CW Blog

Trends

Cincinnati’s BAAM proves utility of recycled materials in AM

Cincinnati Inc. modified the extruder of its Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system to be able to process virgin carbon fiber/ABS and recycled carbon fiber/ABS.

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Continuous fiber-reinforced, 3D printed houses on the horizon

3D-printed modular building manufacturer Mighty Buildings moves toward certification of higher-strength, more sustainable glass fiber-reinforced housing panels.

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Q&A: Importance of reliability in large-scale additive manufacturing

Thermwood Corp. CEO Ken Susnjara shares an LSAM supplier’s perspective on enabling reliable, continuous manufacturing performance.

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Editorial

The democratization of composites is reconfiguring supply chains

New robotic and digital technologies are enabling advanced in-house capabilities for small companies and innovative suppliers willing to embrace the move toward more affordable, sustainable composites.

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Wind/Energy

175 composites editorials and counting

This is my 175th CW editorial. That’s 104,322 words. I created a word cloud to celebrate.

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The end is in sight for COVID-19: What comes next for the composites industry?

While the industry returns to some semblance of normality, a pre-pandemic “business as usual” does not seem likely. Dale Brosius ponders some of the questions that need to be faced.

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Molds/Tools

Speeding RTM with heat-flux sensors

Clean Sky 2 INNOTOOL 4.0 project advances cure monitoring for larger and less costly lightweight landing gear made using composites.

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Focus on Design

Rocket engine thrust frame proves a strong candidate for composites conversion

The engine thrust frame of a space launch vehicle, located at the bottom of a rocket stage, joining fuel tanks to engines, must deliver strength and stiffness across a range of temperatures — cost-effectively.

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Infrastructure

Easy-to-use kits enable infield repair of composite structures

Portable kit enables patch repairs using UV-cure glass fiber/vinyl ester or room-temp stored carbon fiber/epoxy prepregs and battery-powered curing equipment.

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Out of Autoclave

Forged molding compound: Extending SMC capabilities

New material, design, process combination approaches prepreg performance with chopped carbon fiber SMC.

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Sustainability

Composite testing challenges, Part 3: Testing systems

Several factors need to be considered for accurate and efficient composites testing, including testing systems that can accommodate required test environments, alignment and offer intuitive software.

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Economics

Composites Index sustains a third month in record territory

Accelerating new orders, backlogs and challenging supply chains propel the index higher for the month of May. 

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Composite raw materials
prepeg and slit tape products
Quickly Make Molds, Tools and Fixtures
Alpha’s Premier ESR®