This holiday season's creative gift list for composites industry pros

Christmas is a holiday with a rich cultural history. Its origins stem from a variety of traditions surrounding the winter solstice, though it is now more readily associated today as a sacred holiday for those of the Christian faith, and as a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon leading up to the new calendar year. As a globally observed holiday symbolizing harmony, goodwill and unity, Christmas over the years has also become synonymous with gift-giving.

Now more than ever is the time to spread a little composites cheer among your friends, family, colleagues and employees. What better way to express your love and appreciation than to gift them (and maybe even yourself) with a composites-related surprise? As it has in years past, the CW editorial team brings you a list of unique gift ideas — the fun, the practical and the quirky — in the hopes of helping you check off some of those long gift lists (or at the least to spark some inspiration). While in no way a comprehensive list of the composites-related products that are out there (CW pulled a majority of these from content published this past year), we hope that this list brings you some interest, some joy and a whole lot of Christmas cheer.

If interested, you can also check out our 2022 and 2023 compiled gift lists.

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1. A subscription to CompositesWorld’s e-newsletters and/or the monthly digital/print issue. It’s a free gift that keeps on giving.

2. High-performance, carbon fiber wheels. Bucci composites offers a 20-inch version tailored for driver enthusiasts, and Carbon Revolution offers a 23-inch option for its just-revealed Range Rover Sport SV Edition Two. 

3. An online prepregs training course offered via Composites Expert’s E-Learning Composites Academy platform, aimed at new and experienced entrants.

4. A Kape Skateboards “Vanguard” deck made of glass fibers reinforced with recycled polyamide. Skateboarders will enjoy this model’s “pop,” performance and sustainability features.

5. The limited-edition El Ganso x Acciona sneaker by Acciona Energía and El Ganso featuring soles composed of micronized dismantled wind blades.

6. For those who love traveling via motor homes, caravans or camper vans, take a look at Knaus Tabbert’s recreational vehicles. Indupol, Büfa and AOC brought their materials and fabrication know-how for the development of a styrene-free composite roof assembly.

7. Arris Composites has perfected lightweight rock climbing gear with this carbon fiber cam, tried and tested by Arris co-founder and chief engineer, Erick Davidson and his wife.

8. A piece from Ekbacken Studios’ signature Collection no.1 of environmentally conscious “masterpiece” furniture comprised of Sulapac biodegradable biopolymers and natural wood.

9. Chorda, a custom handheld electronic musical instrument featuring a synth and sample engine, plus an interface with a 12-key bridge that can use capacitive sensing technology for diverse finger interactions. Syensqo’s fiber-filled Ixef PARA resin gives this instrument a combination of high surface quality, scratch and warpage resistance.

10. Sign up for MarineShift360’s free life cycle assessment (LCA) tool, created to enable designers, engineers, naval architects, boatbuilders and their supply chain partners to quantify the environmental impact of the marine products they produce.

11. Consider investing in one of these highly accessible composite 3D printer options, the Endless One medium-scale continuous fiber 3D printer by Endless Industries, and CEAD’s recently launched all-in-one 3D printing Flexcube platform.

12. This 100% sustainable Värmdö kayak model built with ampliTex flax fabrics, a solid cork core and plant-based resins.

13. Advanced International Multitech (AIM, Kaohsiung City) high-pressure resin transfer molded (HP-RTM) automotive wheel rims, adding to its golf clubs and bicycle offerings.

14. St. Croix’s Technica Series fly fishing rods offering enthusiasts responsive, moderate action, paired with the use of carbon fiber and Mito’s graphene technology.

15. Outdoor labels Arc’teryx and Durston have joined forced with Aluula Composites to introduce novel performance-driven, lightweight and recyclable outdoor gear for extreme mountain environments. This includes the ultralight Wapta 30 Pack backpack with Durston Gear made with Aluula’s Graflyte V-98 polymer material. The fabric is woven using ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE).

16. The lightweight CDuro Epona bike, fitted with custom design “Intend Carbonite” carbon fiber/epoxy suspension forks, manufactured using CompoTech’s AFL winding and integrated loop technologies. 

17. A tech-driven collection of carbon fiber products through Arris Composites’ direct-to-consumer brand, Aurorra by Arris (AXA). Early tech enthusiasts can look out for limited-edition products from footwear to phone cases.

18. In-person, hands-on composites engineering, manufacturing, repair and nondestructive inspection (NDI) courses, as well as a new course in double vacuum debulk (DVD) repair technology, offered by Abaris Training Resources. 

19. These low-carbon bottle cage bike accessories, crafted entirely from recycled composite materials. Offered by Massload, it blends 50% of Swancor’s recycled carbon fiber with 50% recycled polyamide 6 (PA6) pellets.

20. Haddy’s recycled composite furniture for residential, commercial and hospitality needs developed via CEAD 3D printers.