.6 million pounds of glass fiber went into paper and tape reinforcing. This year nearly 13 million pounds may be consumed. Belting and hose, which consumed 300,000 pounds of glass fiber in 1961, are two industrial uses showing great promise for growth. Glassreinforced belting and hose are now in test markets. B. F. Goodrich, for instance, says that its Glasstex belt outlasts conventional belts. The company says the Glasstex belt has undergone 800 hours of endurance testing without breaking up, while stretching less than 1 / 2 % of its original length. Under similar conditions conventional belts would stretch to a point where they were useless. The future for use of glass fiber in belting and hose looks bright
on the basis of such performance tests. This year belting and hose should consume 700,000 pounds of glass fiber. Future Use. The use of glass fiber in tire cord could open up new outlets for glass fiber. Firestone says it is developing a glass fiber tire cord which, it claims, is particularly promising in radial-ply tires. In radial-ply tires, the cords run across the tire body instead of at an angle of 34° to 38° from the circumferential direction as in conventional tires. J. J. Robson, Firestone's director of tire development, says the glass fiber tire cord does not have the stiffness of other materials; it will absorb shock and prevent noise. In Europe, radial-ply tires have had some success. Mr. Robson believes Europe will be the first commercial outlet for tires containing glass fiber cord. He adds that the immediate future of the radial-ply tire in the U.S. is somewhat uncertain. The brightest outlook for glass fiber use is in reinforced plastics. This year some 100 million pounds of glass fiber will be used in reinforced plastics. By 1965, total consumption of glass fiber should be 217 million pounds; the reinforced plastics market should take 120 million pounds of that. The importance of this market is brought out by a recent decision by Johns-Manville. The company is directing all of its glass fiber
production into reinforced plastics. Nearly 260 million pounds of reinforced plastics were used in 1961. This year consumption should come close to 300 million pounds. Transportation and construction uses will take up about 125 million pounds of this total. In construction, structural sheet and panel materials in both corrugated and flat forms make up the bulk of the products using glass fiber. About 25Vc of the structural sheet and panel end product is glass fiber. This year construction may take about 15.5 million pounds of glass fiber, up from 14.7 million in 1962. Reinforced plastics used in transportation will take about 21.7 million pounds of glass fiber this year, up 1.4 million from 1962. The greatest potential in this market lies in glass fiberreinforced plastic auto bodies. The newest such body is on Studebaker's Avanti, which sold 3000 units this year. One important deciding factor for using reinforced plastics instead of steel for auto bodies is in tooling costs. When Chevrolet first used a reinforced plastic body for its Corvette in 1953, tooling costs were about $500,000, compared to $5 million for steel bodies. At that time, it was more economical to tool up for steel if more than 15,000 units would be produced. Now this break-even point has risen to nearly 30,000 units and may go
Glass Fiber Production May Hit 280 Million Pounds b* 1968
up to 100,000 due to technological advances in reinforced plastics, says Don Lyon, manager, textile glass products division of Johns-Manville. This could mean a much larger outlet for glass fiber-reinforced plastic in auto bodies. Although auto bodies offer the greatest future market for reinforced plastic, auto makers are already finding other uses for it, such as in heater housings, dash panels, kick plates, and trim. Boats. The use of glass fiber-reinforced plastic for boats is also increasing. In 1958 about 11 million pounds of glass fiber went into reinforced plastic boats. This year some 15 million pounds may be consumed. By 1965 nearly 75% of boats under 20 feet in length will be the glass fiber type. The use of glass fiber in the larger boats—40 feet long and up—should also show considerable gains. The missile industry's consumption of glass fiber-reinforced plastic has increased from about 15 million pounds in 1961 to 17.5 million pounds this year. In this industry, filament-wound products, such as rocket casings, are a major consumer of glass fiber. Filament winding represents 10% of the total reinforced plastics market. With an almost constant flow of new filament-wound products—from railroad tank cars to gasoline storage tanks—future growth in this area should be about 10% per year.
Nearly 180 Million Pounds of Glass Fiber Will Be Consumed This Year Millions of Pounds
MILLIONS OF POUNDS
REINFORCED PLASTICS Transportation Construction Boats Aircraft & missiles Consumer products Other Subtotal
7.5 22.8 100.0
INDUSTRIAL USES Paper and tape reinforcing Filtration Belting Hose Other Subtotal
10.0
ELECTRICAL USES Subtotal
15.0 15.0
DECORATION Curtains, upholstery, drapes Other Subtotal Source: Textile Economics Bureau and *C&EN estimates
21.7 15.5 15.0 17.5
EXPORTS Grand total Source:
12.8
2.0 0.4 0.3 3.5
32.0
3.0 35.0 10.0 170.0
C&EN estimates
NOV.
4, 1 9 6 3
C&EN
37
