CW Blog

Aerospace

Unprecedented flex designed into 777X composite wings

With a 235-ft/71.8m wingspan, and the latest in composite material and design technology, the 777X will fly with wings designed to flex up during flight, giving the plane greater glide capabilities. A new Boeing video sheds some light on the design.

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Composite brackets for life-of-aircraft service

Reinforced PEEK molding formulated for jet fuel/hydraulic fluid immersion.

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Cyanate Ester

Outer space: The “final frontier” is exciting again!

CW contributor Dale Brosius, a composites industry consultant and the chief commercialization officer for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), points to evidence that the composites industry will, once again, be the beneficiary of renewed drive for space exploration.

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Pressure Vessels

Some thoughts on the M&A "heat wave"

CompositesWorld's editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan takes some admittedly educated guesses at the significance of the six momentous acquisitions that were announced in the short space from mid-July through early August in the composites industry.

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Aerospace

Battle of the composite wings

A closer look at the wings of the Airbus A350-1000 and the Boeing 777X.

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Carbon Fibers

Automated preform process boosts properties and cuts cycle time

Fiber Patch Placement (FPP) achieves optimized fiber orientation for up to 150% increase in stiffness and reduced cycle time, weight and material waste.

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Adhesives

Looking to lighten up aircraft interiors? Try natural fibers!

Aircraft OEMs are striving to make their products more efficient, with improved engines and ever-increasing use of composite materials, including in aircraft interiors.

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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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Construction

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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Wind/Energy

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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Aerospace

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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Construction

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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prepeg and slit tape products