Glass fiber chopped strand mat

Ilium Composites, which makes glass fiber structural composite reinforcements, has developed a new chopped strand mat (CSM) as part of their ULTImat range of reinforcements.

According to the company, the CSM incorporates a lightweight integrated polyester surface veil and is assembled without the need for stitching or a chemical binder. It is available in a variety of weights from 225g/m2 to 600g/m2 in rolls of 1270mm with non-standard widths available.

Ilium says that the chemical binder-free production allows the use of non-styrenated resin systems, and compatibility with a wider choice of matrices. It also has 100 mm chopped fiber as opposed to 50 mm available elsewhere.

Without a chemical binder, engineers can apply the CSM without waiting to introduce it to deeper geometries of mould cavities, due to its integral cold-formable behaviour. It is compatible with a range of matrices, such as polyester, vinyl ester, epoxy, polyurethane.