Editorial

Looking at composites through the lens of U.S. history

When you’re a tourist with a background in writing for manufacturing it’s impossible not to notice all of the ways in which composites have resulted in significant milestones in the U.S. — historically and in the present.  

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News

Carbon Fibers

Exel pull-wound composites enable Flying Whales airship design

State-of-the-art VTOL rigid airship, to take 80 kilometers of thin-wall carbon fiber tubes, will function like an airborne crane for transporting cargo in remote areas.

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People in composites: April 2024

TFP Hydrogen Products, Airbus SE, TPI Composites, IDI Composites International and Integrated Graphene announce new personnel and retirements.

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ACM CRC project to develop composite travel surfboard

Alongside Gowing Bros and other university partners, the research center is charged with development of advanced manufacturing techniques to develop an Australian-made, travel-friendly surfboard.

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Products

Pressure Vessels

Hexagon Ragasco launches Linktra Smart cylinders in Norway

Fiberglass pressure vessels with IoT provide real-time insight into refilling needs for LPG consumers.

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Adhesives

Henkel releases digital tool for end-to-end product transparency

Quick and comprehensive carbon footprint reporting for about 58,000 of Henkel’s adhesives, sealants and functional coatings has been certified by TÜV Rheinland.

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Bally Ribbon offers woven materials for critical rigging, tie-down use

Custom-designed 2D and 3D materials made from high-performance fibers meet high-strength and resistance needs.

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Trending

Thermoplastics

JEC World 2024 highlights: Thermoplastic composites, CMC and novel processes

CW senior technical editor Ginger Gardiner discusses some of the developments and demonstrators shown at the industry’s largest composites exhibition and conference.

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Market Outlook

Composites end markets: Pressure vessels (2024)

The market for pressure vessels used to store zero-emission fuels is rapidly growing, with ongoing developments and commercialization of Type 3, 4 and 5 tanks.  

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Focus on Design

Carbon fiber composite pallet revolutionizes freight industry

LOG Point Pallet fuses advanced materials with innovative design and manufacturing to improve supply chains worldwide.

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Kennametal Composite Material Tooling Solutions
sustainable carbon fiber composites​
industrial CNC routers
Advanced Nonwovens for AAM Composites - TFP
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Features and Articles

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Focus on Design

Aviation-specific battery system uses advanced composites to address electric, hybrid flight

BOLDair’s composite enclosure, compression structures and thermal runaway management enables high-performance electric energy storage.

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Aerospace

Automated robotic NDT enhances capabilities for composites

Kineco Kaman Composites India uses a bespoke Fill Accubot ultrasonic testing system to boost inspection efficiency and productivity.

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Thermoplastics

Creating a composite battery insert-stud solution for EV trucks

Bossard worked with an OEM and Tier supplier team to meet tight electrical insulation and packaging tolerances while reducing tooling, molding and assembly costs.

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Sustainability

JEC World 2024 highlights: Forwarding initiatives surrounding sustainability and mobility

Themes at the forefront of JEC World 2024 included solutions for mobility applications and sustainable materials, technologies and processes for composites manufacturing.

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Airtech
HEATCON Composite Systems
Chem Trend
re-engineered the ORPC foil and strut
Latest Issue

Industry Experts

Design & Testing

Damage tolerance testing of sandwich composites: The sandwich flexure-after-impact (FAI) test

A second new ASTM-standardized test method assesses the damage tolerance of sandwich composites under flexural loading.

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Gardner Business Index

Composites industry activity meaningfully slowed contraction in March

The GBI: Composites Fabricating still contracted in March, though it landed just one point shy of 50, which could eventually lead it into expansion territory.

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Editorial

A return to JEC World

CW editor-in-chief Scott Francis reflects on the ways in which the composites industry has changed and also stayed the same based on observations from this year’s JEC World.  

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release agents, purging compounds, process chemical specialties
NewStar Adhesives - Nautical Adhesives
Thermwood Corp.
Airtech International Inc.

Videos/Podcasts

Hydrogen Storage

Composites end markets: Batteries and fuel cells (2024)

As the number of battery and fuel cell electric vehicles (EVs) grows, so do the opportunities for composites in battery enclosures and components for fuel cells.

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Pressure Vessels

Optimizing robotic winding of composite tanks and pipes

Pioneer in mandrel-based reinforced rubber and composite products, TANIQ offers TaniqWindPro software and robotic winding expertise for composite pressure vessels and more.

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Sustainability

Forvia moves toward more sustainable automotive composites manufacturing

Automotive technology supplier Forvia shares sustainability goals and recent developments aimed at bio-based and recycled materials and ramping up hydrogen tank production for clean mobility.

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Thermoplastics

Eaton developing carbon-reinforced PEKK to replace aluminum in aircraft air ducts

3D printable material will meet ESD, flammability and other requirements to allow for flexible manufacturing of ducts, without tooling needed today.

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Optimizing machining for composites: Tool designs, processes and Industry 4.0 systems

Hufschmied moves beyond optimized milling and drilling tools to develop SonicShark inline quality control system and Cutting Edge World cloud platform for optimized tool use and processes.

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Plant Tours

Plant tour: Sekisui Aerospace, Orange City, Iowa, Renton and Sumner, Wash., U.S.

Veteran composites sites use kaizen and innovation culture to expand thermoplastic serial production, 4.0 digitization and new technology for diversified new markets.

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Sustainability

Episode 44: Andy West, Sonichem

CW interviews Dr. Andy West of Sonichem, about the company’s ultrasonic process for converting biomass into lignin, as well as other biomaterials of interest for composites manufacturing.

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Sustainability

Episode 43: Emphasizing the recycling of wind blades

CW Talks discusses Ford Motor Company’s involvement with the EMPHASIZING project, a UK consortium working to develop a material from recycled glass fiber with mechanical properties superior to virgin glass.

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Aerospace

Episode 42: Jeff Sloan, CompositesWorld

CW publisher and brand V.P. Jeff Sloan discusses the history of CW and the evolution of the composites industry during his time as editor. 

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Episode 41: Chase Hogoboom, T.J. Perrotti, Composite Energy Technologies Inc.

Chase Hogoboom (president) and TJ Perrotti (senior Naval architect and chief design engineer), CET Photo Credit: Composite Energy Technologies Inc.

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Aerospace

Episode 40: Sarah Cox, NASA

Sarah Cox, materials engineer at NASA, talks about her experience at NASA working with composites in the space travel space. 

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Construction

Episode 39: Joe Fox, FX Consulting

Consultant Joe Fox talks about the massive potential for composites use in infrastructure applications and what it will take to turn that potential into reality.

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Advanced Nonwovens for Aerocomposites - TFP
Coatings for Carbon Fiber from Keyland Polymer
hybrid additives
Airtech International Inc.