Fiberglass Rod for Window Blinds

Customer History

A window blind and curtain manufacturer with multiple locations throughout the United States needed to replace the steel rods that they used in their blinds with another material that still adhered to their strict requirements for strength and dimensional consistency. Based on the mechanical properties of fiberglass pultrusions, they sought the assistance of several pultrusion companies. After some unsuccessful results, they contacted Advanced Fiber Products (AFP), whose team of engineers immediately began research and development for the project.

This customer’s main challenge required AFP to create a rod that performed according to a demanding torque specification. In addition, the rod could be no larger than 0.185 inches with a tolerance of ± 0.002 inches. AFP successfully pultruded the profile using high-strength glass along with a high-performance, isophthalic resin system. Not only did AFP create samples that met the specification, they also helped the customer develop quality control procedures and production parameters to make sure that all manufactured and shipped products conformed to the necessary tolerances and standards.

In the end, fiberglass created a quieter and smoother operating blind. The elasticity characteristics of fiberglass also prevent damage to the rods during shipping and assembly. AFP has continued a successful partnership with this customer since 2010.