Glass Fibre in Automotive Applications
topic
Automotive applications (30% of glass fibre consumption): body panels (SMC/BMC compression molding—hoods, fenders), interior components (instrument panels, door panels—injection molding with short fibres 20-40% loading), structural parts (leaf springs, drive shafts—pultrusion, filament winding), and underbody shields. Typical loading: 15-45 wt% in thermoplastics, 30-65 wt% in thermosets.
Role
Glass fibre enables automotive lightweighting targets (150-200 kg weight reduction per vehicle) while meeting cost constraints ($2-5/kg component vs. carbon composites $15-40/kg), driving electric vehicle range extension and emissions reduction.