Contract Manufacturing of Fiberglass and Composite Molding in India
Composite materials are very versatile and are utilized in a wide variety of applications. The most widely used composite material is fiberglass in polyester resin, which is commonly referred to as “fiberglass” or “glass fiber”. Fiberglass is light weight, corrosion resistant, economical, easily processed and has good mechanical properties. Fiberglass is the dominant material in industries such as boat building and corrosion equipment, and it plays a major role in industries such as architectural, automotive, medical, recreational, and industrial equipment.
Composite molding process uses material systems like unsaturated polyesters, epoxy, vinyl easers, etc and reinforcements like glass, carbon, bamboo, Kevlar, high performance foam cores, Nida-cores etc to engineer the products for the intended use.
From various different reinforcements, two types are most popular – Glass and Carbon. Glass Fiber is more commonly known as “Fiberglass”. Carbon Fiber molding is considerably stronger and more expensive compared to Fiberglass. It requires special skills to mold carbon fiber material.
Since composite material offers much lighter weight and similar strength as steel, it is favored in many applications from car bodies to satellite dishes to boats to columns and beams. Light weight keeps transportation costs down and makes handling easier including assembly. Due to these reasons, composite material offers a significant cost advantage over traditional steel products.
Composite molding process is a highly labor intensive process. The labor content could easily be 70-90% of the product cost. This is primarily the reason why advanced nations with high wages cannot afford to continue to produce these products.
This is where low wage and high skill countries like India and China come into play. Products such as race cars, street cars, high-end boats, etc. are highly engineered products containing large amounts of Research and Development (R & D) dollars. The manufacturers of such products need to protect their intellectual property. Since India offers strong protection of intellectual property, it is usually a favored destination for western companies looking for contract manufacturing of these products.
Composite molding, being a manual process, is more of an art form. The design, build and maintenance of molds, selection of appropriate material and resins, inserts, clean environment, curing techniques and post curing treatment contribute to the quality of the product. “Quality” consists of strength, flexibility, weight control, surface finish and gloss and shape control. One additional consideration during ocean or air shipment of composite material is the possibility of warping and corner breakage. This can be avoided by employing proper packaging techniques.
Some Indian companies are experimenting with developing low income homes made entirely of Fiberglass including walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, doors, bathrooms, sinks, and so on.
Several Indian companies have developed decorative fiberglass products which offer world class designs and workmanship standards. Some of these products mimic stein glass panels at a fraction of the cost. In other words, decorative fiberglass could become the poor man’s stein glass.
|