Owens Corning Launches New OC® SE 1200 Type 30® Single End Roving for Wind Energy & Marine Applications, Providing Higher Strength/Fatigue Performance

PARIS, 30 March, 2004 — At the annual JEC Composites Show, Owens Corning today introduced OC SE 1200 Type 30 single-end roving for knitting and weaving. OC SE 1200 roving is targeted at the wind energy and marine markets and sets new standards in dynamic fatigue properties when used in polyester resins systems.

OC SE 1200 Type 30 single-end roving provides:

• 12 percent higher cyclic fatigue strength than competitive fibers obtained at 10 million cycles in polyester resin

• 11 percent higher shear strength in polyester resin, than competitive fibers, both dry and after 72 hour boil – meets ASTM D 2344 standards

• 25 percent higher laminate tensile strength than competitive fibers in polyester resin – meets ASTM D 2343 standards

• 35 percent higher laminate tensile strength than competitive fibers in epoxy resin – ASTM D 2343

• Smooth run-out, easy fabrication and less machine cleaning due to low-fuzz and no catenary

• Good strand opening and covering, so that flat fabrics maintain good aspect before and after molding

• Superior corrosion resistance due to Owens Corning’s patented Advantex® glass

• Excellent processing and wetout

• Excellent processing in knitting and weaving, enabling fabricators to run at higher machine speeds and increase productivity

• Multi-resin compatibility, which allows for use in polyester, vinyl ester and epoxy resin systems

“By listening to and working with our customers, we were able to develop a product that not only meets a pressing industry need for higher fatigue properties, but also delivers a wide range of other product attributes for a host of other end-use applications – especially in the demanding wind-turbine and marine markets,” said Wisdom Dzotsi, Owens Corning product manager for Type 30 roving.

"With boat builders jockeying for position by increasing their hull and deck warranty coverage and length, they are simultaneously assuming liability for the long term performance of their fiberglass laminates,” added Matt Dunn, Owens Corning Marine market manager. “With strength and fatigue performance in polyester resins more than 10 percent greater than competitive products, OC SE 1200 allows builders to design boats with superior performance at minimal weight and enhanced lifetime properties."

OC SE 1200 Type 30 roving product is supplied from Owens Corning in a range of TEX (Yield) from 200 to 4800 tex, with 13 to 23 micron (0.00053-0.00092 in.) filament diameter. It can be used in a variety of processes to manufacture knitted or woven glass fabrics, central stiffness members for fiber optic cabling, and filament wound pipe, tubes, or tanks. The roving is manufactured by Owens Corning at ISO 9002-certified sites in Brazil, France, India, Norway, South Korea and the United States, and is commercially available worldwide.

Introduced in January 1997, Advantex glass was developed as a boron-free E-glass possessing significantly improved resistance to corrosion. The product meets the ASTM D578 standard for both corrosion-resistant E-CR glass and traditional E-glass. Advantex glass also uses a common technology platform that enables customers to specify the same product anywhere in the world.