Sara Black Senior Technical Editor Emeritus
Press-molding method emulates autoclave
Rubber tool insert avoids consolidation pressure “dead zones” and slashes cost.
Read More
Award-winning urban bicycle frame made from toughened prepreg
Uber design house UBC GmbH (Murr, Germany) puts its accumulated Formula 1 racing and automotive expertise to good use, designing a completely new composite urban bicycle concept.
Read More
The rise of Man Camps
Composites also are transforming the temporary, transportable housing market. A recent example is the Man Camp concept — efficient, portable, modular housing manufactured with composite walls, floors and roofs and marketed by TekModo LLC (Elkhart, Ind.) and partner firm Allied Composite Technologies (ACT, Rochester Hills, Mich.).
Read More
“Composites and Architecture” blog
In an effort to publicize architectural composites, Kreysler and Associates Inc. (American Canyon, Calif.) has begun a blog, called “Composites and Architecture” (www.compositesandarchitecture.com).
Read More
The building envelope: Betting on the big time
Building code changes and growing architect familiarity feed more frequent composites use in large-scale commercial construction.
Read More
Paddleboard productivity: Adhesively bonded hull/deck is key
Dragonfly Boatworks LLC's (Vero Beach, Fla.) new standup paddleboard for fly fishing is built without fasteners, with the aid of SG200-40 methacrylate adhesive from SCIGRIP Smarter Adhesive Solutions (Durham, N.C.).
Read More
Deep draw: Unique laminate architecture enables bus part
For a major mass-transit manufacturer, Amtech LLC (Wapato, Wash.) successfully thermoforms a luggage cover with a remarkably deep draw of 40 inches (1,016 mm), using a laminate architecture that includes a top layer of 0.180-inch/4.5-mm gauge Grade 4800 thermoplastic sheet, supplied by Boltaron (Newcomerstown, Ohio).
Read More
Cure for cratering: Gel coat perfected with design of experiments software
Resin manufacturer Interplastic Corp. – Thermoset Resins Div. (St. Paul, Minn.), a major gel coat producer, recently developed a new gel coat with the aid of Design-Expert design of experiments software from Stat-Ease Inc. (Minneapolis, Minn.).
Read More
Kinetic sculpture made possible with carbon fiber composites
Halo, an unusual wind-activated kinetic sculpture is realized with the help of Gurit (Newport, Isle of Wight, U.K.) and molder Innovation Composites (South Nowra, New South Wales, Australia)
Read More
Cutting and laser layup technology supports tier fabricator in Boeing project
Prototype production for The Boeing Co.’s (Chicago. Ill.) Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS) aircraft gets a boost from cutting and templating hardware/software supplied by Gerber Technology (Tolland, Conn.)
Read More
Bi-angle fabrics find first commercial application
Bicycle manufacturer sees dramatic productivity gains using unbalanced fabrics conceived at Stanford University and manufactured by Chomarat.
Read More
Cladding controversy: SMC insulation panels preserve pre-1919 building aesthetics
Acell (Milan, Italy) offers a solution for insulating older buildings that is designed to satisfy advocates of both architectural preservation and environmental conservation.
Read More