CW Blog

Aerospace

Big composite container protects vital satellite

Before they experience the vibrations of launch and the rigors of the space environment, satellites first have to make it to the launch pad. Pagnotta Engineering Inc. (PEI, Exton, PA, US) was called upon by Orbital ATK (Dulles, VA, US) to design a shipping box to protect Orbital ATK’s GEOStar-3 geosynchronous satellite bus structure, during shipment.

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Consumer

Solar-powered vehicle from Cal Poly PROVE Lab to challenge world record

The PROVE Lab car is made of carbon fiber composites and features more than 100 ft2 of solar panels.

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Pressure Vessels

The spread of spread tow

Advancing from “lighter and thinner” to boosting strength, stiffness, impact resistance and productivity, spread tow unlocks new applications and markets.

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Adhesives

New Products: April 2018

CW’s monthly roundup of new products for the composites industry.

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Out of Autoclave

Titan prepares for Titanic expedition

The composites-intensive, five-person, deep-sea submersible Titan is undergoing testing ahead of a planned trip to 4,000m re-examine the RMS Titanic in June.

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Epoxies

Flexible cure prepreg finds use in marine and wind

It’s almost time for the 2018 Tour de France — no, not that one with the bicycles, but the Tour de France à la Voile. Hexcel (Stamford, CT, US) composite materials have been used for the race’s trimaran the DIAM 24’s mast construction from the outset.

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Carbon Fibers

New 3D-printed prosthetic leg features carbon fiber definitive socket

Additive manufactured thermoplastic carbon fiber definitive prosthetic socket allows for life cycle adjustments without weakening its structure

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Aerospace

Multi-material shipping container for pharmaceuticals

This past week, CW was made aware of a new, high-tech and multi-material unit load device (ULD) shipping container solution from an innovative container company called Smart Containers Group (Zurich, Switzerland).

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CW Talks: Highly automated thermoplastic laminate production

The latest episode of CW Talks: The Composites Podcast, explores the collaborative development of a new thermoplastic laminate by SABIC, Airborne and Siemens.

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Wind/Energy

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.

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Wind/Energy

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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Glass Fibers

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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