The production process
Hair from the beautiful goddess of Hawaii
Madame Pele's hair: Thin strands of volcanic glass drawn out from molten lava (Hawaii 1989).The myth of stone wool
The idea of producing stone wool was fostered on Hawaii. After volcanic eruption on the islands the natives found woolen strings of stone lying on the ground. They thought it was hair from their goddess, Madame Pele, that the temperamental lady had torn out in her rage.
Today we know that stone wool is much more than that. We have discovered the unique qualities of the material that makes it perfectly suited for a wide range of purposes.
That is why the Rockwool Group has tried to imitate the Hawaiian goddess for more than 60 years now.
Rockwool production
Madame Pele's hair: Thin strands of volcanic glass drawn out from molten lava (Hawaii 1989).A highly sophisticated process
The Rockwool Group has spent more than 60 years trying to improve the stone wool production process.
In the beginning everything was done manually, from the trusted employee who shoveled the approximately right amounts of raw material into the furnace and to the people wrapping up the final product.
Today a highly sophisticated machinery ensures the quick and steady production of a superior stone wool quality at an ever lower cost.
Producing Rockwool stone wool
How to turn hard rock into soft wool
Today stone wool production at the Rockwool factories is a highly sophisticated process.
Raw material and coke are automatically fed from the top of the cupola furnace. The melt runs out of the bottom of the furnace and onto the spinning machine, where the fibres are spun. Minor amounts of binder and oil are added, and the wool is collected on a belt conveyor in the spinning chamber. The structure and density of the wool are adjusted before it enters the curing oven. These properties are maintained after the binder has been cured.
The cured wool then proceeds to the cutting saws and packing equipment or is led to off-line equipment for special treatment.
The off-gases from the production - furnace, spinning chamber, curing oven - are cleaned in filters and after-burners before they enter the chimney. The waste inevitably created during the production is re-cycled.
