CW Blog
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.
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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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Episode 17: Gino Francato, Sabic; Arno van Mourik, Airborne; John O'Connor, Siemens
Business leaders at Sabic, Airborne and Siemens discuss a collaboration by the three companies to develop the UDMAX thermoplastic laminate manufacturing system.
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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.
WatchContinuous 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.
Read MoreAirborne, 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.
Read MoreWhat 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.
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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.
Read MoreThermoplastic 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?
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Gripping composite test specimens: Options and guidance
Orthotropic behavior of composites test specimens makes load introduction uniquely challenging.
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The US composites industry’s rally continues in February
The February Composites Fabricating Index was at 59.6
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New board makes windsurfing available to all
Making the windsurfing sport available to all
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