In which emerging industries does the fiberglass industry have great potential in terms of development strategy?
New generation information technology industry
E fiberglass electronic cloth has always been one of the three basic materials of the electronic information industry (PCB/CCL copper clad laminate), and its application has been expanding. Wherever there is electronic control, a circuit board (PCB) must be used. The new generation of information technology involves high-frequency, high-speed and low-loss transmission of electrical signals. With the improvement of mobile Internet, big data, supercomputing, and especially artificial intelligence computing power, its circuit board (PCB) requires the use of first-generation (L1), second-generation (L2) and even third-generation (L3) low-dielectric and low-loss fiberglass ultra-thin cloth. High-end chips require the use of ultra-low expansion fiberglass cloth as a carrier packaging material, which has spawned an industry of special fiberglass ultra-fine yarn and ultra-thin cloth.
High-end equipment manufacturing industry
Electrical insulation materials in electromechanical equipment (such as fiberglass epoxy (polyester) resin insulation materials), various fiberglass thermal insulation and fireproof products, interior materials for civil aircraft, carbon/glass hybrid products in rail transit carriages and large drones as the main structural materials, and the application of fiberglass composites in marine infrastructure (marine building materials such as composite rebar, marine engineering) and marine equipment is a new growth point.
New materials industry
fiberglass composite materials have been used in various industrial fields for 60 to 70 years and are important materials in the new materials industry. First, the production and manufacturing technology of fiberglass has been improving; second, its product performance has been improving, and the types have been increasing; third, its downstream application scenarios are constantly expanding. As an inorganic non-metallic reinforcement material, fiberglass has unique performance, product form, and the designability and manufacturability of fiberglass composites are not available in many other materials, and can be mass-produced. Its excellent cost-effectiveness and quality-price ratio have unique advantages in competing with steel, aluminum, chemical fiber, carbon fiber, wood, etc. Since thermoplastic products are environmentally friendly and recyclable, the product molding process and performance are constantly improving. Their application will expand in the future, and there will definitely be new growth points and even large tracks. fiberglass composites are widely used in various fields of the national economy and even in people's daily lives (automobiles, home appliances, computers, mobile phones, etc.). It is not easy to see, but it is everywhere.
New energy vehicle industry
The largest application scenario of fiberglass is in the automotive field. Thermoplastic fiberglass is used in passenger cars, and thermosetting fiberglass is used in trucks. New energy vehicles have higher requirements for body weight reduction, and the proportion of fiberglass composites used is greater than that of fuel vehicles. Although electric vehicles and fuel vehicles are very different in structure, the amount of composite materials has increased. The upper cover of the battery is almost all made of fiberglass composites, and the lower cover of the battery is a composite product combination that is still under development and has a greater demand. Electronic control functions, networking, and intelligence are the biggest advantages of electric vehicles. The number of PCBs in an electric vehicle is 4 to 6 times that of a fuel vehicle.
Wind power photovoltaic industry
fiberglass is the most important structural material for wind turbine blades. From the initial E fiberglass, fluorine-free and boron-free fiberglass to a series of high modulus fiberglass, along with the development and growth of the global wind power new energy industry, the blade length has increased from the initial 37.5m to the current mainstream blade type of 100~110m, 120~130m, and the power has increased from 1.5MW, 3.0MW, 4.0MW, 6.0MW to 10~12MW. It is precisely because China's three major fiberglass companies and the United States OC continue to develop high modulus glass series products that meet the global demand for fiberglass materials for wind turbine blades, greatly delaying the application of carbon fiber in wind turbine blades. The composite photovoltaic frame that emerged in 2023 replaced the original aluminum alloy frame, with performance and price advantages. After a 3-5 year product introduction period, it will become another major application track for fiberglass composites in the new energy industry. If half of the photovoltaic frames are replaced with fiberglass composites, the annual fiberglass consumption will be 500,000 to 600,000 tons.
Energy-saving and environmental protection industry
fiberglass composite materials have been widely used in environmental protection projects and chemical corrosion protection. Corrosion resistance is one of the main characteristics of fiberglass composite materials. In terms of wastewater and waste gas treatment, fiberglass composite materials are the most used functional and structural materials. Composite storage tanks and pipelines are also widely used in chemical corrosion protection. Building energy consumption accounts for more than 1/3 of the total energy consumption of the whole society. Building energy conservation and green buildings are highly valued. All ministries, provinces and cities have issued documents on the implementation plan, regulatory requirements and other documents on green buildings and building energy conservation. For a long time, thermal insulation materials are not fireproof, fireproof materials are not heat-insulating, and materials that are both heat-insulating and fireproof are not durable, which has become a major problem that plagues the design, material selection and construction of building insulation projects. First of all, wall insulation materials are required to meet the A-level standard in terms of fire resistance. This rule excludes organic insulation materials (such as extruded board XPS, polystyrene board EPS, foamed polyurethane board, etc.), and only inorganic materials can meet the standard. At present, the most commonly used inorganic insulation materials are fixed-length fiber wool (such as rock wool and centrifugal glass wool). The biggest advantages of fixed-length fiber cotton are large production volume, low cost, and low thermal conductivity (better thermal insulation performance). The disadvantages are low strength and stiffness, especially low pull-out strength. Some provinces and cities prohibit the use of rock wool in buildings above 6 floors, and many cities prohibit or restrict the use of rock wool in building exterior wall insulation projects. Continuous fiberglass is rarely used to produce building wall insulation materials. Taishan Fiberglass has successfully developed continuous fiberglass high-strength insulation board through 5 years, which overcomes the shortcomings of fixed-length fiber cotton performance. Whether it is its own strength (including pull-out strength), density, stiffness, or thermal conductivity, it is far better than rock wool, and construction is more convenient. Vacuum insulation board (VIP) made of continuous fiberglass is also better than fixed-length fiber cotton VIP board in terms of comprehensive cost performance. VIP board is the material with the lowest thermal conductivity among current insulation materials. Its decorative integrated board is used for building interior and exterior wall insulation (especially ultra-low energy consumption buildings in cold areas) and is also the preferred solution in the future.
The demand for new insulation materials for green buildings and ultra-low energy consumption buildings is a huge market. It can be predicted that in five or ten years, fiberglass will form a new industrial track in the field of building energy conservation and emission reduction, making new contributions to the cause of energy conservation and environmental protection.
