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As an owner or warehouse manager in charge of industrial composite molding, you may have noticed that demand for your products has increased in recent years. This growth is expected to climb, according to many reports. How will you fare in the coming years if you’re having trouble keeping up with the demand now due to sticking parts, diminished part appearance, styrene monomer buildup, and other issues?

Here at Stoner Molding Solutions, we want to help you prepare for this industry growth by optimizing your process now so that you can meet and exceed your current and future demands. Our composite release agents, sealers, cleaners, and rust preventatives are specifically designed for your industry, helping you mold more products in less time. Get started today by talking to a composite molding expert to improve your existing processes!

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Which Industries Are Driving the Growth of Composites?

Many industries globally want to find a way to produce a more cost-effective product without sacrificing quality. To reach this goal, large manufacturing markets are turning to composites. Specifically, the following industries are driving the growth of composite parts:

1. Wind Energy: As clean and renewable energy continues to grow in popularity, wind energy’s demand for glass fiber-reinforced composites also grows. Primarily consumed by the production of turbine blades, this industry is expected to grow to as much as $12 billion by 2023.
2. Electronics: Glass fiber and epoxy laminate components are in-demand across the electronics industry. The electrical resistance and highly flame-retardant materials are safe, reliable, and affordable for those producing electronic parts. Growth is expected to climb as high as $76.9 billion by 2024.
3. Aerospace: Driven by the need for carbon fiber’s lightweight durability, the aerospace industry has caused a surge in composite production. With more manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus using more composite parts, the demand for quality production of composite pieces grows.
4. Marine: In addition to more people buying boats, more marine manufacturers are turning to composites due to their high resistance to salt, water, chemicals, and other corrosives. More marine manufacturers are turning to Stoner Molding for composite release agents to improve their production cycles, like this manufacturer for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.
5. Consumer Goods: With so many supply chain interruptions in the last few years, the demand for consumer goods continues to rise. To meet these demands, furniture, home décor, personal lifestyle items, and other manufacturers turn to composites for their affordability and durability.
6. Automotive: Gas prices continue to rise across the country. As a result, fuel-efficient and electric vehicles are in higher demand. Like consumer goods manufacturing, car producers use composite materials because of their great strength compared to their weight. The lighter the vehicle, the more fuel-efficient it is.

What Are the Reasons So Many Industries Are Using Composites?

Composite materials have many attractive benefits for manufacturers, so it’s no wonder more are turning to these materials. We already mentioned some reasons, such as lightweight durability and corrosive resistance, but these types of parts have other benefits.

Composite products such as glass fiber have high stiffness, low weight, minimal thermal expansion, and strong chemical resistance. Additionally, lightweight materials for the automotive market are in demand to improve fuel efficiency. Composite wood products are used in the construction industry to replace some of the more traditional materials. Composites also have great design flexibility and high performance at elevated temperatures.

While North America is the largest composite market segment, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the fastest-growing region for composites. Their growing vehicle manufacturing, electronics, and electronic components are the reason for the expected growth.

How Big Is the Composite Industry Going to Grow?

According to Research and Markets, you can expect the global composite materials market to blossom to $38 billion by 2023. The most impacted types of composite molding are expected to be injection molding, hand layup, compression molding, spray up, filament winding, resin infusion, and prepreg layup, with injection molding being the most popular type.

Another research company, Precedence Research, expects the global composite market to reach $163.14 billion by 2030, growing at a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8% from 2022 to 2030. With industries finding more ways to use this material and other industries also jumping on board, there is no doubt that composite molding will increase in the coming years.

How Can I Optimize My Industrial Composite Molding Process to Prepare for This Growth?

While the high cost of raw materials is also expected to rise, you can capitalize on this growth and make up for this cost increase by increasing your product output. To do that, you need to use high-quality composite release agents, cleaners, and sealers from the experts at Stoner Molding Solutions. Here’s how you can optimize your mold process:

1. Start with a clean mold: Clean molds are more productive. Your mold surface needs an effective cleaning due to a buildup of gasses, grease, wax, dirt, and more. You can also improve your production cycle by ensuring your brushes and equipment are clean and ready for use. Try P53601 KantStik Mold Cleaner.

2. Seal the Mold Surface: If you were to look at your mold under a microscope, you would see these tiny pockets on the mold surface. An effective composite mold sealer from Stoner Molding fills in that microporosity so you can mold products with fewer surface defects. It also imparts a hard, new, and chemically resistant carrier as a base coat for sacrificial or semi-permanent release agents. P591 KantStik Sealer is great for your industrial composite molding.

3. Apply a Mold Release Coating: A composite release agent is applied after your mold is clean and sealed. A mold release agent from Stoner Molding will help you produce more parts with fewer defects and sticking. Our product line includes water-based, solvent-based, and paste wax molding releases for your composite mold. Complete the KantStik lineup with P5930 KantStik Cure Fast for a semi-permanent release for polyester and vinyl ester.

Improve Your Productivity with High-Quality Composite Release Agents!

Regarding composite materials and processes, you need the best sealers and releases on the market to produce more parts in less time from Stoner Molding. With the composite industry only expected to increase over the next eight years, you need to optimize your composite molding process to take advantage of the profitable growth of this industry.

With Stoner Molding by your side, we can help you get the right composite release agent, sealer, and cleaner for your operation. Our molding experts have helped customers like you for over 80 years to create molding processes that work smarter, not harder. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you!

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