Articles

Thermoplastics 12 Apr 2018

So, you want to overmold

If so, CompositesWorld is hosting, June 13-14, the Composites Overmolding conference, to explore the software, materials and processes being used to combine continuous fiber composites with overmolded thermoplastics.

Sustainability 11 Apr 2018

Winds of change?

Recently there have been a few rumblings about offshore wind farms in the United States with potential project developments on both East and West coasts.

Glass Fibers 10 Apr 2018

An SMC machinery provider adds automation

About the time that I started writing about the composites industry, I was introduced to the concept of SMC – sheet molding compound. I was intrigued this year at the JEC World in Paris to meet with a German company, Schmidt & Heinzmann (S&H, Bruchsal, Germany).

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Additive Manufacturing 4 Apr 2018

Composites at AeroDef 2018

Highlights from the Aerospace Defense Manufacturing Conference – AeroDef 2018 include new technologies for tooling, drilling/machining and inspection of advanced composites.

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Electronics 2 Apr 2018

Continuous fiber TPCs are smart for world’s largest appliance manufacturer

Unveiled on March 8 at the China Household Electrical Appliances and Consumer Electronics Fair (AWE, Shangai), Haier’s (Qingdao, China) “smart” Tianxi air conditioner is the world’s first AC unit to feature continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) materials. in its high-end Casarte line (Italian “Casa” for home and “Arte” for art), The relationship holds much promise for CFRTP supplier Covestro (Leverkeusen, Germany; Pittsburgh, PA, US; Shanghai, China). The world’s number one appliance manufacturer, Haier’s products can alread be found in 1 million households.

Electronics 2 Apr 2018

Airborne, Siemens, SABIC partner for TPC mass production

Having acquired Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics B.V. (FRT, Lelystad, Netherlands) in 2016, SABIC was looking for a partner to produce large quantities of thermoplastic composite parts (using its UDMAX tapes, of course) at a radically lower cost. “We have been doing this type of work for a variety of industries,” says Arno van Mourik, founder and director of Airborne (The Hague, The Netherlands). His company is the leading manufacturer of thermoplastic composite pipe for oil and gas. “We have developed software and an industrialized process that now produces 40-50 tonnes of continuous product in one go without touch labor.” In 2015, Airborne built the Digital Factory Composites Field Lab with partners Siemens (Plano, TX, US) and KUKA Robotics (Augsburg, Germany) to pursue digitalization of composites processes.

Aerospace 1 Apr 2018

What an acquisition tells us about our industry’s future

The aerospace composites supply chain is diligently assessing its ability to meet the needs of those who will build next-generation aircraft.

Carbon Fibers 1 Apr 2018

PEEK or PEKK in future TPC aerostructures?

Which is better for in-situ consolidated thermoplastic composite primary structures? Materials play a part as to whether a one-step or two-step process will prevail.

Electronics 29 Mar 2018

Thermoplastic composites: Past the tipping point?

The manufacturing world watched a decade ago as automatically placed thermoset composite tapes replaced aluminum in commercial airframes and made composites a household word in markets around the world. Has the time come for thermoplastic composite tapes to make a similar impact?