CW Blog
3D Printing Moves Into Tooling Components
Some pundits predict that 3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), will change our world forever. While that may yet be, one thing is clear: The growth of 3D printing over the past two decades has wrought significant change in composites tooling. Although AM’s most obvious advantage is direct part production without tooling, the growing trend in the aerospace and automotive sectors at present is its use for fast, on-demand builds of mold tools to keep pace with accelerating composite part design cycles and demand for faster overall part processing speeds.
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Tires that never go flat
SciTech Industries and Rapid Composites develop high-volume production tires that use glass fiber/PET composite springs instead of innertubes and compressed air.
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Hydrofoil technology meets the luxury yacht market?
If Zephyous Charters gets its way, hydrofoil technology made famous by the 2013 America's Cup race will soon be available on a luxury yacht near you. All that's needed is a little money.
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Opportunities for composites at AIA 2015
Key trends and new products on the floor at this year's American Institute of Architects show.
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Thermoplastic composites technology: A view from Europe
For this Dutch consortium, bringing the manufacturability of thermoplastic materials to maturity is the goal in concert with OEMs, materials and equipment supplier members.
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In-orbit-deployable radar dish
Aramid/PEI delivers flexibility, strength and precision for space-based reflector
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First all-carbon yacht a winner
Vacuum infusion with customized fabrics enables demanding yacht build
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Understanding the influence of fiber orientation on structural analysis of fiber-filled parts
The effect of fiber orientation on material properties is a key way the injection molding process impacts mechanical performance. Doug Kenik and Angie Schrader of the Design, Lifecycle & Simulation product group at Autodesk (Waltham, MA, US) illustrates two ways fiber orientation influences the structural behavior of fiber-filled parts and discuss the need for a bi-directional approach to design and analysis.
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Revisiting some past perspectives
CW columnist and composites-industry consultant Dale Brosius takes a look back at some past "Perspectives & Provocations" columns with an eye to how the perspectives then match up with the realities of today's high-performance composites market.
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The ends will be justified by the means
CW Editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan recalls the one question he's consistently fielded throughout his quarter century in magazine editing and publishing: “Don’t you worry about running out of things to write about?” Here's his answer.
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Turning ideas into innovative composites
From helmets to harps to the new Formula Lites all-carbon race car, Crawford Composites pursues perfection in a wide array of carbon fiber parts.
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