Hand Book Of Fibre Glass Moulding

About This Book

Hand Book of Fibre Glass Moulding (Engineers India Research Institute, ISBN 8186732942) covers reinforced plastics and composites from material selection through mould making and moulding process to costed manufacturing projects.

Material sections cover thermosetting and thermoplastic matrices, fillers and additives, reinforcements, and preforms, compounds and prepregs. Polyester resin content covers glycols, unsaturated and saturated acids, monomers and inhibitors, with commercial resin types including gelcoat and topcoat, general purpose, chemical resistant, low shrink and low profile, dough moulding compound, prepreg, light cured, casting and specialty grades. Curing chemistry is treated separately, covering diacyl peroxide, ketone peroxide, hydroperoxide and peroxyester initiators, cobalt, manganese and vanadium metal accelerators, tertiary amine promoters, mixed metal and amine systems, and inhibitors. Epoxy content covers bisphenol A, glycidyl ester, glycidyl amine, novolac glycidyl ether and brominated resins with diluents, alongside amine, anhydride and polyamide curing agent selection with accelerators. Reinforcement content covers glass fibre, polyvinyl alcohol fibre, whiskers, carbon and graphite fibre, boron filament and aramid fibre.

Mould sections cover plaster moulds with pattern construction, wooden moulds, glass reinforced plastic moulds including single-part designs, epoxide resin moulds, steel moulds for centrifugal, transfer, injection and pultrusion work, aluminium alloy moulds and nickel shell moulds.

Process sections cover contact and hand lay-up, vacuum bag moulding in wet lay-up and prepreg systems, pressure bag moulding, resin injection and resin transfer moulding, pressure injection, vacuum impregnation and injection, monoforming, foam reservoir moulding, cold press and matched metal hot press moulding, sheet and dough moulding compounds, transfer and injection moulding, filament winding, centrifugal moulding, continuous sheet manufacture, pultrusion and sandwich construction with expanded PVC, polystyrene, phenolic and polyurethane cores, alongside design guidance and eight project profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Hand Book of Fibre Glass Moulding cover?

The Hand Book of Fibre Glass Moulding (EIRI, ISBN 8186732942) covers reinforced plastics manufacture end to end. Its main divisions are: reinforced plastics and composites fundamentals; design in fibre reinforced plastics; mould types and construction; moulding processes from hand lay-up to pultrusion; polyester resin types and selection; catalysts, accelerators and inhibitors for unsaturated polyester; epoxy resins and curing agents; reinforcement fibres and their characteristics; fibre glass reinforced pipe; and eight project profiles with capital, turnover, rate of return and break-even figures.

Who is this fibre glass moulding handbook written for?

This handbook is written for readers making or planning to make composite products. Its intended audience includes fibre reinforced plastic moulders and fabricators, composite product designers selecting materials and processes, mould makers and pattern workers, production and quality staff in glass reinforced plastic units, students of polymer and composite technology, technical libraries, and entrepreneurs or consultants preparing project reports for an FRP, acrylic or moulding compound unit.

Who should consider starting a fibre glass or FRP business, and why?

Fibre reinforced plastics moulding is among the more accessible manufacturing entries, and it suits entrants prepared to learn process discipline rather than buy their way in with capital. Hand lay-up and contact moulding need little more than moulds, rollers and a working space, so a small unit can begin with tanks, panels, chairs, bathroom products or custom fabrication and reinvest into press or injection capability later. Demand spans construction, water and chemical storage, transport, sanitaryware, electrical insulation and marine, so no single end market dominates. Composites also substitute for steel, wood and concrete in corrosive or weight-sensitive applications, which sustains demand independent of any one sector. The constraints deserve attention before committing. Product quality depends on resin-to-glass ratio, cure control and workmanship, and hand processes vary with the operator, so training and inspection matter more than equipment. Styrene emissions from open moulding require ventilation and pollution control consent. Peroxide initiators need proper storage and handling. Mould cost is the real upfront commitment per product, and a mould made for one design cannot make another. And competing on price against established moulders is difficult, so most successful entrants find a product niche or serve as a fabricator to industrial customers.

What moulding processes does the book explain?

Process coverage is broad and organised by method. Open moulding covers contact and hand lay-up including epoxide systems, vacuum bag moulding in both wet lay-up and prepreg forms with flat sheet technique, and pressure bag moulding. Closed moulding covers resin injection and resin transfer moulding, pressure injection, vacuum impregnation and vacuum injection moulding, monoforming, foam reservoir moulding, cold press moulding and matched metal hot press moulding using liquid resin with chopped strand mat or preform, sheet moulding compounds, prepregs and dough or bulk moulding compounds. Further processes covered include transfer moulding, injection moulding, filament winding in wet lay-up and prepreg forms, centrifugal moulding, continuous sheet manufacture, pultrusion and sandwich construction, with trimming and finishing.

Does the book include project economics with return figures?

Yes, and in more detail than most titles in this series. Eight project profiles each cover rated plant capacity, land and building, plant and machinery, fixed capital, raw materials, monthly working capital, total capital investment and annual turnover, and then continue to profit to sales ratio, rate of return and break-even point. The projects are: acrylic sheet and moulded products; acrylic bath tubs including monomer manufacture; dough, bulk and sheet moulding compounds; FRP products; fibre glass sheet; fibre reinforced plastics with formulation, catalyst and accelerator selection and processing conditions; fibre glass; and fibre glass wire.

What does the book cover on moulds and tooling?

Mould making is treated as a distinct subject, which matters because tooling is the main capital commitment per product in composites. Coverage includes plaster moulds with construction of the plaster pattern, wooden moulds, glass reinforced plastic moulds including single one-part designs, epoxide resin moulds, steel moulds with their application to centrifugal moulding, transfer and injection moulding and pultrusion, aluminium alloy moulds and nickel shell moulds. Design content supporting this covers material and process selection, thickness selection, flanges and corners, inserts, flat sheets, building and cladding panels and hollow structures.

What resin and curing system guidance does the book give?

Resin selection is covered by application rather than by chemistry alone. Polyester content identifies gelcoat and topcoat resins, general purpose grades, chemical resistant grades, low shrink and low profile resins, resins formulated for dough moulding compounds and for prepregs, light cured resins, casting resins and other specialty grades, with the glycol, acid, monomer and inhibitor components that produce those differences. Curing content covers the cure reaction itself and then the initiator families, the cobalt, manganese and vanadium accelerators and tertiary amine promoters used with them, mixed metal salt and amine systems, and inhibitors for working time control. Epoxy content covers resin types and the selection of amine, anhydride and polyamide curing agents with accelerators for anhydride cured systems.

Which reinforcement fibres does the book cover?

Reinforcement coverage extends beyond glass. Fibres covered include fibrous glass as the principal reinforcement, polyvinyl alcohol fibres, whiskers, carbon and graphite fibres, boron filaments and aramid fibres, each treated as a reinforcing agent with its characteristics and role. This supports the design section, where material selection is discussed alongside process selection, and the fibre glass reinforced plastic pipe section, where reinforcement choice determines performance. Filler and additive content is covered separately within the composites introduction.