How It’s Made: Fibrex® and the Andersen 100 Series
What if there were windows that would never rot, blister, peel or ever need painting? Now imagine those same windows could retain their rigidity and stability in every climate. And as long as we’re dreaming up the perfect windows, let’s make them durable and environmentally responsible. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
It would be, and it is—because those windows exist. Also known as the Anderson 100 Series, made with Fibrex® material, these windows are available in the real world, here and now.
What Is Fibrex®?
Fibrex is a revolutionary material that’s made from recycled wood fibers compounded with thermoplastic polymer and reground Fibrex material. The polymer molecules bond with Andersen’s reclaimed wood scraps under pressure to create an innovative, extremely strong compound, with the wood fibers being filled with and coated by the polymer.
By combining the strength of wood with the low maintenance of vinyl, an incredibly durable material is created. This material blocks thermal transfer nearly 700 times better than aluminum windows. And because the coloring is built right into the mix, Fibrex never needs painting.
Once the Fibrex is created, next comes the extrusion step, which forms the material into the components for the 100 Series windows.
Unused wood from other window parts is reclaimed and repurposed to make Fibrex material, which is composed of 40% wood fiber by weight and 60% proprietary polymer.
Sophisticated Manufacturing
Dan Meserve, who leads the engineering teams for Andersen Windows & Doors at the Goodyear facility, explains how the process occurs. “After compounding, the raw material is heated up and extruded through a die to create lineal material with a consistent cross-section,” he says. Fabrication of the Fibrex lineals is performed by automated machining centers, with the various infeed, laser marking, cutting and storage operations handled by a single system designed to keep team members safe from hazards.
At Goodyear specifically, the team receives the lineal Fibrex material from other Andersen plants and performs the fabrication, assembly and shipping of the finished window units.
Meserve explains, “Our manufacturing execution system contains the digital specifications for each made-to-order window that we assemble, and this information is passed from station to station. This allows us to track production’s progress and provide information to both machines and associates so that every window has the right type, size, color, features, hardware and packaging.”
Jason Enderle, who manages the 100 Series operations team, adds that one of the goals for the Goodyear plant was to create a start-to-finish operation for the 100 Series business. That flow of digital information creates an operator-machine partnership that’s truly unique, he says.
Colors can be permanently applied to Fibrex materials and they will never need painting.
100 Series Products
The durability of Fibrex combined with a broad offering of product types and a competitive value proposition makes the 100 Series a viable option for a wide range of projects: new builds; renovations to residential properties; and light commercial buildings.
Enderle adds that the 100 Series also offers truly exceptional performance. He says, “The Goodyear facility was designed to build quality into the 100 Series product. We undergo rigorous quality validations throughout the fabrication and build processes to create a high-performing product line that will excel in both cold and warm climates.”
But the creation of 100 Series windows goes beyond manufacturing expertise, he says proudly. “The build process is truly an art form that our associates have mastered.”
