CW Blog

Sustainability

The next 10 years in commercial aviation and composites

Aviation Week discusses all-composite plane at Boeing, new composite wing at Airbus and trends driven by sustainability — composites are a key enabler for future aviation.

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Application

Vestas implements composites 3D printing to increase efficiency for blade alignment tools

A Markforged digital repository and multi-material 3D printers enable faster, more accurate and less costly manufacture of a variety of tools and blade components across Vestas sites.

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Economics

Composites industry continues early 2022 trends into June

As in May, a majority of the components in the Gardner Business Index (GBI): Composites Fabricating continue movement into slowed expansionary growth.

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Carbon Fibers

Overair's Butterfly eVTOL prototype to integrate composites-intensive design

Aiming for first flight tests in the latter half of 2023, Overair’s Butterfly aircraft uses Toray carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg strategically to cut weight on its battery-powered, quiet aircraft.

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Trends

High-performance, high-detail continuous 3D-printed carbon fiber parts

Since 2014, Mantis Composites has built its customer and R&D capabilities specifically toward design, printing and postprocessing of highly engineered aerospace and defense parts.

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Sustainability has come to composites and it's here to stay

It might be tempting to think of sustainability as a buzzword, but there are structural changes taking place in the composites industry that signal its permanence.

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Plant tour: National Institute for Aviation Research, Wichita, Kan., U.S.

NIAR, located at Wichita State University in the heart of the American aerospace manufacturing industry, has evolved to become a premier hub of teaching, R&D, creativity and innovation.

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Troubleshooter

Fostering best practices for wet layup procedures

As fabricators continue to manufacture composite tools and parts using an open mold, wet layup process — often with mixed success — it’s important to stress proper preparation, materials, application methods and standardization.

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Focus on Design

Composite buildings go monocoque

Superior protection from the elements plus fast, affordable installation and maintenance have quickly made Orenco Composites’ DuraFiber buildings an attractive choice for water and wastewater, communications, transportation and power industry outbuildings.

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Thermoplastics

Impressions and takeaways from JEC World 2022

Suffice to say that JEC World 2022, the “Big Show” for the composites industry, exceeded many expectations. Dale Brosius contemplates pervasive themes, conversations and takeaways from the international event.

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SPONSORED

Top 10 Considerations When Buying a CNC Machine for Composites

For a CNC machine to continue to meet or exceed a company’s needs, it must be built and spec’d with these needs in mind.

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3D printing and AFP join forces in automotive demonstrator

Bavarian auto industry and TU Munich research how to reduce molding costs by combining continuous fiber and 3D-printed composites.

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