Several Tips for Fiberglass Tub Painting

If the color of your fiberglass chopped strand mat tub isn’t what you like, the tub does not need to be replaced. Just paint it to get a new color. When deciding to paint the tub, here are some tips that may be helpful.

Remove Caulking

Check the edges of the tub to find the beads of caulk. Use a caulk removal tool, a putty knife or a screwdriver for this purpose. Keep in mind that the paint will not stick to the caulk, or if it does, it will peel off easily anyway. After removing the caulk, clean the surfaces with cloth dabbed in isopropyl alcohol. When the painting is done, reapply the caulk.

Clean the Shower Thoroughly

A dirty tub is not fit for painting. Scrub and clean every square inch of the tub to remove any dirt and grime sticking to it. Remove soap scum, calcium deposits, and water marks as well. Vinegar and baking soda paste can be made into a paste, scrubbed lightly onto the tub and washed off. If not, use TSP for thorough cleaning. Be sure to wash the tub thoroughly with water after using any type of cleaner. Wipe the tub dry with an old towel or cloth.

Sand the Tub Lightly With Fine Grit Sandpaper

Do not use coarse sandpaper to roughen the surfaces or else the bathtub will get damaged. Use fine grit sandpaper. If not, use a fine steel wool. Do not rub the sandpaper with too much pressure. Simply rub it lightly to create a rougher surface where the paint can easily stick to. Wash the surfaces after sanding to remove the residue.

After coating the bathtub with a primer or paint and decide to add another coat, make sure to sand the coat lightly as well before applying the next coat. Always make sure that paint is dry before doing so.

Always Provide Ventilation and Wear a Respirator

The fumes emitted by the paint are not good for the health. Be sure to open the windows and the door when working. Turn on the exhaust fan as well to ensure the vapors do not stay inside the room. Wear a respirator for maximum protection against the toxic fumes. The respirator is also useful when sanding the fiberglass tub. The fibers from the tub pose a health risk once inhaled.

Use Epoxy Paint or Acrylic

Epoxy paint is ideal for fiberglass tubs because it offers the best resistance to water and damage. Because the paint hardens after curing, it is scratch-resistant. Read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully before application of epoxy paint. This type of paint becomes useless hours after mixing. In addition, look for paints with fewer odors and designed for easy application. It may be harder to apply the paint, but it does provide the most durable coat.

Acrylic is another paint that is best for fiberglass tub. It is hard-wearing and water resistant; however, it must be applied on top of latex primer.

Seek innovative technologies for composites materials

AVK that is the global alliance for the reinforced plastics, currently is seeking innovative composite products and manufacturing processes for the selection AVK Innovation Award in 2015.

Seeking innovative reinforcing material, composite materials covers the following areas:

Innovative products, fiberglass chopped strand mat components and applications;

Innovative production technology and production processes;

Well-known companies in the field of composite materials;

Composite materials related Investigation and research projects.

The purpose of the innovation award is developing new products and components in the field of FRP, and innovative related manufacturing production techniques. Which is also awarded to universities and research institutions, and incentives to the people of make outstanding achievements in scientific research field. While further tap those fiberglass enterprise with attractive, which is the people to make achievements in the study of human resource management, corporate culture and occupational health and safety. "Sustainable development" is the profile of each participating judges are concerned.

Deadline for submissions is April 31, 2015, awards will be given at the time of the First International Conference of composite materials, held 21-22 September 2015 in Stuttgart, Germany.

Woven Fabrics V.S. Chopped Strand Mat

Woven Fabrics V.S. Chopped Strand Mat

What is WOVEN FABRICS? 

Woven fabrics are strong reinforcements because the fibers are bundled into yarns oriented in just two directions. The warp and fill yarns run at 0 and 90 degrees respectively. Thus, fabrics are anisotropic, or strong in only two directions. Fabrics need to be oriented so the fiber yarns run parallel to the expected loads. If extra strength is needed in a different direction, another ply must be added at an angle to the first. The most common angles are +/- 45 degrees. 

