How is fiberglass made? Fiberglass production process
author: Lily
2025-12-21
How is glass fiber made?
Glass fiber, short for glass fiber, is a high-performance inorganic non-metallic material. It is made from six minerals—pyrophyllite, quartz sand, limestone, dolomite, borosilicate, and boromagnesia—through high-temperature melting, drawing, winding, and weaving processes. There are two main production processes:
1. Crucible Drawing Method:
This is a two-stage forming method. First, the glass raw material is melted at high temperature to form glass spheres. Then, the glass spheres are melted a second time and drawn at high
speed to form glass fiber filaments. This process has drawbacks such as high energy consumption, unstable forming process, and low labor productivity, and has been largely phased out by
large-scale glass fiber manufacturers.
2. Tank Furnace Drawing Method:
Pyrophyllite and other raw materials are melted into a glass solution in a furnace. After removing air bubbles, the solution is transported through a channel to a porous stencil and drawn at high speed to form glass fiber filaments. The furnace can connect hundreds of stencils through multiple channels for simultaneous production. This process is simple, energy-saving, stable in forming, highly efficient, and high-yield, facilitating large-scale fully automated production, and is the main production process for glass fiber. II. Glass Fiber Production Process There are two production processes for glass fiber.
The following is an example of the crucible drawing method:
Raw material selection → Water washing → Sun drying → Placing in crucible → Burner ignition and preheating → Ignition heating to 1100-1300℃ → Glass melting and temperature adjustment → Drawing → Fiber extraction → Softening → Fiber loading → Fiber clamping and winding → Finished product unloading → Packaging → Finished product → Warehousing.
Several key steps are involved:
1. Ignition: Place the crucible on a crucible rack, ensuring it is level. Then add glass, filling it to 1/4 of its capacity, not exceeding the dimensions on either side of the crucible. It's best to have two people igniting the crucible: one with a preheated blowtorch and ignition rod, and the other controlling the temperature switch. Important notes: Before ignition, preheat the blowtorch in the crucible; don't move the ignition rod too quickly or too slowly during ignition; if bubbles or uneven temperature are observed in the molten glass, pop the bubbles with a spoon, then stir the molten glass in the crucible repeatedly until it's evenly mixed.
2. Wire Drawing and Pulling:
After ignition, wait for the temperature of the molten glass in the crucible to reach 1100-1300℃. The molten glass will automatically flow out from under the eyelets. If some eyelets don't flow out, use a wire drawer to pull the wire. Maintain a proper posture and pull from the outside in to avoid breaking the wire. Avoid touching the iron handle or the crucible holder with the clamps to prevent electric shock. After drawing all the wires, pull them a few times by hand, then begin loading the next section.
3. Threading: Before threading, spray a softener on the roller.
Wrap the pulled-down thread onto the roller, making sure to press the pressure head firmly. Push the roller by hand. After the thread is firmly pressed, turn on the motor and start running. Then, continue feeding and adjusting the temperature as needed for normal production.
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