Further to the launch of the roving SE2020 in 2011, the HiPer-tex™ High Modulus glass in 2012 and the JEC Award in 2014 with Siemens, DSM and DTU for a new composite system based on DSM’s Beyone™ resin and SE3030 roving, 3B’s new reinforcement products are recognized as benchmarks by the value chain of the Wind industry. 

3B’s new rovings for the Wind Energy market - SE2020 & SE3030 direct rovings made of E-CR glass as well as HiPer-tex™ W2020 & W3030 made of high modulus glass - are suitable for the production of Non Crimp fabrics for infusion, filament winding, wet and dry lay-up. The benefits of these products have been confirmed by the market in the two years period that followed their launch. 

Luc Peters, 3B Global Wind Energy Technical Service Manager, comments: “We are very pleased with the positive feedback from the market about our new products specifically developed for the Wind market. Improvements such as better inter fibre properties, better fatigue, +10% E modulus, and +20% higher tensile strength have been proven consistently in various resins. On top of those improvements, we can also claim today that the inter fibre properties stability over time outperforms by far our previous sizings. For our customers, it means a longer shelf life of the rovings but also of the fabrics. We have measured, that even after 2 years, our new products still demonstrate excellent properties and still meet the original blade manufacturers requirements. This definitively is a significant benefit for our direct customers, for the weavers, as well as for most blade producers, especially in the hot climate regions of the globe.” 

Also thanks to the enhanced quality controls implemented at our plants, the new products demonstrate better processing performances leading to higher machine efficiency, improved fabrics quality resulting in more uniform wet-out, more robust infusion process, better laminate quality and less defects due to wrinkles, streaking and uneven impregnation. 

“More specifically, on the HiPer-tex™ side our frequent monitoring of the product properties confirms the mechanical properties consistency, especially the E modulus, which nowadays is so critical for long blades especially designed for the low wind class as well as for multi MW offshore turbines.” NEWS RELEASE 

Onur Tokgoz, 3B Global Wind Energy Marketing Manager, added: “3B demonstrates once more its commitment to support the Wind Energy value chain. We are not only offering benchmark and higher performing products, but we also offer security of supply to our customers both for their short and long term needs. Facing the growing need of the market and thanks to the flexibility of our high modulus glass platform, we are happy to support and follow the growth of our customers.”