G-10 or garolite is a high-pressure
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...
laminate
Simulated flight (using image stack created by μCT scanning) through the length of a knitting needle that consists of laminated wooden layers: the layers can be differentiated by the change of direction of the wood's vessels
Shattered windshi ...
, a type of
composite material
A composite or composite material (also composition material) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or physical properties and are merged to create a ...
. It is created by stacking multiple layers of
glass cloth
Glass cloth is a textile material woven from glass fiber yarn.
Home and garden
Glass cloth was originally developed to be used in greenhouse paneling, allowing sunlight's ultraviolet rays to be filtered out, while still allowing Visible spectrum ...
, soaked in
epoxy
Epoxy is the family of basic components or Curing (chemistry), cured end products of epoxy Resin, resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide fun ...
resin, then compressing the resulting material under heat until the epoxy cures. It is manufactured in flat sheets, most often a few millimeters thick.
G-10 is very similar to
Micarta
Micarta is a brand name for composite material, composites of various fibers integrated in a thermosetting plastic. Materials such as linen, canvas, paper, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or other fabrics are used to form products for electrical and ...
and
carbon fiber
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...
laminates, except that
glass cloth
Glass cloth is a textile material woven from glass fiber yarn.
Home and garden
Glass cloth was originally developed to be used in greenhouse paneling, allowing sunlight's ultraviolet rays to be filtered out, while still allowing Visible spectrum ...
is used as
filler material. (Note that the professional nomenclature of "filler" and "matrix" in
composite material
A composite or composite material (also composition material) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or physical properties and are merged to create a ...
s may be somewhat counterintuitive when applied to soaking textiles with resin.)
G-10 is the
toughest of the glass fiber resin laminates and therefore the most commonly used.
Properties
G-10 is favored for its high strength, low moisture absorption, and high level of electrical insulation and chemical resistance. These properties are maintained not only at room temperature but also under humid or moist conditions. It was first used as a substrate for
printed circuit boards
A printed circuit board (PCB), also called printed wiring board (PWB), is a laminated sandwich structure of conductive and insulating layers, each with a pattern of traces, planes and other features (similar to wires on a flat surface) ...
, and its designation, G-10, comes from a
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) is the largest trade association of electrical equipment manufacturers in the United States. Founded in 1926, it advocates for the industry and publishes standards for electrical product ...
standard for this purpose.
Decorative uses
Decorative variations of G-10 are produced in many colors and patterns and are especially used to make handles for knives, grips for firearms and other tools. These can be textured (for grip), bead blasted, sanded or polished. Its strength and low density make it useful for other kinds of handcrafting as well.
Structural uses
G-10 is used to reinforce the edges of fiberglass coated wood. It is used to protect the point-of-contact on many such items. During ordinary use it is the G-10 that takes the brunt of the blow. In such applications it is meant to be replaced as it wears. G-10 is also used as a 3D-Printer build surface.
G-10 is also commonly used as a material for durable knife and gun handles and grips.
Hazards
G-10 is safe to handle absent extreme conditions.
Hazards can result from cutting or grinding the material, as glass and epoxy dust are well known to contribute to respiratory disorders and may increase the risk of developing lung cancer. For any work of this kind, the work space should be appropriately ventilated and masks or respirators worn.
Epoxy resin is flammable and, once ignited, will burn vigorously, giving off poisonous gases. For this reason, materials such as
FR-4
FR-4 (or FR4) is a NEMA grade designation for glass-reinforced epoxy laminate material. FR-4 is a composite material composed of woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder that is flame resistant (''self-extinguishing'').
"FR" stands for ...
containing flame retardant additives have replaced G-10 in certain applications.
See also
*
Bakelite
Bakelite ( ), formally , is a thermosetting polymer, thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed by Belgian chemist ...
References
{{Reflist
Printed circuit board manufacturing
Fibre-reinforced polymers
Fiberglass