Styles Of Woven Fabrics 

There are many styles of woven fabric to choose from. The most common are the plain weave fabrics where the warp and fill threads cross alternately. Plain woven fabrics are generally the lease pliable, but are easy to cut and handle because they don’t unravel badly. However, their strength is compromised due to the severe “prebuckling” already present in the fabric. As stated under tows, fibers only produce their greatest strength when they are perfectly straight. The frequent over/under crossing of the threads reduces the strength of plain weave types, though they are still adequate for all but the highest performance applications. 

What is FIBERGLASS CHOPPED STRAND MAT? 

The fibers are typically 3-4 inches in length and are randomly oriented.fiberglass chopped strand mat is not a very strong material because of the short fiber length. However, it is isotropic. This means that it is equally strong in all directions. Mat and fillers are the only composite reinforcements exhibiting this trait. This is the cheapest reinforcement form and is thus the most widely used. It is suitable for molds and part production. The random orientation effectively hides fabric print through of gelcoats and makes molds which are equally stiff in all directions. It should be noted that chopped strand mat is only compatible with polyester resin. 

Fiberglass Sheet- One of the Best Materials for Greenhouse Roof

Fiberglass Reinforced Panels are made of a durable polyester resin and reinforced with fiberglass. They are ideal wall covering, for interior use in restaurants,fiberglass chopped strand mat kitchens, restrooms, break rooms, carwashes and any locations that require low-maintenance, washable walls. 

A greenhouse roof is not one size fits all, and effective greenhouse roofing can be achieved through a number of different materials. The most common materials used as greenhouse roofs include glass, polyethylene film, double-layered panels of polycarbonate or acrylic, and fiberglass panels or sheeting. Each of these materials has benefits and drawbacks, and one may be more suited to a particular type of greenhouse than another. Each greenhouse roof material has one very important characteristic in common: It is a clear or semi-clear, light-permeable material that will allow the plants inside the greenhouse to receive the light and heat they need to grow.

Glass roofing does have its drawbacks, though. It generally requires the highest up front cost, not only due to the cost of the glass, but also because it requires strong, sturdy framing materials to support it. Care must be taken to carefully construct and seal glass greenhouse roofs, as those not sealed properly have a high probability of leaking. Glass also carries a higher risk of breakability than some other materials, and it is not the best insulator.

Fiberglass sheets or panels are a long-lasting, less expensive alternative to glass and may be used in permanent greenhouse structures for 15 years or more. This material is much lighter than glass, so it does not require heavy-duty framing the same way that glass roofing does. Fiberglass is durable enough to withstand many types of weather and other outside elements. Over time, however, the light penetration of this material will be reduced; it does require maintenance in order to maintain the best possible light permeability. Fiberglass is also not as flexible as some other types of greenhouse roofing.

Advantages of Powder Chopped Strand Mat than Emulsion ones.

People use powder chopped stand mat and emulsion chopped strand mat because of different crafts and daily usage habits. But next time you use fiberglass chopped strand mat for an application, think powder ones firstly. Below are some reasons.

Firstly, the corrosion and water resistance of composites made with powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT are far better (compared to emulsion CHOPPED STRAND MAT) in view of the inherent superior chemical resistance of bisphenol fumarate polyester powder compared to plasticized PVAC. Composites are less prone to osmotic blistering when powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT is used. Hence more widespread use of powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT in manufacture of boats, tanks etc. that use the contact molding technique.

