Technical

Finishes

The Finish to be applied to Technical Fabrics can be of primary importance to obtain optimal performance of the reinforcement; there fore Finish must be carefully selected according to the type of resin system used by customer, the application and the further processing to ensure maximum performance of the composite part that the fabric has to reinforce.

Typical Technical Fabric finishes are the following:

SCOURED FABRICS

In order to enhance resin compatibility for non-glass technical fibers, like aramid and HMPP, when chemical resin compatibility is of equal importance of mechanical performance or when fabric surface is required to be free of possible binder residues, Technical Fabrics are usually “scoured” through a Scouring Process specifically designed for any given fiber type.
Scoured fabrics are then suited to be impregnated or treated with additional Finishing treatments like water repellent treatment (WRT), weave sets, etc.

LOOMSTATE FABRICS

For many applications utilising non-glass technical fibers or where mechanical performance is more important than chemical resin compatibility (i.e. coating, architectural applications, etc), Technical Fabrics can be directly used after the weaving operation and such “finish” is usually called “loomstate” or greige. In some of these applications requiring also some chemical bonding to resin matrixes, such fabrics use fibers that have resin compatible binders.

“112” FINISH

This Finish code is used to describe glass fabrics after Heat Cleaning only; the fabric turns white due to the full removal of the starch and oil based size. The organic residue does not exceed 0.10%.
112 Finish is the starting point for all glass fabric surface treatments with bonding agents which ensure chemical adhesion of resin to the glass surface. Glass fabrics finished with 112 Finish are used with Silicone based or modified resin systems.

“112 NEUTRAL PH”

Same as 112 Finish. In addition, to remove any trace of alkaline salts from the fabric surface a special Neutral pH formulation is applied to the fabric. The finish is used with glass fabrics intended for the manufacturing of silicone resin based laminates with improved characteristics.

Finishes for thermosetting resins (Glass Fabrics):

A1100

This finish is particularly suitable for epoxy and phenolic resins.

A1100S (soft)

This finish is similar to A1100 but with a specific formulation to obatain a softer fabric “hand”. It is suitable for epoxy and phenolic resins.

GI6224/1

This is an amino-silane finish, which is particularly fit for epoxy resins. It is used in electrical insulation, printed circuit boards and general reinforcement applications. GI6224/1 can be used as an alternative for chromium containing finishes.

GI96

This is a chromium-free amino-silane based finish which is suitable for unsaturated polyester resin systems; it show exceptional performance also with epoxy resin systems. GI96 can be used as an alternative for chromium containing finishes.

GI496

This is a finish based on a silane blend which fits very well with epoxy resin systems (in particular with amine cured epoxy resin systems). Developed by GIVIDI FABRICS, it is  used in the production of laminates and prepregs for printed circuit boards and electrical insulation applications, as well as aerospace applications.

Z6040

This epoxy silane finish has been developed for applications in combination with epoxy, phenolic, as well as cyanate ester resins.

GI2496

This is a multi-compatible finish, compatible with epoxy, phenolic, vinyl-ester and polyimide resins. Fabrics finished with GI2496 have excellent wettability behavior.

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Finishes for thermoplastic resins:

Customized finishes for thermoplastic applications

Several customized finishes have been developed for thermoplastic resins, such as TP SP, TP SHP.

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Enhanced Finish Treatments:

WRT (Water Repellent Treatment)

This treatment confers extreme hydrophobicity to the fabrics for applications where the fabric is subject to exposure to moisture; it is also used for some ballistic aramid fabrics, specially in body armour (vests) applications.

RW Treatment

A proprietary system to optimise glass fabric surface tension and chemistry.

Ultra-Spread Treatment

A proprietary system to spread fiber filaments within fabric structure to enhance fabric homogeneity, surface chemistry, thickness control, waviness and dimensional stability; specially suited for fine and ultra-fine glass fabrics for high-end electronics applications