3B Chopped Strands are glass fibres filaments chopped into a specified length and coated with a chemical sizing, which ensures the compatibility with the resin to reinforce.

They are generally used to reinforce thermosplastic and thermoset resins using compounding, injection-moulding or compression processes.

3B Chopped Strands are engineered to offer excellent flow ability properties, very low level of fines fibres and then to improve processing productivity.

Thermoplastic Chopped Strands

3B Thermoplastic Chopped Strands are reinforcements designed for use in thermoplastic polymer systems. They are designed to improve tensile and flexural resistance, to bring dimensional stability especially at high temperatures and to allow a much better control of the moulded part shrinkage.

Chopped Strands are generally used through a 2-step process:

The first step is the compounding step. It consists in mixing together in an extruder the thermoplastic resin, the different additives/pigments and the chopped strands in order to produce reinforced thermoplastic pellets.

In a second step, these reinforced pellets are used in an injection-moulding machine to manufacture different moulded pieces for various markets and applications (Automotive, Electrical and Electronic, Sports & Recreation, Machines and Domestic Appliances, Building and Construction, ...)

Typical thermoplastic polymers include:

Polyamide (PA, PPA,...),

Polypropylene (PP),

Polybutylene terephtalate (PBT),

Polyethylene terephtalate (PET),

Styrenics (ABS, SAN, ...),

Polycarbonate (PC),

Polysulfone (PES, PSU, PPSU),

Polyphenylene sulphide (PPS),

Polyphenylene oxide (PPO),

Polyethertherketone (PEEK),

Polyacetal (POM),

Thermoset Chopped Strands

3B Thermoset Chopped Strands are reinforcements designed for use with thermoset resins in Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) and Bulk Moulding Compound (BMC). They are designed to improve tensile and flexural resistance, to improve impact strength and to ensure a better dimensional stability within a wide range of temperatures.

SMC and BMC materials are processed by compression or injection moulding in order to produce structural automotive components, electrical equipment and housings for electrical appliances and powertools.

Typical thermoset resins are unsaturated polyesters (UP, VE), epoxy (EP) and phenolics (PF).