CW Blog
Large-format CNC routing for large CFRP parts
5-axis CNC routers can provide fast, precision machining of increasingly larger parts, but also rapid payback.
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New tornado panels made from composites
The UAB panels were approved by the National Storm Shelter Association to hold up against an EF5 tornado.
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Structural health monitoring: NDT-integrated aerostructures
SHM moves from structural testing to an FAA-qualified inspection alternative, to reduce cost, streamline operations and mature toward lighter, more robust smart structures
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Aeroengine Composites, Part 1: The CMC invasion
As pressure for commercial aircraft fuel efficiency continues to mount, ceramic matrix composites evolve as they battle metals for application in the engine hot-zone and elsewhere.
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Additive manufacturing: The past, present — and future — of composites
A regular CW columnist and the chief commercialization officer for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), Dale Brosius offers this insightful look into why it's unwise to use the terms "3D printing" and "additive manufacturing" interchangeably.
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Composites lighten driving simulator dome
A first for its codevelopers, Pagnotta Engineering Inc. (PEI, Exton, PA, US) and JRL Ventures (Cape Coral, FL, US), this low-mass enclosure spawned a new product venture for the pair in research-oriented driving simulation systems.
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IP vigilance: Good business?
CW editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan observes that in the composites industry, where much of what is considered to be trade secrets and proprietary knowledge really isn't, a better course might be to share that knowledge and, thus, advance the industry as a whole.
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Designing with composites: Optimizing for performance and manufacturing
David Leigh Hudson, the director of product and market strategy for the Fibersim product portfolio at Siemens PLM Software (Waltham, MA, US), the need in the field of composite part design for a serious commitment to what he terms "concurrent engineering" processes.
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Summer vacation and MEMS/nanotechnology
Revisiting the past, while the future is happening in my home town.
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The possible meaning of mergers and acquisitions
Avcorp acquires Hitco Carbon Composites, Precision Castparts acquires Composites Horizons and Lockheed Martin acquires Sikorsky. What the heck?
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Resins for the Fast Zone
An automotive supplier must have the ability to produce a composite part in a minute, or at least in minutes — not hours or days, the norm for composites in most other industries. Meeting that part-per-minutes goal is a huge hurdle that a few composite fabricators have cleared, and many more are involved in development efforts, with OEM or Tier partners. CompositesWorld reviews how resin suppliers have evolved their products for this critical market.
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