NEG glass fiber is used in a wide range of markets, including construction, transportation, energy, industrial, consumer goods and infrastructure. In most cases, glass fiber is used to reinforce the end use product – usually in some form of resin matrix or mat. NEG sells glass fiber directly to the end use manufacturer in some cases (i.e. the manufacturer who is making the end use product), and to intermediate processors in other cases (i.e. fabric weavers or component manufacturers who will sell to the end use manufacturer).
The relative size of the markets for glass fiber are illustrated in the chart to the left and described in more detail below.
The construction segment is the largest of the glass fiber markets, with primary usages in roofing, wall board, cement backer board, insect screening and tubs/showers. Roofing manufacturers use chopped glass fiber to reinforce a mat material that is ultimately used as the backing on shingles. Wall board manufacturers use chopped glass fiber dispersed throughout their product, as a general reinforcement and fire retardant. Glass fiber in woven form is used as backing material in cement backer board, for insect screening and for drywall tape. For tubs and showers, glass fiber is often chopped and sprayed onto a mold, along with resin, to create the final product in built-up layers.
The transportation segment comprises light automotive (i.e. cars, SUVs, pickup trucks), heavy automotive (tracker trailers, large construction vehicles, buses) and aerospace (airplanes). Due to sheer volume of automotive builds, the light automotive sub-segment is the largest part of the overall transportation segment. Glass fiber is used in a wide variety of applications in light automotive, including body panels, exterior components (such as side mirror casings and headlight bezels), under-hood components (where heat resistance is a factor) and under-body parts that protect the vehicle from road debris. The most common scenario in the light automotive sub-segment is glass fiber supplied in chopped or continuous form, extruded by an intermediate manufacturer into plastic-reinforced pellets, which are then supplied to molders who are making the final parts. In heavy automotive and aerospace, glass fiber applications are more specialized and range from similar supply chain scenarios as described above, as well as more specialized applications that use a broader range of glass fiber input.
The primary applications included in the energy segment are piping and wind energy. In piping applications, glass fiber is normally filament wound (wrapped) around a spinning mandrel, along with resin, to create a pipe. These pipes come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses, depending on the application, and are mostly used for different parts of oil or natural gas piping systems. These glass fiber composite pipes have advantages over more traditional steel pipes, due to corrosion resistance and lower installation costs. In wind energy applications, glass fiber is used in a broad range of components that comprise the overall wind turbine, but by far the largest volumes used are in the blades. In the wind blade supply chain, continuous glass fiber is woven into fabric, which is supplied to the blade manufacturer. The blade manufacturer generally ‘lays up’ or stacks several sheets of glass fiber fabric into a mold, infuses with resin, and dries/cures the material into the final blade. A typical 1.5-megawatt wind turbine will use 8,000 kilograms of glass fiber in each blade, resulting in a turbine with three blades, plus other glass fiber components, that uses approximately 25,000 kilograms of glass fiber!
Industrial:
The industrial segment, as the name suggests, comprises a wide variety of industrial-related applications, and the broadest variety of forms of glass fiber and intermediate manufacturing processes. Typical applications in this segment include tools (handles, casings), shipping pallets, high temperature blankets (such as for welding) and equipment components.
Consumer Goods:
The consumer goods segment includes a wide variety of end use products that are typically used by the average consumer or service providers to end consumers, utilizing a variety of forms of input glass fiber, intermediate manufacturing processes and supply chains. Typical applications in this segment include appliance components (washing machines, coffee makers), sporting goods (archery parts, tennis rackets), medical (cast material, components) and electrical/electronics (circuit boards, components).
Infrastructure:
Infrastructure applications also utilize a wide range of forms of glass fiber, intermediate manufacturing processes and supply chains. This segment includes applications related to roads and highways (asphalt underlayment, sign and market posts, sound barriers), electrical grid components (power poles, cross-arm beams), power and chemical plant components (filtration media, mezzanines, grating), waterway support materials (seawalls) and cabling (fiber optic and drop cables).
