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Glass filament fabric or glass fiber mat - The difference and the processing

The easiest way to answer the question of whether glass fiber mat or glass filament fabric is to compare the advantages and disadvantages of glass fiber mat and glass filament fabric and show the different areas of application of the two:

Glass fiber mat

Advantages glass fiber mat:

  • Easy handling and processing, since glass fiber mats do not require a special structure of the laminate. The individual layers can simply be laminated onto one another.
  • Glass fiber mat is cheaper than glass filament fabric.
  • Glass fiber mat is very easy to process with polyester resin. The binder that holds the individual fiber strands of the glass fiber mat together is dissolved by the syrol in the polyester resin.
  • Glass fiber mats have good drapability.

Disadvantages glass fiber mat:

  • Laminates with fiberglass mat have lower structural strength than laminates with glass filament fabric.
  • Glass fiber mat can only be processed with epoxy resin to a very limited extent or not at all.
  • Laminates with glass fiber mat have a higher resin content and a lower glass fiber content.
  • Low suitability for visible parts.

Glass filament fabric

Advantages of glass filament fabric:

  • Laminates with glass filament fabric have higher structural strength than laminates with glass fiber mat.
  • Laminates with glass filament fabric have a higher glass fiber content than laminates with glass fiber mat. This results in less resin consumption.
  • Glass filament fabrics have good to very good drapability depending on the weave.
  • Glass filament fabric can be used very well with epoxy resin.
  • Glass filament fabric is good for visible parts.

Disadvantages of glass filament fabrics:

  • Glass filament fabric is more expensive than fiberglass mats.
  • For laminates with glass filament fabric, a special layer structure should be observed. The first layer should be laminated at a 0° angle and the second layer at a 45° angle. The third layer should then be set to a 90° angle. If more layers are to be laminated, then the next layer should be laminated again at a 90° angle, then at a 45° angle, then at a 0° angle, and so on. This structure is called a symmetrical structure. This prevents internal stresses in the laminate.