Fibreglass Gratings: Moulded V/S Pultruded Fibreglass Gratings

FGPL: A leader in Fibreglass Gratings in India

FGPL is one of the fastest-growing Fiberglass Gratings organizations serving the manufacturing industry with the mission to provide “Solutions against corrosion using Fiberglass Reinforced Plastics (FRP/GRP)”. With over 50 moulds of Molded Gratings and modern state of art extrusion lines, we provide a maximum variety of Gratings that are customized to suit client needs & not just a ‘one size fits for all’ solution.

Advantages of Fiberglass Gratings (Moulded as well as pultruded Gratings) over alternatives:-

1. Corrosion Resistance:- Fiber grating has the strength of the steel and won’t corrode like steel does in contact with water, acidic environment & harsh corrosive atmosphere.

2. Safety, Anti-skid surface:- FGPL grating features an epoxy anti-skid coating for enhanced traction. This is much better compared to metal chequered plates, which are often slippery.

3. Extended Life:- FGPL Grating has the ability to withstand the elements of nature. Resins provide resistance to the environment i.e. the corrosion resistance, the U.V. resistance, the impact resistance etc. and the glass provides the strength. In addition, it provides the safety from fire, being fire retardant.

4. Easy Fabrication:- A major advantage of Moulded & pultruded FRP grating is that the panels are lightweight. Therefore, the transportation, handling, cutting and fabrication of them are easily done by using standard tools.

We are often getting the question from clients:

“What is the difference between fibreglass pultruded grating and fibreglass moulded grating?”
“How to choose one type over the other?”
“What are the advantages of Moulded gratings?”
“When should pultruded grating be used?”

Here, we’ll break it down the differences for your clear and easy understanding.

Manufacturing process of Pultruded Fiber Gratings

During this process, a protrusion machine grips the raw materials and pulls them through a series of steps until the cut-off saw reaches the finished profiles.

Fibreglass roving and mat are pulled through guides on an automated and continuous cycle. Next, the profile goes in a resin bath. Then, it is wrapped with a surface veil-bound multi-axial fibreglass cloth before being pulled through a heated die. The final task is to assemble the load-bearing bars, groove and notch rod. The bearing bars are drilled with 150mm centres along the length and the crossroads are inserted and secured with epoxy perpendicularly to the bearing bar to form panels.

At FGPL, we offer a wide variety of pultruded FRP grating panels. Our FRP Gratings are great for industrial floor systems, walkways, work platforms, stairs, ramps, trench covers and commercial-grade catwalks. This type of grating is lightweight, has high mechanical strength and won’t corrode.

Key Features:-A high glass-to-resin ratio increases the stiffness along the length & results in very less deflection compared to moulded gratings of the bearing bar allowing for longer spans or higher loads in one direction, making it ideal for walkways, drain covers, and long pathways.

This type of FRP grating offers the builders a wide variety of panel sizes because it is assembled and not moulded. In moulded gratings, panel sizes are governed by the size of moulds, but pultruded gratings provide unmatched options as far as panel size is concerned. This helps to reduce the waste or scraps of FRP in contrast with the moulded fibreglass grating process.

Manufacturing process of Moulded Fiber Gratings

Instead of the fibreglass being constantly pulled through a series of steps, liquid resin and continuous fibreglass rovings are raided thoroughly in a mould, layer after layer to produce the desired thickness and panel dimensions. Once this is done, the mould is set aside to cure. When it’s time, the panel is removed from the mould and then cleaned the mould again for this unique process to start again.

Even in extreme conditions, this type of grating is strong, lightweight and performs reliably for years. Top-surface options also provide excellent slip resistance for worker safety. Moulded fibreglass grating is great for stair treads, decks, fasteners and pedestals.

Key features:-The higher percentage of resin in moulded fibreglass gratings also helps provide higher corrosion resistance and optimal impact resistance. In addition, this type of grating has a square mesh pattern which offers a substantial load-bearing capacity because of its bi-directional strength with its Interwoven square mesh construction. Flexibility in a moulded grating is higher than pultruded grating, which is stiff in nature.

Conclusion:- In order to construct industrial platforms and walkways, These gratings can be cut easily in any direction and fabricated using standard tools. Hence, there are advantages to use both pultruded fibreglass and moulded fibreglass grating. It all depends upon the applications and where the pieces to be installed. For questions or to learn more about our Fiber Gratings contact us here.