Owens Corning announced that to meet market demand, the company will increase production of continuous filament fiber glass mat reinforcements by re-starting a second production line at its manufacturing facility in Besana in Brianza (Italy) in October. The action will increase the production of continuous filament mat (CFM) by nearly 40 percent compared to the current quarter.
The second CFM line at Besana was shut down in 2008 as a result of the global economic downturn. Owens Corning also operates a CFM production line at its manufacturing facility in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Productivity was also improved earlier this year by adding fiber-forming equipment to the production lines at both Besana and Guelph.
Glass fiber CFM is used as a reinforcement in pultrusion and closed molding processes such as vacuum infusion and resin injection. The markets for end-use products made with CFM reinforcements include industrial profiles for hand rails, grating and ladder components, boat hulls, automotive bumpers and hoods, and wind blades. There are also specialty CFM products used in applications such as cold-storage.