Sara Black Senior Technical Editor Emeritus
Tooling block makes affordable patterns for new superlight aircraft
Tooling for a new canard-winged pusher airplane, the e-Go (e-Go Airplanes of Cambridge, U.K.), was created from patterns made of EP678 epoxy tooling block, supplied by the Advanced Engineering Materials Product Group of Trelleborg Offshore UK (Skelmersdale, Lancashire, U.K.)
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Ply placement: Largest laser projection system for wind blade manufacture
Following the recent installation of a 16-projector system for an aircraft fuselage application, Assembly Guidance Systems Inc. (Chelmsford, Mass.) recently delivered what it says is the largest unified laser-projection system of its kind, for wind turbine blade fabrication.
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Handgun holsters: Thermoplastic composites target extreme performance
Safariland LLC (Ontario, Calif.), produces gun holsters, previously made of leather, from a proprietary composite that relies on a custom-formulated thermoplastic sheet product from Boltaron Performance Products LLC (Newcomerstown, Ohio)
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Sailing the sea with composite wings
Autonomous sailing vessel patrols with patented WingSail technology.
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Carbon fiber market: Gathering momentum
All signs point to increasing demand from many market sectors. Will capacity keep pace?
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CF 2011: Comment on end-markets and initiatives
Six speakers at the Carbon Fiber 2011 conference (December 2011) report on their organizations' activities in the carbon fiber market.
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Software enables submarine shipyard’s composites-for-metal effort
When Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (Kiel, Germany) looked for a software solution to reduce the risk of using composites for a greater range of thicker parts, FiberSIM software from VISTAGY Inc. (Waltham, Mass.) enabled its engineers to develop initial designs more quickly and to better understand the impact of design changes.
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SMC sandwich panels: Lean process opens doors
Patented process enables compression molding at lower pressures, saving capital equipment costs for panel fabrication.
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Corrosion prevention: Glass/vinyl ester liner protects power plant pit
When PT Paiton Energy in Paiton, East Java, Indonesia, wanted to expand its existing 1,230-MW coal-fired power plant, it needed a new concrete aeration pit to hold seawater that is circulated through the plant’s cooling system.
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Noise enclosures: Composites damp sound on offshore rig
For offshore oil rig operations, DIAB has led a team that developed a cored sandwich composite alternative to metal sound-damping enclosures at half the weight.
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The Plane in Spain
Site tours provide a rare glimpse into the Iberian Peninsula’s aerospace composites sector, with a special focus on Airbus’ activities at Illescas.
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SAMPE Tech 2011 in Texas
The Society’s annual fall gathering fills an exhibition hall this year nearly as big as the host state.
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