Reinforcements
While our customers come to us with very specific problems to solve, they all have one thing in common. The fabrics and tapes we supply have to strengthen and protect their products, regardless of the application. In fact, for many of our customers, reinforcement is their primary need. We support them in applications that matter:
• Pipes that move millions of gallons of fluids
• Aerospace applications that carry thousands of passengers
• Trailers that move thousands of tons of cargo
• Car parts that perform mile after mile
If your application requires reinforcement that will withstand the test of time and the wear and tear of perpetual use, contact Carolina Narrow Fabric to explore your options.
Flexible Tooling
Fiberglass fabric is a preferred component in the production of soft tools for vacuum molding, RTM molding, VARTM, LRTM. This technology provides the capability to produce precise tooling for the high speed creation of various parts and sub assemblies for a variety of end uses including airplanes, boats, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, aftermarket car parts, etc.
Transportation
The inside liners of refrigerated trucks are made from fiberglass. Fiberglass fabrics and tapes are used to increase rigidity and add strength to the high stress areas of these liners. Many of the new energy efficient busses and trains employ fiberglass for both the internal and external body panels. This is both fuel efficient and durable.
Aircraft
Most all of the world’s commercial airplane interiors are made from resin impregnated fiberglass or aramid. Everything from interior side panels to PSUS to floor boards use fiberglass to reinforce the resin matrix of the finished part. A high percentage of the world’s aircraft radar domes are also built from fiberglass reinforced plastic. The new Airbus A350 is an excellent example of this.
Pipe Repair
CNF provides repair kits for household emergencies such as leaks in piping and drains, agricultural equipment emergency repair, gas and oil pipeline leaks and reinforcement, marine piping repair and other emergency situations.
Pipe Repair is a fast and convenient way to make low cost repairs. The material is a water activated resin coated fiberglass tape that will laminate and harden on copper, PVC, fiberglass and most metals. Pipe Repair will repair leaks and protect against corrosion. A product is also available to make emergency underwater repairs to marine equipment and pipes.
Pipe Repair is easy to apply and comes in 1” up to 13” wide rolls with roll lengths form 1.5 yards up to 30 yards depending on end use. Longer lengths are available as a special order item.
These fiberglass tapes are available with a resin compatible finish which helps prevent moisture penetration and improves the bond strength between the fabric and the polymer/resin system. Polyester, epoxy and vinyl esters are some of the polymer/resin systems compatible with our finishes.
Aerospace
To meet the demands of the aerospace industry Carolina Narrow Fabric produces a variety of products.
Commercial and Civilian: Composite reinforcement tapes are utilized for both repair as well as OEM requirements in non-military aircraft.
Military: CNF manufactures numerous tapes that conform to exacting military specifications. CNF also designs and manufactures high performance tapes for NASA and their suppliers.
High performance webbing: This is used in the cargo areas of the aircrafts where added strength is needed in travel.
Reinforcement Weaves: These are structural composites that are woven glass used in reinforcing on body molds of aircraft. This is similar to the boat and tooling materials but have much stronger properties.
Boating/Tooling Tapes
Boat and tooling fiberglass tapes are used primarily in lay up applications in the marine and the tooling/mold making industries. CNF provides a wide range of fabric constructions and fabric weights. Open weaves are ideal for quick wet out and air release. Tightly woven fiberglass fabrics provide a higher glass to resin ratio, excellent surface finish and conformability. Custom designed Vectran, Kevlar, and carbon fiberglass tapes are available. All fiberglass tapes are woven with a selvedge edge that provides uniformity and eliminates fraying.
Applications include marine, hull board fabric reinforcement, lamination and reinforcement of plastics. Woven edge fiberglass tapes are used to reinforce joints, seams, corners and are often matched with a broad woven fiberglass fabric in the same assembly. Widths range from 1/2″ to 12″. Construction patterns include plain, leno, satin and crowfoot.
Marine/Boat Repair & Reinforcement
Carolina Narrow Fabric is a preferred partner for manufacturers across the marine spectrum, providing tapes and fabrics that perform year after year. Our applications strengthen and protect all kinds of products that are exposed to fresh water and salt water, including: surfboards, paddle boards, personal water craft, kayaks, boats of all sizes and more.
Fiberglass cloth and woven tapes are the first choice for repairing minor cracks and holes, scrapes and dings and reattaching hardware. Rather than replace the entire structure the damaged area is expanded and then filled with a combination of glass fabric, glass mat and resin. For OEM applications the glass fabrics and tapes are used to supplement the prime materials of spray up roving and dense chopped strand mat in many areas that require fine detail work and greater flexibility. An example might be hatch covers and boat cleat attachments. The first calls for superior cosmetics and the second supplements the strength of the joint where the two dissimilar materials come together.
Kayaks & Canoes
Both fiberglass and aramid fabric are the materials of choice for professional kayak and canoe builders. These two high performance products offer extreme toughness while at the same time providing the lightest possible weight. With hulls constructed from aramid and/or fiberglass the watercraft can be manually moved for extended distances. This allows access for the enthusiast to wilderness areas previously off limits. Canoe and kayak paddles are commonly made from aramid, carbon, and fiberglass fabrics. The performance to weight ratio is very much the same as the hull material.
Surfboards & Paddleboards
Since the early 1960’s fiberglass fabric has been the choice for surfboard builders. Layers of glass fabric are used to provide strength and rigidity to the foam cores that provide the base from which modern day boards are crafted from. These fabrics must endure enormous stresses while they support not only the rider but the down force of large and violent waves. To date no material has been able to match woven fiberglass in the areas of aesthetics, workability and value.
Oil & Gas
Fiberglass Boat and Tooling tapes as well as Unidirectional RCY fiberglass tapes are widely used in the Oil and Gas industry. CNF offers fiberglass tapes that are heat cleaned and silane treated as well as tapes made with resin compatible yarns.
CNF offers tapes that are resin coated with water activated urethane resins. These tapes are used for pipe reinforcement as well as leak prevention. The bursting strength of pipes reinforced with resin treated tapes is stronger than the strength of a new pipe of the same specification.
Pipes that are used underwater in extreme depths are reinforced with fiberglass unidirectional tapes impregnated with epoxy resins. The reinforcement prevents the pipes from crushing due to high external pressure.
Corrosion prevention is critical for off shore oil drilling platforms, highway bridges and anywhere metal needs protection. Often knitted fiberglass tapes coated with water activated urethane resin are used for corrosion and impact protection. Knitted fiberglass has exceptional conformability properties which permit excellent coverage when wrapping elbows, around corners, or unequal shapes.