3B-the fibreglass company announces the introduction of a renewed range of reinforcements each designed for specific resin systems and engineered to provide optimum performances for the manufacture of wind turbine blades. The first product in the series to be revealed is Advantex® SE2020, a new single-end roving specifically engineered for epoxy polymer systems utilized in resin infusion or prepreg processes.
Luc Peters, 3B Wind Energy technical product manager, says that “At 3B we focus on understanding the needs of wind energy OEMs by working hand in hand with the designers, the weavers and ultimately the manufacturers of turbine blades. Collaborating with the entire value chain enables us to bring to market new benchmark rovings which further pushes the limits of glass fibre composite blade designs to address new challenges facing the wind industry.”
At present multi-compatible reinforcements are commonly used with different resin systems such as epoxy (EP), unsaturated polyester (UP), vinyl ester (VE), etc. However, by developing innovative and proprietary sizing technology focused on a specific resin family (epoxy), 3B is changing the rules of the game. By optimizing the coupling of the reinforcement uniquely for epoxy resin systems 3B thereby achieves best-in-class composite properties. With such a value proposition, 3B’s renewed product offering becomes an industry benchmark for structural resins.
“Aligned with our strategy to be the wind energy solution provider, 3B has been continuously analyzing the market to better understand the challenges confronting the entire value chain. Our company has put tremendous R&D efforts in developing and combining new reinforcements with precise sizing technology to respond to the needs of the industry,” says Onur Tokgoz, 3B Wind Energy global business leader.
Compared to conventional materials in the market place, 3B’s new Advantex SE2020 roving for epoxy resin systems offers better wet out therefore providing a more consistent laminate quality, a significantly improved resin matrix adhesion which delivers higher shear strength, and substantially greater interfibre strength. This, together with the resulting enhanced fatigue performance, makes the new SE2020 roving the solution that designers need to greatly improve existing blades and, more importantly, to create the next generation of epoxy wind turbine blades.
“At 3B, we strongly believe wind energy will play a key role in the need for efficient power generation that is clean, reliable and cost effective, especially in light of the recent announcements concerning the reduction and eventual elimination of our dependence on nuclear power,” Tokgoz adds. “To meet future needs and help reduce the cost per kWh, larger multi-megawatt wind turbines will become the norm, but these will require improved blade designs with enhanced materials to ensure their efficiency and productivity.”
3B-the fibreglass company is a leading developer and supplier of fibreglass products and technologies for the reinforcement of thermoplastic and thermoset polymers. Learn more at
