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High-pressure gas storage vessels represent one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for advanced composites, particularly for filament-wound carbon fiber composites. Although they are used in self-contained breathing apparatuses and provide oxygen and gas storage on aerospace vehicles, the primary end markets are for storage of liquid propane gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen gas (H₂).

Filament winding is a specialized technique used in composite manufacturing, involving the precise and automated winding of continuous fibers onto a rotating mandrel or mold. This method allows for the creation of strong and seamless structures, optimizing the alignment and orientation of the fibers to meet specific design requirements. Filament winding is employed in producing cylindrical or conical composite parts, such as pipes, pressure vessels, and aerospace components, enabling engineers to tailor the strength, stiffness, and performance characteristics of the final product.

Processes in composites manufacturing encompass a diverse array of techniques employed to fabricate composite materials. These processes include methods like hand layup, where layers of resin and reinforcement materials are manually placed, and vacuum infusion, where a vacuum draws resin into a preform. Other techniques like compression molding, filament winding, and automated methods such as 3D printing are utilized to create intricate and specialized composite structures. Each process offers unique advantages in terms of precision, scalability, and efficiency, catering to diverse industry needs. As technology advances, newer methods are emerging, promising faster production cycles, reduced waste, and increased customization, driving the evolution of composite manufacturing towards more sophisticated and versatile methodologies.

The wind energy market has long been considered the world’s largest market, by volume, for glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites — and increasingly, carbon fiber composites — as larger turbines and longer wind blades are developed, requiring higher performance, lighter weight materials. The outer skins of wind and tidal turbine blades generally comprise infused, GFRP laminates sandwiching foam core. Inside the blade, rib-like shear webs bonded to spar caps reinforce the structure. Spar caps are often made from GFRP or, as blade lengths lengthen, pultruded carbon fiber for additional strength.

Each 14-MW turbine to be deployed in Taiwan will use 108-meter-long Siemens Gamesa IntegralBlades and nacelles from Taiwan-based nacelle factory, to be expanded by 2024.

Pacific Coast opened to advance areas for offshore wind off the northern and central coasts of California, follows the call for 30 GW offshore wind deployment by 2030.

INCA Renewable Technologies targets commercialization of hemp-based biocomposites line for automotive, wind, marine industries, moves forward with processing facility construction.

Facility will perform the finishing of Siemens Gamesa Offshore IntegralBlades and intends to support Dominion Energy’s 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project.

Offshore wind farm developer reports it will temporarily store decommissioned composite blades, should recycling solutions take longer than anticipated.

Continuous collaborative effort is sought to strengthen the wind energy supply chain, such as production setup optimization for current and future wind blade facilities, and evaluation of future locations.

New leasing, funding and development goals announced to accelerate and deploy offshore wind energy at scale and strengthen the domestic supply chain.

Resilient, full-service system can perform a variety of tasks five times faster and more safely than human technicians, while proactively addressing extreme erosion progression.

Polish recycling company Anmet and partner GP Renewables Group aim to repurpose decommissioned composite wind turbine blades for infrastructure and consumer products.

Two decades of technical and market development has made this once marginal application a global giant and one of the world’s largest markets for composites.