With customers looking for better-quality products that are easy to maintain, manufacturers are turning to pultruded products as a low-maintenance and highly tolerant replacement for wood and metals like steel and aluminum.
Originally developed in the U.S. in the 1950s by Goldsworthy, pultrusion is a leading composite manufacturing process and is expected to grow as demand increases across industries such as infrastructure, telecommunications, oil & gas, and aerospace.
In fact, the global pultrusion market is expected to reach $3.4 billion by 2024, with a 4.0% CAGR from 2019 to 2024, according to market researcher Lucintel.
The pultrusion process converts reinforced fibers and liquid resin into a fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) by pulling the mixture through a die. The fibers are saturated by being pulled through a resin bath, then shaped, pulled through a heated steel die, and shaped again.
Once hardened, it is cut, and urethane pull blocks are used to prevent cracking or deformation.
This pulling method allows for high-fiber loading and controlled resin content. A range of reinforcing fibers and formats can be used, including glass, carbon, polyester resin, epoxy resin, vinyl ester resin, and thermosetting resins.
Various resins and additives can be added to ensure the final product meets the required properties.
Composites can be pigmented in nearly any color and finished with special effects such as wood grain, marble, and granite. The final product can be painted, cut, dripped, and bolted using conventional tools.
According to the European Pultrusion Technology Association, these composites, such as glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) rebar, can maintain their microstructural integrity and mechanical properties for 15 years of service and sometimes longer.
Over the next decade, demand for pultruded products is projected to grow into one of the most promising segments of the composites industry.
Pultrusion is now the preferred method of manufacturing composite parts for thousands of products across key application markets, including infrastructure, telecommunications, oil & gas, and utilities.
Pultruded products can be used across a range of industries, offering advantages over traditional materials such as steel, aluminium, and wood.
The stability and thermal performance of pultruded products make them a strong alternative to wood, PVC, steel, and aluminium.
For example, FRPs are used by designers, builders, and homeowners for a range of products, including energy-efficient windows, thermal breaks, oil and gas tubes, and sports equipment.
Pultruded products last longer when compared to the corrosion levels of metals used for bridges, as they are resistant to weather-induced decay.
Additionally, they can be used in sucker rods in the oil industry, as they are lightweight and reduce installation and energy costs. They can also be used in spar cap structures for wind turbine blades, due to their lightweight and weather-resistant nature.
With low maintenance, high tolerance, durability, and strength, pultruded products help businesses minimize costs and callbacks.
Advantage: Pultruded Fiberglass Products
The key driver of development opportunities for FRP products is the growing demand for durable and lightweight products that are resistant to corrosion for various end-user industries.
By 2020, in the North American market, pultrusion is expected to generate $1.06 billion in revenue, with a 5% CAGR. Infrastructure and construction will be the major growth sectors, with products such as pultruded glass fiber, which is critical to 5G infrastructure.