Sara Black Senior Technical Editor Emeritus
SGL and Bertrandt develop carbon composite for auto interiors
Bertrandt (Ehningen, Germany) and SGL Group (Meitingen, Germany) have collaborated on a new integrated concept for innovative interior structures based on composite materials, that the two companies call the “Carbon Carrier.”
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Terrafugia acquired by Chinese firm
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Hangzhou, China) announced on November 13 that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Terrafugia Inc. (Boston, MA, US), known for its Terrafugia flying car.
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Airlander begins next phase of flight testing
Hybrid Air Vehicles’ Airlander lighter-than-air craft was guided into the sky by chief test pilot Dave Burns on its sixth test flight, the first in its second phase of test flying.
Read MoreVELOX, Ilium Composites now partners
VELOX GmbH a European distributor of raw material specialties for the composites industry, has formed a new distribution partnership with Ilium Composites, a manufacturer of glass reinforcements.
Read MoreUK's EPSRC forms alliance with ICMAC event
the UK’s EPSRC recently announced that The Future Composites Manufacturing Research Hub (The Hub) has formed a strategic partnership with ICMAC 2018: The International Conference on Manufacturing of Advanced Composites, to be held in Nottingham over two days on July 11-12, 2018.
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Sigmatex wins Jaguar Land Rover Innovation Award
Sigmatex just received the JLR Innovation Award, presented on behalf of the Northern Automotive Alliance at their annual awards dinner on November 12, for its sigmaRF thermoplastic/carbon fiber hybrid material that can be press-formed into a finished product.
Read MoreSika offers polymer fibers for concrete
Sika Deutschland GmbH has started producing high-performance polypropylene fibers for reinforcing concrete, for clients in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region at its manufacturing facility in Troisdorf, Germany.
Read MoreAutomotive innovation challenge issued
ALLIANCE (Affordable Lightweight Automobiles Alliance) is a research and innovation project on automotive lightweighting, co-funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program and supported by EUCAR, the European Council for Automotive R&D. The group has issued a challenge for new innovations to help create lighter vehicles.
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Real-time automated ply inspection (RTAPI) system: CW’s series on automated inspection methods
More composites being used in aircraft, and the pressure for higher production rates means new technologies for automated, in-process inspection while the part is being fabricated. Groups around the world are working on this, and making great strides.
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Kanfit adds CNC machine
Kanfit Ltd. (Migdal HaEmek, Israel), a leading manufacturer of aerospace-grade parts and assemblies manufactured from composite and metal materials, announced on Nov. 7 that it has successfully completed installation of its new 5-axis CNC machining center.
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MHI Vestas repurposes power plant for wind blades
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind A/S (Aarhus, Denmark) will repurpose an oil-fired power plant decommissioned in 2015 into a state-of-the-art painting and logistics facility for its record-breaking 80m turbine blades.
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Penso building new automated composites manufacturing plant
Penso Group Ltd. is currently building a new facility to manufacture automotive composites, as part of the company’s participation in the UK-funded Flexible Lightweight Architecture for Volume Applications (FLAVA).
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