Design glass fabric 310 g/m² silver (twill weave) 100 cm

This design glass fabric consists of a woven glass-fibre substrate with an aluminium coating. When combined with a transparent laminating resin, the characteristic textile structure remains visible and produces a pronounced silver metallic depth effect.

With an areal weight of 310 g/m² and a 2/2 twill weave, the fabric provides a good combination of conformability, visible textile structure and sufficient stability during handling. Compared with a comparable plain weave, the twill construction has fewer interlacing points, which improves drapability and makes it easier to lay the fabric over curved contours with minimal wrinkling.

This drapability is particularly advantageous for visually demanding composite components, as the fabric can conform to more complex geometries without unnecessarily distorting its characteristic weave pattern.

Typical applications

• Automotive and motorsport components, e.g. panels, covers and bonnets
• Skis, snowboards and other sporting goods
• Bicycle frames and decorative bicycle components
• Protective helmets and technical housings
• Furniture surfaces and table tops
• Design and appearance components in general composite construction

Processing

The fabric is suitable for hand lay-up, vacuum bagging and RTM processes. Its good drapability allows it to conform well to more complex component geometries.

For high-quality appearance laminates, the fabric should be positioned with as little tension as possible. Local fibre displacement, wrinkles or distortion of the twill pattern remain visible after lamination and may impair the uniform appearance of the finished surface.

During cutting and lay-up, the metallic surface should be protected as far as possible from scratches, creases and contamination. Such imperfections can remain clearly visible in the finished laminate, particularly on high-quality appearance components.

For a particularly clear silver metallic depth effect, a transparent and preferably colour-neutral epoxy or polyester laminating resin is recommended. The fabric should be impregnated uniformly and completely. Excessive resin should be avoided, particularly in an appearance layer, as an unnecessarily resin-rich surface can reduce the visual definition of the textile structure.

For components with particularly demanding visual requirements, a test laminate using the intended resin system, tooling configuration and manufacturing process is recommended before series production.

Technical data

Calculated data for hand laminates

For a hand laminate with an assumed fibre volume fraction of 35%, the following values can be used as practical calculation guidelines:

The laminate values shown are calculated approximate values. The calculation is based on a glass-fibre density of approx. 2.55 g/cm³ and a typical epoxy resin density of approx. 1.10 g/cm³. Actual resin consumption, laminate thickness and laminate weight depend, among other factors, on the resin system used, the manufacturing process, the degree of compaction and the fibre volume fraction actually achieved.

Processing note

In addition to its function as a textile reinforcement, this fabric is primarily intended to provide a decorative metallic surface. For applications requiring defined electrical conductivity, EMI shielding or specified thermal reflection properties, materials specifically characterised for these functions should be used. No defined technical performance data for these properties are available for this design glass fabric.