Selecting a manufacturing process
for dependable fiberglass solutions to your toughest problems
Performance expectations greatly affect the choice of process by which
to make your parts. Shakespeare Composite Structures can employ
pultrusion or filament winding processes, all under one roof, to
produce the part or parts you need. In addition, a variety of
assembly and finishing operations can be performed to achieve the
designed performance, durability, and shape: holes, grooves, polishes,
coatings, mortises, joining, sanding... whatever the job requires,
whether simple or complex, and in whatever production capacity you
need.
Pultrusion
Our specialized pultrusion processes can be employed to
manufacture almost any continuous or tapered shape, either hollow or
solid. One-piece pultrusions can be made as small as 1/16" diameter, or
up to 8 inches tall, 24 inches wide, and any length. Shapes can
be supplied precision cut to length, or bulk for further finishing in
your operation. Multiple
pultrusions can of course be joined together to form
subassemblies for larger or more complex shapes, and non- fiberglass
parts can be added, as well..
Examples: Insulator rods, and custom, complex shapes for
fenestration applications.
In the pultrusion process, the required shape - or components
of it - literally
pulls through heated dies. At the front of the process, fiberglass (or
other
material such as carbon fiber) is embedded in one or more layers in one
or more directions to achieve the flexural, compression, and tensile
strength
you require.
Cores
We have developed special techniques for adding cores to
pultruded shapes during forming. Today's composites technologies
often employ contained concrete made of fiberglass, resins, and other
materials to enhance rigidity of tubular shapes while greatly reducing
weight and cost, compared to solid shapes.
Filament winding
Shakespeare Composite Structures holds several patents
covering techniques and equipment for producing filament wound products
for large and small hollow shapes. These shapes can be constant
or tapered, and can include special components and attachments that are
made integral during the manufacturing process. Hollow shapes up to 70
feet long in almost any diameter can be accommodated.
Examples: poles and columns, bucket truck booms, and
corrosion resistant tanks.
 The picture shows one of our large
filament winding machines in operation. A range of machines is
available, tiny to huge.
In the filament winding process, straight and tapered linear
shapes are produced by winding resin-soaked fibers onto a heated,
rotating mandrel.
Multiple winding passes and in-line diversion devices permit production
of
certain linearly non-symmetrical shapes, if required. One-piece tapered
shapes
can be up to 30 inches in diameter by up to 70 feet long. Straight
shapes
(such as tubing) can be produced to any length.
Finishing operations
Fiberglass parts can be finished to closely match the color, texture,
and specularity of your product's other components. Finishes can
include painting, UV-resistant coatings, and a variety of specialties
including walnut woodgrain, highly polished designer colors, and
concrete-looking textures and color. Pigments can be formulated
into the resins during manufacture, so the color of the finished pieces
- even white ones - can't nick, scratch, or wear off. UV inhibitors in
the resin, and applied to the finished surface, protect against
damage from exposure to sunlight over time. We conduct extensive
UV exposure
tests of materials used in manufacture.
Our factory is thoroughly equipped and fully staffed to handle
your order. Bring your toughest challenge to the experts in
composites engineering. Email,
or use the Information
Request Form... or just call.
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