From Dust-Collection Filter Bags to the Photovoltaic Sector: A Glass Fiber’s Cross-Industry Breakthrough

Recently, in the production workshop of Zhejiang Hongsheng New Material Technology Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hongsheng"), strands of glass fiber and polyurethane were fed into a machine. From the other end, straight, uniform composite frame profiles emerged continuously; transported along a track and cooled on an air-cooling table to set their shape, they were precisely cut to length, forming individual photovoltaic composite frame components. This company, long established in the dust-collection filter bag industry, is leveraging glass fiber to make a "cross-over" into the photovoltaic sector. Notably, shipment volumes of its photovoltaic composite frames in the first half of 2026 surpassed the total for the entire year of 2025, marking a 200% increase.

In another workshop, glass fiber yarns are fed into looms, where warp and weft threads interlace to create dense filter fabric. This fabric undergoes lamination, heat setting, cutting, and sewing to become dust-collection filter bags. "This is one of our core products, used in dust-removal equipment across sectors like power generation, steel, and cement to achieve ultra-low emissions of smoke and dust," explains Wan Yuanyuan, Quality Director of Hongsheng’s Filter Material Manufacturing Division. With over two decades of deep expertise in inorganic glass fiber materials, the company is a nationally recognized "Little Giant" enterprise—a designation for small and medium-sized enterprises that are specialized, refined, unique, and innovative. It holds a leading position in the industrial dust-control filter bag sector, maintaining a top market share for its core fiberglass filter bags and consistently staying at the forefront of product upgrades and innovation.

In 2023, amidst adjustments in traditional high-energy-consuming industries, Hongsheng began seeking new application areas for its materials, setting its sights on the photovoltaic composite sector. Du Bin, Quality Director of the Composite Materials Division, notes that photovoltaic composite frames are a newly developed product for the company and offer immense growth potential. "When the industry is booming, companies prefer to stick with established products; however, the photovoltaic sector was undergoing a period of adjustment at the time, and the urgent need to cut costs created the perfect opportunity for new materials to break through." He explained that, compared to aluminum alloy frames, frames made from glass fiber-reinforced polyurethane composites offer superior weather resistance and a better coefficient of thermal expansion, making them better suited for corrosive environments—such as offshore installations, "fishery-solar" and "agriculture-solar" hybrid projects, and chemical plant sites.

Venturing into the production of composite frames was no easy task. The manufacturing process involved limited automation and relied heavily on the hands-on experience of workers; initially, the production line's yield rate was a mere 10% to 20%. The R&D team tackled the challenge by addressing every link in the production chain—personnel, machinery, materials, methods, and the environment—implementing systematic skills training for staff and repeatedly fine-tuning the mixing ratio of polyurethane to glass fiber. After more than six months of continuous trial production and adjustments, the yield rate rose to 97%.

Production of Hongsheng Composite's PV frames began to ramp up in 2025, leading to a business boom in 2026. "Current production capacity in Quzhou stands at approximately 3 GW, with monthly shipments averaging 250,000 sets in the first half of 2026."