JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013 - 29

In the following, the term
GRP includes all materials
with a thermoset matrix as
well as glass mat reinforced
thermoplastics (GMT) and
long fibre reinforced thermoplastics (LFT). Short
fibre reinforced thermoplastics are not included. The
market for additional reinforcing fibres (e.g. carbon
or natural fibres) will not
be considered here. Generally, approximately 95%
of fibre composites are still
manufactured from GRP,
i.e. the most commonly
used reinforcing fibres are
glass fibres (short and long
fibres, rovings, fabrics).

GRP production in
2012: Overall development
Compared to 2011, the
production volume of
GRP in Europe has fallen
by approximately 4% to
1.01 million tons in 2012
(see Table 1). The recently
positive trend back towards
the level achieved before
the economic and financial
crisis has therefore once
again stopped or slowed, at
least for now.
Considering the current
interest of the trade press
and general business press
in the future of fibre reinforced plastics and composites– especially over recent
months – this may come
as something of a surprise.
The media hype surrounding the use of carbon fibre
reinforced plastics (CRP)
in high volume automobile
production would suggest
a rosy future for all concerned.
However, a realistic view

Tab. 1: GRP production volumes in Europe itemised by procedures/components
kT = kilotonnes

2012*

2011

2010

2009

2008

kT

kT

kT

kT

kT

SMC

188

198

198

160

210

BMC

70

69

69

56

70

2012* = estimate

Total SMC/BMC

258

267

267

216

280

Hand lay-up

145

160

160

123

202

Spray-up

90

98

92

74

103

Total open
mould

235

258

252

197

305

RTM

120

120

113

94

106

Sheets

78

77

72

56

69

Pultrusion

47

51

47

39

46

Total continuous
processing

125

128

119

95

115

Filament
winding

80

86

82

69

79

Centrifugal
casting

67

69

66

55

62

Total pipes and
tanks

147

155

148

124

141

GMT/LFT

108

105

100

75

95

Others

17

16

16

14

16

TOTAL

1,01

1,049

1,015

815

1,058

of the current possibilities is slowly gaining the
upper hand – even in media
reports. There are still a
substantial number of challenges to be mastered in this
area: due to its small market
share, even above average
growth of CRP would only
have a relatively small
effect on the total volume
of composite production
in the medium term. The
question of whether CRP
will become a widely used
material in high volume automobile production is still
an open one and the answer
currently still depends on
many factors. Public interest

and debate about the subject are certainly helpful in
generating a highly dynamic
market and a discussion
of the topic of composite
materials in general is also
advantageous. It contributes to raising awareness
of these relatively young
materials and spreading the
knowledge of their various
potential areas of application among executives in
the relevant branches of
industry.

Trends in the
development of
procedures/components
No79 March 2013

Falling demand in vehicle
production throughout
Europe is also reflected in
the trend for thermoset
SMC (sheet moulding compound) parts. The relatively
stronger growth noted last
year in automobile applications is now once again
switching in favour of the
electro/electronics (E&E)
sector, which is currently
growing at least slightly in
European countries. This
is one reason why BMC
(bulk moulding compound)
production, which is primarily used in this sector, is
growing slightly while SMC
components have expe-

/ jec composites magazine 29
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013

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