Bandwidth Study on U.S. Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Manufacturing

This bandwidth study is part of a series of six focused on lightweight structural materials manufacturing. It analyzes energy consumption and identifies potential energy savings in U.S. glass fiber reinforced polymer composites manufacturing. The study draws on multiple sources to estimate energy use across four key application areas—automotive, wind energy, aerospace, and pressure vessels—which together accounted for approximately 47% of total U.S. glass fiber production in 2010. Energy savings opportunities are evaluated for six manufacturing sub-processes, based on technologies currently in use or under development.