CW Blog

Aerospace 14 Dec 2018

One step closer to commercial spaceflight

CW senior writer emeritus Donna Dawson provides an eyewitness account of the launch and safe return to Earth of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo on the day of its first spaceflight.

Wind/Energy 13 Dec 2018

Lightweight at sea — get on board

Using composites to lightweight ships is gaining momentum. Several groups are available for materials and technology suppliers to join and help develop cost-effective solutions.

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Weaving 12 Dec 2018

The democratization of composites

China as springboard to push adoption of thermoplastic composites and revolutionize consumer goods.

5 Dec 2018

Lamborghini unveils energy storing electric supercar

The carbon fiber body and structural components of the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio store electric energy while simultaneously reducing the vehicle’s weight.

Automotive 3 Dec 2018

Continuous tapes, D-LFT meet up in new compression molding process

Design research for an automotive load floor module drove development of a new compression molding process for direct-long-fiber thermoplastic (D-LFT) composites.

Carbon Fibers 1 Dec 2018

Cimarron advances micro-strain performance for cryogenic pressure tanks

Cimarron Composites (Huntsville, AL, US) has made a leap forward in all-composite cryogenic tank development: development of a carbon fiber-reinforced composite storage tank capable of 15,000 micro-strain performance while in a pressurized liquid nitrogen environment.

Weaving 1 Dec 2018

Innovation in SMC: A long history and great potential

Manufacturer’s representative Steve Brown reflects on the history of sheet molding compound (SMC) development and lessons he has learned from working with companies through the process.

Trends 1 Dec 2018

Ford to integrate graphene-enhanced parts into its vehicles

Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will use graphene nanomaterial to enhance foam materials that reduce noise inside its vehicles and increase performance under the hood.

FRP Rebar 1 Dec 2018

Passion, persistence and patience – winning the long game

The American Composite Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and others have been pushing for the widespread use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rebar in infrastructure construction for decades. Now, the industry is starting to see some major wins.