CW Blog

Curing 17 Feb 2016

VBO prepregs: The Vision SF50

OOA vacuum-bag-only process makes carbon fiber structures a reality for the world’s first personal jet.

RTM 17 Feb 2016

Resin transfer molding: An update

Fulfilling the promise of OOA composites without sacrificing pressure.

Aerospace 17 Feb 2016

Resin infusion: Taking off?

Boeing Aerostructures Australia leads large-scale development of resin infusion as an industrial process.

Carbon Fibers 17 Feb 2016

OOA overview: Market & opportunities

CW looks at where aero-OEMs and their suppliers are finding out-of-autoclave alternatives.

Aerospace 12 Feb 2016

Composites manufacturing from a different angle

A bunch of really smart engineers showed up in Long Beach, CA, US this week for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ (SME, Dearborn, MI, US) AeroDef conference and exhibition. All were focused on looking at ways to manufacture products — composite or not — more efficiently.

Wind/Energy 11 Feb 2016

If we recycle it, will they come?

Thanks to the 787 and the A350 XWB aircraft programs, the composites industry has more scrap carbon fiber prepreg than it knows what to do with. At least, not yet.

Aerospace 10 Feb 2016

Composites help Bell V-280 toward Future Vertical Lift

Bell’s design for future military helicopter uses hybrid metal-composite construction and Large Cell Carbon Core technology for unitized wing.

Workforce Development 8 Feb 2016

Automated filament winding enables competitive composite cylinders

Carefully controlled, robust, volume processes offer fabricators of Class IV LPG/CNG tanks a means to meet increasing demand in Europe and Asia.

Thermoplastics 8 Feb 2016

Thermoplastic honeycomb cores: Tough insulated sandwiches

Foam-filled nylon/polyester fabric yields sandwich panel cores with excellent mechanicals, durability, thermal insulation.

Autoclave 8 Feb 2016

Low-density SMC: Better living through chemistry

Proprietary sizing, special glass roving and microspheres strip 9 kilos of weight from Corvette body panels.

Molds/Tools 8 Feb 2016

Aircraft composites repair moves toward maturity

New technologies seek to address the challenges MROs will increasingly face in the age of commercial airliners with composite airframes.

Aerospace 8 Feb 2016

GE Aviation, Batesville, MS, US

With a supply chain busy making commercial jet engines like the GE90, GEnx, LEAP and GE9X, GE Aviation has invested heavily in its composites capabilities in Batesville.