Secondly, composite strength has a direct correlation with % by weight of the fibrous reinforcement – higher reinforcement content (weight %) results in superior mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural strength and related moduli. As the degree of wetting is more thorough and speed of wetting is faster, consolidation of layers with powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT is easier and better. This is more evident in vertical sections due to less resin drip (better resin retention), aided primarily by superior consolidation capability. Drain resistance is very good as faster wet-out with polyester powder binder provides lower surface tension. Logically, use of powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT must result in lower resin consumption in view of the above. Operators tend to dab more resin on each layer of emulsion CHOPPED STRAND MAT in the layup sequence to ensure wetting is thorough (to avoid resin-starved areas) and avoid possible springback (in case of contoured sections). The end result is more resin consumption and a relatively lower glass-resin ratio compared to powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT. The key lies in shopfloor operators adapting to handling powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT differently - since wetting is more through and faster and consolidation of individual layers requires lower roller pressure (or reduced frequency of brush stipling as the case may be) and relatively lesser resin usage.

When large areas are involved with multiple layers (ie. thicker laminates), the resin saving can be more pronounced with powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT without sacrificing aesthetics – differential wetting is more common with emulsion CHOPPED STRAND MAT due to slower speed of dissolution in the styrene. The higher glass content (% glass fiber by weight) in the molded composite would be evident with powder CHOPPED STRAND MAT when quality control personnel conduct tests for mechanical properties (tensile, flexural strength and modulus) on cut-out sections.

Differences Between Chopped Strand Mat And Woven Roving

Here are differences between fiberglass Chopped Strand Mat (CSM) and Woven Roving (WR).

             

                             Chopped Strand Mat (CSM)                     Woven Roving (WR)

Firstly, Chopped Strand Mat (CSM) is a random fiber reinforcement, composed of chopped fiberglass of various lengths, randomly dispersed to provide equal distribution in all directions. Chopped Strand is designed for use with polyester and vinyl ester resin systems. Because it uses a styrene monomer soluble binder, to hold strands in place, it’s not compatible with epoxy resin systems. Chopped strand mat (CSM) is commonly used in laminates to minimize weave print through, due to ease of wet out, the good bond provided between layers of woven roving or cloth, and is comparatively low in cost. 

Regarding Woven Roving (WR), it is continuous strands of glass fiber, grouped together to form a twisted yarn. The roving is then woven into a coarse, square, lattice-type open weave to form the material. Woven roving provides great tensile, flexural, & impact strengths, at moderate cost. It’s more difficult to wet out than chopped strand mat or cloth however, and because of the coarse weave, it is not used where surface appearance is important. A layer of chopped strand mat is used between each layer of roving, to fill the coarse weave, when more than one layer is required. Compatible with most resin systems.

Woven Roving (WR) is a more like a cloth. Long glass strand have been woven uniformly to form the cloth. Different weaves will create different cloths for different purposes of use. Depending upon what directions load is wanting to be applied along the cloth. You can have very thin sheathing cloth through to heavy cloths. Cloth that is bi-directional and even tri-directional. 

The advantages of fiberglass product-fiberglass tile

There are many advantages of fiberglass tile as follows:

First, all weather: fiberglass chopped strand mat shingle can withstand a variety of erodes caused by weather factors, such as light , hot and cold, rain and freezing and so on.

Second, heat insulation: low thermal conductivity of fiberglass tile roof, blocking the conduction of heat or loss.

Third, Sound absorption: As the shape and arrangement of glass tile surface mineral grains are irregular, so it is a good adsorption and mitigate the impact sound of rain on the roof and other noise, ensuring the peaceful life of the top-level households.

Forth, Corrosion resistance: Fiberglass shingles will not rust, spotted other phenomena under the influence of adverse climatic conditions.

Fifth, Self-cleaning dust-proof: Fiberglass shingles will not form a clear stains as the fouling, even in the long rainy conditions, it do not accumulate water stains. After rain washed but will look cleaner.

Sixth, fire resistance: fiberglass shingles fire rating, which has reached the A-grade fire safety standards

Seventh, wind resistance: fiberglass tile fixed by a fixed part, When the tile effected by light and heat, it will reach effective temperature. it also can become self adhesive sticky, and the two tiles will be sticked together firmly. So that the entire roof together into a whole, thus greatly improving the wind resistance.